Oblong Punch

[jmuir]

Hi:
I'm having trouble punching an oblong hole with a new punch I bought. It's a heavy duty (about $50) 1.5" oblong punch. I used a 1" steel plate on my workbench with a cutting board to protect the punch.

I didn't have a rawhide or poly mallet so I used a rubber mallet. I remembered to take off the plastic protector surrounding the blade. I'm trying to go thru 6/7 oz Hermann Oak leather (making a guitar strap). The oblong punch won't cut through the leather even after a dozen or so strikes.

The blade on the oblong punch does not seem very sharp, but I'm not certain how sharp it should be to cut. I can run my thumb along the blade and it's quite dull.

I punched two holes with a round drive punch using this setup, no problem.

The company I bought the punch from suggested that I needed a more solid foundation than the 1" steel plate/cutting board combo (suggested marble or a wood slab) and that the rubber mallet is a no-no. They suggested a raw hide/poly mallet should help matters.

Does this sound like a problem with the punch blades or do you think the new mallet/wood base will be the solution?

Thanks,

John

[TinkerTailor]

I have never received a tool sharp enough for my standards. I touch them all up. Some come much closer to perfect than others. Sometimes you get what you paid for, and sharpening, polishing and honing cost money.

[Boriqua]

I bought my 1.5" punch from tandy and it was extremely dull. You could run your finger over it with impunity. Cost about the same as you paid but took me an hour or more to get it sharpened and polished. Having said that .. if your table top bounces it will be difficult to make a clean punch. Before I got my tree cookie I used to punch my holster belt slots on the cement floor out back on a piece of 2x4 with a 2lb mallet. I have a metal and mdf table inside which is pretty sturdy but not sturdy enough not to have the surface bounce some and make for a miserable time. Now that i have my tree cookie life is grand. Best tool I got and it cost me nothing!

[Northmount]

A rubber hammer is too soft. Much of the impact is absorbed by the rubber. Need a good solid mallet or maul to use larger punches. A deadblow hammer works even though most have some rubber on the face.

Tom

[TomG]

There are some YouTube videos and thread here that discuss sharpening punches, knives, etc.
The weird thing is that I have purchased the expensive punches from Tandy and the cheapos. The cheapos are 10 times sharper than the expensive ones. But ALL have to be sharpened or at least stropped.

But you do need a piece of marble or granite, a cutting board of some sort on top, and a solid (Not Metal) hammer/mallet/maul. If you have a Harbor Freight around you, go buy their big dead blow hammer. The plastic coating really doesn't bounce enough to hurt you on punches as long as you hold firm downward pressure as you hit it.

But definately sharpen the punch first.

[jmuir]

Thanks for the advice, all.

Tom G, I'm not too far from Augusta and there's a Harbor freight there. The new punch was really dull, basically no edge. I think sharpening (along with the correct hammer/more solid base) it will solve my problem.

I'm using the great guitar strap pattern posted at leatherworker.net, thanks for that! I'm helping my son with an art project. I'm cutting the guitar straps and he's doing the art.

I really appreciate the site, it's a great resource and I've used quite a few of the sponsors (Tippmann, Springfield, Texas Custom Dies). I have been very happy with their service.

John

[dfrensdorff]

I've bought several oblong punches......all CS Osborne........all sharp right out of the box and have never had to touch them up. Right around $50 per as well.....

[TinkerTailor]

I've bought several oblong punches......all CS Osborne........all sharp right out of the box and have never had to touch them up. Right around $50 per as well.....

May not need to touch them up, However due to after purchase sharpening, i can hand push most of my punches 3/8" and under through most any leather up to 8 ounce. A push and twist and i am done. Force and finesse are generally opposite, if you have to force a tool due to dull edges, you can not finesse it.

[Boriqua]

May not need to touch them up, However due to after purchase sharpening, i can hand push most of my punches 3/8" and under through most any leather up to 8 ounce. A push and twist and i am done. Force and finesse are generally opposite, if you have to force a tool due to dull edges, you can not finesse it.

Man oh man .. You are pushing yours through leather .... ugh ... guess mine isnt done yet. Be sharpening some more this weekend.

[TinkerTailor]

Man oh man .. You are pushing yours through leather .... ugh ... guess mine isnt done yet. Be sharpening some more this weekend.

Not slot punches, just round, Its all in the twist.Think about it, the edge of a small punch is no longer than the edge of a skiving knife.

[jmuir]

Quick follow up. I took the oblong punch to the local Tandy leather store and they tried it with their rawhide punch and thick solid base that they use and it wouldn't cut the leather so it looks like the punch was the culprit (though I still plan on buying a good mallet). Now the decision is if it's worth it to return for a different (hopefully sharp) punch or if I should buy a stone and learn how to sharpen the one I have. Found this video on sharpening oblong punch and other leather tools. https://youtu.be/UuSuFZz9b40

John

Edited November 14, 2015 by jmuir

[Boriqua]

Given the opportunity I would not buy the tandy again. I would take the refund and look online and buy weaver or osborne. I dont have experience with the osborne but I know it cant be worse and most say they are far better. The tandy you have is Sooooo far away from being sharp that you will take a few hours to make it usable. You may still want to touch up the osborne or weaver but its nicer to learn to sharpen from a place that is not completely fubar. I had to take a dremel with a 60 grit drum to my tandy to shave down a bunch of material before I could even start with a file and THEN start to sharpen and polish. imho ... look elsewhere.

Alex

Edited November 14, 2015 by Boriqua

[jmuir]

Thanks for the reply, Alex.

I bought the punch at Springfield and it was one of their more expensive punches (about $40 at their wholesale pricing).

There is a Tandy store about an hour from me. I drove to Tandy to buy a rawhide mallet as others have suggested but I first wanted to try the Springfield punch that I purchased with a proper mallet and base to narrow down what the problem was (it's the punch).

I will follow your advice, probably best to return and get another punch. Also will learn how to sharpen/maintain.

John

[Colt W Knight]

I've bought several oblong punches......all CS Osborne........all sharp right out of the box and have never had to touch them up. Right around $50 per as well.....

None of my Cs Osborne punches came anywhere near sharp enough. I had to sharpen and polish every single one.

My weaver Master tool stuff came plenty sharp to use and the edges were beveled much more consistent than the CS Osborne stuff

Once they are sharpened properly , you really can just push them through the leather with a little hand pressure, twisting, or rocking motion.

My tandy punches started falling apart once I started resharpening them. I think they heat treat or harden the very end, and once you polish/sharpen that area away, you get into super soft steel that doesn't hold up that well.

Edited November 15, 2015 by Colt W Knight

[Nuttish]

You'll thank yourself for picking up some stones anyway.

And if you don't want to spend a lot of money on a fancy maul, you can pick up a 1 foot length of 3" HDPE rod from McMaster-Carr for $20. It will whack things real good.

[jmuir]

Thanks for the tip on the HDPE!

John

You'll thank yourself for picking up some stones anyway.

And if you don't want to spend a lot of money on a fancy maul, you can pick up a 1 foot length of 3" HDPE rod from McMaster-Carr for $20. It will whack things real good.