punching holes

[roadking07]

Hi I'm new around here - is it better to punch holes in the leather for snaps, rivets etc. when the leather is wet (cased) or dry?

Thanks

[HandyAndy]

I don't think that it really makes much of a difference. I'll be watching this thread to find out just how wrong I am.

[TomSwede]

My experience is that they shrink a little without proper backing. Never tried it with backing. With backing I mean glued to a cardboard, x-ray film or whatever is the preferred choice. I use packing tape on the backside to keep the shape when the cased leather dries up.

I used this tecnique to shrink the holes on my whiskyflask since my smallest punch was not small enough. Without backing.

I had to use a plier to pass the needle through on the second pass with that basketweave wich normally can be done by hand with same punch, same lace.

Take two test pieces from the same leather that you're gonna use and comparison. Leather with different density and/or different grain directions might shrink differently. Plz post your results I've always wondered bout that last question ..naaah just pulling your leg here bout posting results, I'll do it when I have a need for it, still think leather is kind of strange to work with and not very predictable so that's why I think it might be good to test on the actual leather if you need the best results. I took a test strip for the flask and noticed shrinkage so punched holes prior to casing.

I recently made a special item not shown here and didn't use my regular revolver punch. Instead I used some regular ones (that I never used much)and as I've punched the first hole and take out the punch I get a shock..BIG HOLE... and I'm thinking :wtf: ??? they are marked with the same size as the revolver for crying out loud!!! Turns out that my revolver punch has a narrower cylindrical cone shape than the regular one wich of course opens up the hole on the top more.

phew..tough one... so John, now you know why my heart have those big holes when or if it arrives.

Welcome to the board! Tom here just typing frantically in the usual manner! (actually I've caught on a cold and feeling beat but restless because I feel beat causing me brain to go ..eh uhm don't know where it is at the moment, probably stuck in US customs. I like that place he he)

Good luck with the punching!

Tom