sharpening a hole punch

[Vikti]

Yesterday at a flea market I found someone who was selling hole punches from 3 to 8mm for a dollar a piece. Next week I'm going to send my wife back up there with some money to buy a few for me but some have a bit of rust and most are dull, the rust I can take care of but how can I sharpen them up without buying an expensive (by my budget) sharpener? The only thing I can think of right off the top of my head is using a tapered grind stone on a dremmel but all I have is a very high speed dremmel and don't want to take the risk of shattering the stone, as it's my only one right now, or damaging the punch or simply hurting myself.

Damon

[Rawhide]

Yesterday at a flea market I found someone who was selling hole punches from 3 to 8mm for a dollar a piece. Next week I'm going to send my wife back up there with some money to buy a few for me but some have a bit of rust and most are dull, the rust I can take care of but how can I sharpen them up without buying an expensive (by my budget) sharpener? The only thing I can think of right off the top of my head is using a tapered grind stone on a dremmel but all I have is a very high speed dremmel and don't want to take the risk of shattering the stone, as it's my only one right now, or damaging the punch or simply hurting myself.

Damon

You don't necessarily need a tapered stone or a dremel. If you have a flat stone, you can sharpen it up. All you'll need to do is hold the tool on the stone where the angle of the tip is flat against the tool. (sort of like you do a swivel knife blade). Pull the tool away from the cutting edge along the stone while turning it at the same time. The tool should rotate completely around with one pull of the tool. This way you don't creat any flat spots. If the're are any chips in the cutting edge, this process will take a while. I would probably use a course stone, then a fine stone, then strop it the same way on a rouge board.

Good luck.

Marlon

[bruce johnson]

If you have a drill or drill press, chuck the punch. Turn it on slow and slide the stone against it. You can strop the same way.

[Rawhide]

If you have a drill or drill press, chuck the punch. Turn it on slow and slide the stone against it. You can strop the same way.

that's a great idea bruce. I never would have thought of that.

Love this place!!!

Marlon

[hidepounder]

I do the same thing that Bruce does except that I chuck the punch a cordless drill and take it to a paper wheel....strop & polish the same way.

[8thsinner]

Use a mouse mat and some different grades of wet and dry.

Just tape strips of wet and dry over the mat, and use only enough pressure to shape the steel evenly.

To clean up the rust and reshape the steel use 2-400 grit.

Then go up a few hundred grits, and sharpen at 90 degrees to the original scratch marks.

keep going up the grits until the punch is mirrored, about 1200 or 1500 grit.

[UKRay]

Mine may not be a particularly 'accurate' way of keeping a hole punch sharp but it seems to work for me unless the tool is extremely blunt or the edges are badly chipped. I just put the punch upside down in a vise and use a strip of emery cloth (however coarse you feel you need to do the job) like you might use a towel to dry your butt.

I just hook it over then pull the strip from side to side against the punch and let the cloth follow the lines of the existing edge. This also has the added benefit of cleaning up and polishing the end of the punch so it cuts easier. Admittedly I only use very old 'black steel' punches but it seems to do the trick. I find it best to be careful not to drag the cloth right over the end (the sharp bit) or it will blunt the tool again pretty quickly.

I do tend to strop and polish after sharpening - red jewellers rouge on a leather strop seems to work fine.

I accept that if a punch has a damaged edge this isn't going to work too well but it is fine for 'running repairs'. IMHO it is a lot quicker and easier than grinding on a stone. I ought to point out that I am not an engineer and this is just my personal short cut - use it at your peril!

[Vikti]

I talked to a friend of mine from back when I was in the printing industry about getting an old paper drill bit sharpener from him but he reminded me that paper drill bits have the bevel on the inside of the tip. Does anyone think that this would work, basically regrinding the bit so that the punch can use the sharpener or would having the bevel on the inside eventually interfere with punching holes?

D

[Jordan]

Bevel on the inside would cause problems with the leather ejecting itself.

[Vikti]

Thanks a bunch all.

D