Quick way to do shield-and-tab?

[garypl]

9 minutes ago, fredk said:

Centre punch. Standard drill with HSS drill. Use a very slow speed and a cooling/cutting fliud. There are special fliuds but in the past I've used 3-in-1 oil, brake fluid and engine oil - both new and very used. You can drill once to size or start small and work up the size in a few size steps. Best to use a drill stand for accuracy, but if you're very careful it can be done without

Like Fred said - I used my drill press and a cross vise to hold the ram straight.  I drilled using a 3/8” twist drill - not that hard if you take your time.  If you can find a small machine shop nearby you could have them do it and hopefully they will charge a reasonable price!

Gary

[JLSleather]

2 hours ago, Gabriel Rasa said:

I'm not clear on how to attach dies/stamps/etc to it though? It's just got a flat piece of metal in there now, and no visible way to screw or slot attachments to it.

I might have misunderstood -- I thought you were talking about cutting out the SHAPE.  That would require a "clicker" die,  or what some the old folks might have called a "cookie cutter".  Like this...

These were made to quickly cut out parts for magazine pouches (gun clips).  What you describe would be smaller than these, but same idea.  

 

With the type of press you have, set the leather in place, then set the die on top of the leather, then a metal plate OVER the die for the ram to come down on to press it down.  Note you should have a cutting board under the leather to protect the die cutting edge.

[Gabriel Rasa]

Just now, JLSleather said:

I might have misunderstood -- I thought you were talking about cutting out the SHAPE.  That would require a "clicker" die,  or what some the old folks might have called a "cookie cutter".  Like this...

You didn't misunderstand, the conversation just wandered over to die presses, because that's something else I'm interested in.

The clicker looks handy, though I don't actually make the shield things often enough to merit one. I take it that's a different machine altogether, not an attachment you can put on an arbor press?

59 minutes ago, fredk said:

Centre punch. Standard drill with HSS drill. Use a very slow speed and a cooling/cutting fliud. There are special fliuds but in the past I've used 3-in-1 oil, brake fluid and engine oil - both new and very used. You can drill once to size or start small and work up the size in a few size steps. Best to use a drill stand for accuracy, but if you're very careful it can be done without

GREAT info! Thank you so much!

[billybopp]

For something as small as these shield tabs, you probably could adapt an arbor press to do the job, but it probably wouldn't readily go larger.   It'd take some metalworking skill, (yours or somebody elses ) tho to make a flat plate for the bottom of the ram and a flat plate for the base with cutting board material over it.

- Bill

[fredk]

Know anybody wot can weld? Weld a 3/8 bolt to a piece of 3mm or 6mm steel plate. I bought a bit of 3mm steel plate recently for my press, cost me all of £1.60 [about $2]

Buy a piece of 6mm to 12mm thick acetal. Use two-part epoxy glue to stick it to another piece of steel plate. Acetal, about $5, steel plate, another $2. At most about $15 for it all

[JD62]

There is this too https://www.ebay.com/itm/SHIELD-TAB-TEMPLATE-CRAFTAID-STENCIL-SET-FOR-LEATHER-CRAFT-NEW/142458351633?hash=item212b2df011:g:fa8AAMXQcVNQ7Go6

[immiketoo]

On 4/19/2018 at 1:26 AM, Gabriel Rasa said:

Well yeah, it was easy enough to make the cardstock pattern symmetrical, but the leather was never as tidy as I wanted after I cut it out, either with shears or with a knife. Possibly I'm just being too fussy about it.

Punch the inside curves with a round hole punch and then the rest with your knife.  Easy peasy.