How do I properly use embossing plates?

[Northmount]

Also available in Canada at BusyBee Tools - 1 ton https://www.busybeetools.com/products/arbor-press-1-ton-b091.html

3 ton - https://www.busybeetools.com/products/arbor-press-3-ton-b093.html

Tom

 

[Studio-N]

A simple 1 ton from Harbor freight is all you need.  You can get extra pressure if you add a press foot such as this: Press foot.

However, I have done a 10x10 plate with just the 1" square ram of the arbor press. Start in a corner. Press. Move the workpiece over 1" (the size of the ram). Press.

Rinse and repeat until the entire area is covered.  1 ton arbor press is $60 at harbor freight.  cheers!

[Mark842]

I realize it's a little more expensive but I use the Harbor freight 12 ton press. For me it has some major advantages using it for stamping...and we do use some of bunkhouse tools stamps. With a little bit of work and some math skills (if your cheap like me) you can install a pressure gauge on the bottle jack. Advantage of doing that should be obvious. The other advantage I like using the bottle jack over the arbor press. Is you can press the die into the leather and walk away and leave it there with the pressure on it for as long as you want. This allows for being able to use less pressure with better results. Less pressure makes the dies last infinitely longer. Before I installed the pressure gauge, by feel I'm guessing I was probably using 2K of pressure for a 4" diameter stamp on 6-7 ounce damp veg tan. The dies would last me about 6 months of everyday use of 30-40 impressions a day. With pressure gauge. 600 lbs @ 30 seconds using the same dies that lasted about 6 months and the dies are about 4 years old and still going strong.

 If you don't want to or can't install the pressure gauge yourself (it's a bit of a pain in the ass) you can buy a bottle jack with them installed but they are usually in the $400 range. I watched a youtube video and did mine in an hour for the cost of a $20 pressure gauge.

 Oh yeah...pick yourself up a piece of 1/2" thick steel plate scrap large enough to cover the dies you will be using to put in between the piston of the battle jack and the die otherwise you will just crack the die.

[JLSleather]

34 minutes ago, Mark842 said:

but I use the Harbor freight 12 ton press

The people who make them (and use them) recommend this as well.  Clearly shown right on the site where you buy those "plates"