Question re. Punches

[Sheilajeanne]

Well, they say the only really dumb question is the one you don't ask...

I have a set of tubular punches from Tandy. The one I use most frequenty (1/8th inch) has gotten so dull from use that I can barely get it to work anymore!

Is there any way these can be sharpened? I was thinking maybe a rat-tailed file or something similar....

Also, how much use would you expect one of these punches to take before it would no longer do its job? 

Since this is something I use frequently, it would maybe make sense to get a better quality set, but if this can be sharpened, I'll probably keep it going as long as I can. It has taken quite a lot of use, and I always used a Poundo board underneath to protect the edge.

[fredk]

yes, it can be sharpened, and should be kept sharp, just as your knives are.

A rat tail file will get the inside edge. Wet & dry sanding paper wrapped around a wood dowel will do the finer sharpening. A fine file around the outside edge, then W&D on a lollystick will do that edge. Alternatives are to use fine - very fine - grinding tools in a dremel type mini-drill

How long should it last? I have hole punches that my great-grandfather used in the 1930s. The top ends have been periodically ground straight and they are sharpened as and when necessary. Good quality steel will last a long time but its hard to find that quality now

Even 'top quality' is not that great these days. I bought a rotary punch from a 'top' maker for very top $$. The tubes all bent or broke on their first use! I was punching thru 4mm leather

[billybopp]

They all get dull eventually, it's just that the better ones keep their edge longer.  They can be sharpened a number of ways from inside, outside, or both.   A little sandpaper or a stone for the outside and just twirl the punch will do the trick.  Inside is slightly harder, but I've had good luck using a pointy stone meant for use with a Dremel works well for me (although only by hand, as IN the Dremel would probably overheat and spoil the heat treat).  I suppose a pointy stick with some sandpaper would work nicely for inside as well.  I'm sure there are other ways to do this as well!

Most punches are tapered, so as you remove metal from the edge, you very slightly change the diameter of the hole, but that should not make much difference until you've removed a pretty substantial amount of metal (hopefully after years of use and sharpening!)

- Bill

[immiketoo]

I would only use fine grit sand paper to sharpen these.  Files are a bit rough.  I roll sand paper in a little tube and put it inside the punch to clean up the inside.  On a piece of thick veg tan, I lay the sand paper on top of the leather and pull the punch toward me, rolling it as I go to clean up the edge.  If you haven't damaged it, it shouldn't take much work.  Then I strop it the same way.

[trailrunner]

I sharpen these the same exact way that immiketoo does.  I use fine sandpaper.  I've been purchasing the ks blade hole punches lately, and I'm very happy with them.  They're definitely sharper than my osborne punches, and seem to be better steel too.  I had the more expensive of the two lines of osborne punches, but the ks blade is still noticeably nicer.  If you end up getting new punches, I would look into that brand.  There's one or two US vendors who stock them, so you don't have to order directly from China and wait a month to receive them.  I normally stay away from made in China, but as soon as you get these punches you'll see the quality.

[Stetson912]

Not sure about sharpening. But ks blade punch makes some great tools. Well worth the money. They are in South Korea so ordering direct may not be the best way. But, I think Rocky mountain leather carries their line of stuffs haha. I got a set of 8spi irons from them. 

[Mark842]

I sharpen mine by putting them in a drill press and allowing it turn against a sharpening stone at the right angle. I then run a small sanding stone on the inside using a dremel. Makes them sharper than new.

[zuludog]

I sharpen my punches by hand in a similar way to immiketoo. I lay a piece of wet & dry paper on a surface that has a bit of 'give' or softness to it, like 3 or 4mm leather or an old mouse mat; then draw it along, rolling or turning it as you do so. Lubricate the paper with water or window cleaning spray, the thin pale green stuff

If you use a hard surface like a sharpening stone or wet & dry paper on a sheet of glass there will be a tendency to produce flat spots.. You should only need a needle file on the outside if the punch is particularly blunt or damaged

For the inside I use a round/rat tailed needle file because it's difficult to roll wet & dry paper around a stick or rod of a small diameter; use a fine grade one, and go gently. I follow this with a bamboo barbecue stick coated with stropping compound directly onto the wood 

The wet & dry paper I use has grit sizes from 400 to 2,000; if you keep up with the sharpening you won't need the coarser grades so often. Then I finish using the same technique on a strop