Leather-Ready Arbor Press

[El Paso]

I'm a nubie and was having problems with my leather stamping. You know, bounce, twist and rock. After reading some articles about converting arbor presses for leather stamping I bought a Palmgren 61101 (either A10 or 1 ton press on eBay. I really thought it was going to require a lot of alterations, but it arrived today, and was I ever surprised to find it almost leather-ready. The ram can be installed with the hole on the botton, and the Tandy 3D spring handle is a perfect fit. The watch battery size magnet is very strong and holds the handle tight. This press also came with a three piece punch set. The horseshoe shaped platform needs a wood block since you don't use the removable anvil. I also ordered a Tandy 6x6x1/2 poly board and two 8" metal rulers to make guides. Other than that, I see no need for further changes. (Yet). I wanted to share this with other leather workers because the old arbor presses seem to require a lot of changes. Perhaps Palmgren learned that leather workers were converting arbor presses and decided to make the job easier. The press cost less than $100 plus shipping and weighs about 23 pounds. Check eBay and Amazon.com if you're interested. Nice to be a member of leatherworker.net.

[King's X]

Welcome to the forum.

[El Paso]

Welcome to the forum.

Happy to be here. I have lots to learn.

[chancey77]

HEY El Paso...if that is your real name...hahaha J/K

Anyway,

Presses are great for belts, but you basically need 2 things to get those stamps to set properly just with a bit of practice.

A 2-3" thick smooth top Granite stone, which you can get from a garden center or kitchen counter top maker for about 5 bucks and a good solid table to work on.

2 Hard plastic mallets to start off with . I have 2 one that is about 1 lb for letters and big stamps and a smaller one about 8-12oz for border stamps and stuff like that. Home Depot about 8-20 bucks depending on the brand hammer.

Practice practice practice!

I have been doing this kind of stuff my whole life and do not own a press...I do sometimes wish I did have one, and that info is cool so thanks!

Welcome to the lions den...no just kidding everyone here is GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!

[El Paso]

HEY El Paso...if that is your real name...hahaha J/K

Anyway,

Presses are great for belts, but you basically need 2 things to get those stamps to set properly just with a bit of practice.

A 2-3" thick smooth top Granite stone, which you can get from a garden center or kitchen counter top maker for about 5 bucks and a good solid table to work on.

2 Hard plastic mallets to start off with . I have 2 one that is about 1 lb for letters and big stamps and a smaller one about 8-12oz for border stamps and stuff like that. Home Depot about 8-20 bucks depending on the brand hammer.

Practice practice practice!

I have been doing this kind of stuff my whole life and do not own a press...I do sometimes wish I did have one, and that info is cool so thanks!

Welcome to the lions den...no just kidding everyone here is GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!

At my age I need a muscle machine to do almost everything. My dearly beloved is a photographer, not a leather worker, so I will do this myself. He does have the muscle for it though. I have all kinds of tools and have been practicing hand stamping for several weeks. Even a two pound Osborne hammer doesn't do the job. As for the table, it's an old dining room table sitting on a rug, which is part of the problem. We have limitied space in our house so I'm coping by getting the machine. And, as far as my name goes, my grandchildren have two grandmothers with the same first name, so I'm grandma El Paso. My name is Ann, and thanks for your message.

[chancey77]

At my age I need a muscle machine to do almost everything. My dearly beloved is a photographer, not a leather worker, so I will do this myself. He does have the muscle for it though. I have all kinds of tools and have been practicing hand stamping for several weeks. Even a two pound Osborne hammer doesn't do the job. As for the table, it's an old dining room table sitting on a rug, which is part of the problem. We have limitied space in our house so I'm coping by getting the machine. And, as far as my name goes, my grandchildren have two grandmothers with the same first name, so I'm grandma El Paso. My name is Ann, and thanks for your message.

Very nice Ann!

See if you can send out one of your minions to find you a nice piece of polished stone. At least a foot wide would be perfect and put down a towel under it so you don't scratch up your dining room table.

Are you working with Veg Tan? Are you giving it a sponge of lightly damp water? If you are doing it dry this could for sure be the problem.

[Tree Reaper]

I like my arbor press for 3D stamping, I bought a 1/4" steel plate 5 inches by 5 inches to stamp on and it works good, the press could have been a bit bigger but I already had it.

[El Paso]

Very nice Ann!

See if you can send out one of your minions to find you a nice piece of polished stone. At least a foot wide would be perfect and put down a towel under it so you don't scratch up your dining room table.

Are you working with Veg Tan? Are you giving it a sponge of lightly damp water? If you are doing it dry this could for sure be the problem.

Hi Chancey, I got an email that I had a message and replied to it like a regular email. I'm not sure you got it so will repeat here. I am using veg tan and have tried both casing methods, the damp sponge and soaking in distilled water. My practice leather is very heavy, about 9 ounces. I think when I get the press bolted down to the worktable it will work ok. I do have a marble cutting board with feet under it, but am not concerned with the table as it is not the one we use for eating dinner. I already have a vise attached to this one. I really appreciate your help. I wil check with the nursery about some granite. The press will be for 3-D stamps, but I have many small ones that have handles too slim for the press, so will still need to hand stamp. I could use some advice about casing as I'm never sure I got it right. Have many books written by the "old masters" of leather craft and have followed those instructions. If you have any special tips, I'm here to learn.

[El Paso]

I like my arbor press for 3D stamping, I bought a 1/4" steel plate 5 inches by 5 inches to stamp on and it works good, the press could have been a bit bigger but I already had it.

I am waiting for the small Tandy poly board, which will be a perfect fit. I don't know how you guys always seem able to find things like steel plate. I wouldn't know where to begin looking.

[MrLentz]

I was wondering if you could use this press for punching holes into leather for lacing?

[Tree Reaper]

You can punch holes with it but you need to add a chuck in order to hold the punch.

I had the ram threaded and can install a keyless 1/2"chuck.

[El Paso]

I was wondering if you could use this press for punching holes into leather for lacing?

I have no idea, sorry. If you had the right size handle, or put holes and bolts in the ram, it would probably work, but I haven't tried it myself.

[TwinOaks]

The biggest limitation to arbor presses is the throat depth. Other than that, you can modify them pretty much any way you want. They are absolutely great for setting grommets and tube rivets.

Ann, when you get ready for a larger cutting board, skip Tandy and find a kitchen/restaurant supply store. I picked up a 16x24" poly cutting board for right around $20.

[WinterBear]

Steel plates can be found at most machinist's shops, and you can usually get a 6x6 inch cold-steel plate from most hardware stores that sell threaded rods and small angle iron. You can also ask the machinists about modifying the ram for holding different tools, or the tools to fit bushings in the ram, and see what their rates are (they usually charge er-hour + supplies). I plan on heading to the machinist's shop with a press when I get to that stage-can't be driving the neighbors bonkers by whacking away at stuff at 2am after all.

You might want to look at these two threads for some ideas from users who have modified their presses and tools.

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=34181

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=32770

[El Paso]

The biggest limitation to arbor presses is the throat depth. Other than that, you can modify them pretty much any way you want. They are absolutely great for setting grommets and tube rivets.

Ann, when you get ready for a larger cutting board, skip Tandy and find a kitchen/restaurant supply store. I picked up a 16x24" poly cutting board for right around $20.

My small board arrived and it is a perfect fit. I do have larger poly boards in my kitchen, but this is perfect for machine stamping which uses just a small space. For hand stamping, I bought a 1/2 inch marble board (about 15" x 10 ") from a kitchen items seller on eBay. It has six button feet and works very well. Not as expensive as granite, and a reasonable shipping cost.