New Handmade Belt End Punches From Ebay

[billymac814]

Here's a picture of them, I did spend a few minutes cleaning them up. They were very raw looking when they came.

[Cyberthrasher]

I do not think these would be great for real heavy use

Heavy as in repetitive, or heavy as in 8 oz and up?

[billymac814]

Heavy as it repetitive use all day long. They should be fine going through even two layers of 8 oz. I would recommend keeping them sharp so you don't have to hit them any harder than necessary. They really are decent when you figure they are 7.00/piece, if you're using them a couple times a day of imagine they will last a long time. If you're making 100 belts a day you'd probably want to go with something a little more substantial.

[Cyberthrasher]

If you're making 100 belts a day you'd probably want to go with something a little more substantial.

Cool! . I may have to round up a couple sets of them soon.

But, on a related note, if I were making 100 belts a day, I'd probably have the money/justification to spend more then $7 on a strap punch

[billymac814]

Yes I would hope if you were doing 100 a day you'd have some type of die to cut and punch those. I think they are well worth the money. I would be interested to see the pointed ones and how good they are shaped and if they are symmetrical or not. I have the good ones in sizes I use a lot so these will be perfect for the sizes I don't use often, its better than cutting them for sure.

[Cyberthrasher]

yeah, I'll probably end up with the english points for certain since that's my favorite end to use. But, I also have some of Black River Laser's strap end templates I use for a lot of stuff and they're not bad at all. With those handy, I'll probably just get the punches in the sizes I feel I'll use most often for now, leaving the odd-ball sizes to the templates.

[billymac814]

You might as well get the set. By the time you choose two or three you're pretty much a few bucks away from the set anyway. I didnt need them all either but it wasnt worth getting just a couple. I have a template set too and it is ok but I'd rather have a punch any day. I would like to know how the pointed ones are because I could use some of those in the smaller sizes. I normally use round for small straps and pointed for belts.

[Cyberthrasher]

I'll let you know how they look if I get them.

[simontuntelder]

How did you get them to look this good, Billymac?

Here's a picture of them, I did spend a few minutes cleaning them up. They were very raw looking when they came.

[veedub3]

I got mine about a week ago, and when I saw them, my thought was that they wouldn't cut melted butter and they wouldn't. I only tested one, and with three strikes with the maul it wouldn't even cut through 3oz leather. I also knew that if I cleaned them up and had them sharpened they would do what I needed and I am sure they will even though I haven't done that yet. I like how you cleaned them up billymac. What did you use? I was looking for a shop to drop mine off at and have them cleaned up and sharpened, but if it is something my hubby can tackle at home I will let him have at it. I had mine shipped to Panama and they arrived in about 9 days.

Karina

[billymac814]

Karina, I have a 1" belt sander that I have set up for sharpening with really fine belts that for up to 5 micron and then a leather belt filled with compound to polish them up. Now that they are sharp they cut easier than some of my better ones because the cutting surface is thinner so it goes through with less resistance. Just make sure you're only cutting leather or other soft materials and have a good cutting surface under them and they will do fine, I cut a belt that had some wire crap on it, I thought it was plastic at first but it wasn't, it nicked the blade up a bit. I'm still happy with mine though for the price, I'm still thinking about the pointed ones but they just don't look like a normal English point.

[veedub3]

Karina, I have a 1" belt sander that I have set up for sharpening with really fine belts that for up to 5 micron and then a leather belt filled with compound to polish them up. Now that they are sharp they cut easier than some of my better ones because the cutting surface is thinner so it goes through with less resistance. Just make sure you're only cutting leather or other soft materials and have a good cutting surface under them and they will do fine, I cut a belt that had some wire crap on it, I thought it was plastic at first but it wasn't, it nicked the blade up a bit. I'm still happy with mine though for the price, I'm still thinking about the pointed ones but they just don't look like a normal English point.

Thanks, I do have a belt sander, and I was going to send the hubby out for some polish compound and see if he can clean them up a bit. He did use a file on one of them to sharpen the edge and with one strike it went right through the 3oz leather, so I think they will be fine once I sharpen them.

Karina

[WScott]

I kinda went the other way

I bought a set of five half round vintage Osbourne punches a couple months ago from Sheridan leathers.

The are stout, sharp and well made and will out live me to be passed on to one of my kids

Edited May 16, 2013 by WScott

[LeatherLegion]

I end up ordering just one punch for rounding corners....it was only a bit over $1 shipping included...same make as the ones pictured above . I am still waiting for it..lol...i don't care to much about sharpness as i can take care of

that myself. If it turns out to be ok i will probably end up buying the whole set. I can't find anybody that will sell a similar punch.

This is the one i bought

[Half Goat]

how much work do these need to make them decent? would a good strop do the job?

[billymac814]

It wasn't much work for me on my setup. I'd do a little more than a stropping, start with some fine sandpaper and then the strop and they should be good to go. I actually really like mine, the blade is much finer on them than those really heavy thick ones. When I use my heavy Osborne strap end punches they are so thick and the bevel is so steep it creates an angled cut, that doesn't happen with these ones. They are well worth the price. Your great grand kids may not end up with them but if you take care of them they should last a long time.

[mountainm]

I got one of these a couple of weeks back. Needed a sharpen but does the job very well and at a good price.

[Undeadzombiehunter]

The Chinese are great copiers and little regard for intellectual property, btu saying that they are an ancient race with skills and capabilities when they want to apply it. After all they are starting with good Australian iron ore. Some of there stuff is junk and some of it surprisingly good.

I bought some hole punches for next to nothing, and not withstanding the shipping delays, they were ok. Ok, not great.

I tested them when they arrived with a file and found them a little soft. But being a sometimes knife maker, a soak in the forge and oil quench resolved that. I did not bother tempering them, but after the hardening they were much harder and they work well.

If I were a professional and used them every day, i would have a press and use premium equipment. But even my Chinese lathe has remained accurate once I spent some time accurising it.

If you take a chance and end up disappointed, big deal. You pays your money and and takes your chances and sometimes get lucky.

It reminds me,of the adage, if you lend someone $50 and end up never seeing them again....it was worth it.

Tony