Clicker dies, no clicker press?

[ThisIsMyFirstRodeo]

Hey all,

So I have a bit of a conundrum…

Is there a way to use clicker dies without dropping the money for a press? Possibly a deadblow mallet? I know the Vevor press is quite affordable, but it’s still $200 that I don’t have. 
My “shop” is just myself, my wife and daughter (so really just myself lol), so any time I save by skipping templates I can put into my forge. Or doing dishes. Depends if the wife is home or not…

Thanks for any thoughts/advice/commiseration,

AZR

[kgg]

39 minutes ago, ThisIsMyFirstRodeo said:

Is there a way to use clicker dies without dropping the money for a press?

Maybe a vise and a couple of boards.

kgg

[fredk]

Two boards and some C clamps

or

a solid surface, a mallet and a sacrificial piece of wood

Edited 14 hours ago by fredk

[dikman]

I have a couple of small dies for cutting out key fobs so I thought my arbor press should work - it did, but not very well. So I tried a block of wood and a hammer, it also worked, sort of. Next was a bench vise and a couple of pieces of wood, that worked ok. Use a plastic chopping board under the leather as it will be better for the cutting edge.

One of those shop hydraulic presses should work well but will be a bit slow if you want to cut out a lot of stuff.

[ThisIsMyFirstRodeo]

Thank you for your input, guys. I think I’ll try the stud sandwich first (lumber, guys, lumber…) and start with a mallet and move up. Like I learned from my time framing, When in doubt, use a bigger hammer… 😁

Luckily, it’s really only for small pieces, keychains/coasters/bracelets and the like, but anything that will help my efficiency. 
 

AZR

[ThisIsMyFirstRodeo]

43 minutes ago, dikman said:

I have a couple of small dies for cutting out key fobs so I thought my arbor press should work - it did, but not very well. So I tried a block of wood and a hammer, it also worked, sort of. Next was a bench vise and a couple of pieces of wood, that worked ok. Use a plastic chopping board under the leather as it will be better for the cutting edge.

One of those shop hydraulic presses should work well but will be a bit slow if you want to cut out a lot of stuff.

How’s that Vevor press working out for you?

[toxo]

Placing leather on an upturned die and tapping around with a soft plastic mallet is perfectly feasible but the leather will move around unless you can find a way to stabilise it. Perhaps spray gluing on to a soft cutting board or some MDF might hold it. As dikman says, an arbor press and a soft board will work for smaller dies.

[SUP]

8 hours ago, toxo said:

Placing leather on an upturned die and tapping around with a soft plastic mallet i

You get soft plastic mallets specifically for this, these days. 

Amazon.com: barenx Leather Craft Puzzle Mold Punch Stick Cylinder Rod Hammer DIY Handicraft

 

8 hours ago, toxo said:

but the leather will move around unless you can find a way to stabilise it.

Just holding it in place works for me because I can see where I need to hit the soft mallet and am not working blind like when the die is placed cutting side down. 

 

 

[dikman]

9 hours ago, ThisIsMyFirstRodeo said:

How’s that Vevor press working out for you?

Haven't used it yet. I've been trying to find where to buy the steel rule to make my own dies, no success yet. All the searches point me to either the US or China (alibaba), neither of which is feasible. I've found someone selling hoop (banding) steel pretty cheap so might give that a try. It's the same size as 2pt steel rule so it's worth a try. I also have to make a device for bending/shaping the stuff.

But the Vevor is a nicely made tool, built like a tank!

[toxo]

53 minutes ago, dikman said:

Haven't used it yet. I've been trying to find where to buy the steel rule to make my own dies, no success yet. All the searches point me to either the US or China (alibaba), neither of which is feasible. I've found someone selling hoop (banding) steel pretty cheap so might give that a try. It's the same size as 2pt steel rule so it's worth a try. I also have to make a device for bending/shaping the stuff.

But the Vevor is a nicely made tool, built like a tank!

I assume the UK is too dear also? I did a post a while back about this where I posted a link to  Partwell.

Usually sold in packs of 60/100 so heavy. Better off looking for die makers  who might sell you some. 

Edited 2 hours ago by toxo