Handcutting vs Press Cutting

[f1humlam]

I have fallen into a watch strap making phase and the hand cutting of it I like, but it is tedious for me.  That maybe just because I am new to all this though.  Do you have any thoughts on hand cutting vs press cutting on something that is like that, ie where you could have strap stamps made to certain widths, lengths, etc?  I tend to think there is something just added with hand cutting it and while there might be a small discrepancy between different pieces it adds some character and individuality to it.

[bikermutt07]

Press is going to be worlds faster. Cut out 10 a night with tired hands or cut out 100 in an hour?

[f1humlam]

Oh for sure.  The efficiency is definitely the biggest pro.

[bikermutt07]

Ok more time for a more elaborate answer. 

Get yourself some dies for production run items.

Then hand cut those special one of a kind premium bands.

That's what I would do.

[f1humlam]

12 minutes ago, bikermutt07 said:

Ok more time for a more elaborate answer. 

Get yourself some dies for production run items.

Then hand cut those special one of a kind premium bands.

That's what I would do.

Where would you get the dyes from?

[bikermutt07]

22 minutes ago, f1humlam said:

Where would you get the dyes from?

I haven't, but I have seen lots of good things here from Texas dies. And they are a sponsor for this site.

[f1humlam]

9 minutes ago, nstarleather said:

I'd say dies are objectively better in almost every aspect. Unless your customer is really into the idea of "wabi sabi" (beauty in imperfection), 90% of people are going to prefer "what you see is what you get" as opposed to "expect some variation because of hand cutting.

 

I get a lot more folks complaining when something isn't perfect than I do from folks who want it "more natural." 

 

There are tons of die makers- do you have a clicker or other press?

 

I have neither.  I really don't do a mass quantity.  Right now it is just for friends and some others, but I was just curious for in the future if I decided to up the quantity.

[TSes]

Something else to consider is the cost. Even a small hand operated press with some dies is going to be several hundred dollars. Your sales will dictate if the expense is worth it.

[f1humlam]

I have some stencil plastic that I may cut out some and then just use those to mark the leather with chalk or the back with a marker and then go from there.

[Nuttish]

2 hours ago, nstarleather said:

You might be able to even do mallet dies- getting a clicker is a whole big thing.  There are some DIY cutting presses,  but it really depends on your volume. 

You can score a very nice used arbor press on eBay, Craigslist, or local industrial auction or used industrial machine dealer. Get one that will do 2 ton +. Bonus if it has a platen work surface.

Make a sandwich of 1/2" cold rolled steel the size of your die, your die, leather, 1/2" polypropylene sheet from McMaster-Carr, scrap of cold rolled steel the size of your arbor press base if isn't a platen base type.

Cut stuff.

[KittenThrasher]

In the UK they are called 'click knives' and 'click presses' and there are several companies that make the blades at reasonable cost, I guess the same is true of the US? Another thought is getting the components Laser cut, for thin light stuff like watch straps this should be a really good solution, also for the same few hundred dollars that you might spend on a click press (you could also make one if you get some steel offcuts from a fabricator) you could buy a cheap chinese laser cutter that would cut all your watch straps and any thing else you fancy. Laser cutting is a very interesting way to go in leatherwork.

good luck.

[treyman]

Have both laser and clicker. Use the clicker for everything. Don’t care for the laser burn marks but it is great when prototyping and for monograms. The question is not hand cut or dies, it really is how much is your time worth. That is if you have enough business. 

[JerseyFirefighter]

Texas Dies are a great company. I have a clicker and laser as well. I laser cut my gift cards, but the clicker is one of the workhorses of the shop. If you dont want to invest in a clicker or do not have the space, the idea of having them make it a mallet struck die is where I started. It shouldnt be hard to get through the leather with it considering the thickness of a watch strap. I was banging strap ends through 13-15oz bridle and it took a few hard shots. Clicker took those few hard shots and turned it into the pull of a handle.