gigidept Report post Posted October 20, 2019 When I was just starting out I got a cheap metal rotary punch. Fast forward to a few years later and the handle deforms more and more every time I use it to the point that it's unusable. I've tried forcing it back into place but without much success. I think the metal is too stressed. Is there anything I can do to to resuscitate it? Swap out a handle for a different handle? What kind of place would repair these? I hate throwing things out. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TomG Report post Posted October 20, 2019 Nothing you can do. they are made from stamped metal. Once they start to bend, they are toast. Don't worry about throwing away cheap trash. You probably paid around $10 or so. Say $15. If you had it for 3 years, that's $5 a year! Go invest in a good, solid punch. I have the one I bought from Tandy about 12 years ago (around $25 on sale at the time) and use it almost daily. I either polish.hone the tubes in a drill press when they get dull or I simply buy replacement tubes. Try to get one with a replaceable anvil and you will have a tool that will last you a lifetime. You'll never regret it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rockoboy Report post Posted October 20, 2019 If you were deadest on refurbishing your punch, you could bend the handle back to its original shape, then reinforce the handle with a piece of solid steel bar, or a piece of flat steel bent to fit in or over the existing handle and riveted in place. Depending on your ability working with steel, this may be too much for your consideration, and sending it out to be repaired WILL cost more than the original tool. The repair may not last all that long, as stress is transferred to another weak point. I agree with @TomG. Buy a new better punch. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
toxo Report post Posted October 20, 2019 When I was in JT Leather the other day and I was sorely tempted to buy what looks like a forged one. It looked solid and was only £19. I passed cos the one I have already just suffers from the punches going through to the void. Could glue it but will want to sharpen/replace them at some time so will probably find/machine a circular piece to fit in the hole. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mark842 Report post Posted October 20, 2019 The age old search for a quality rotary punch. I punch a ton of holes daily. Many are on straps so I purchased a Weaver table mount rotary punch a few years ago. It is a huge time saver but can really only be used on items you need the holes in the center of. For doing bag straps it is awesome and worth its high price. Unfortunately I also wind up punching a few hundred holes by hand daily also for items that need holes on the edges, not in the center. I used Tandy handheld rotary punches for years and they worked great. I would eventually wear out the brass anvil on them and would just by another for $10. Then Tandy's punch quality went to shit so I tried an Osborne. Same experience, they would worked great for a few years but then their quality went to shit and I started wearing them out in 2 months. My latest attempt was a Herm Sprenger Revolving punch. This was recommended to me by several people as the best they ever owned. Not impressed. It worked OK on veg tan and definitely takes less force to punch with because of it design. The cons unfortunately outweigh the single pro. The punch tips are not removable, can not be replaced. They are not sharp and will not punch holes completely on a 6 ounce chrome oil tanned leather. It will only punch about 90% of the hole and leave the inside of the hole dangling by the other 10%. This means after punching the few hundred holes I have to go back and individually pull out each punched piece. This leaves a crappy looking hole. I have tried to sharpen the punches but it is nearly impossible because you can't remove them so you can't get inside them. I did get one tip sharp enough to use after great effort with a Dremel. It held its edge for about 100 holes. I give this punch the big thumbs down. It was $55 and its junk. So now I'm back to using Tandy punches that I have to replace monthly. Anyone know of a punch that actually has an anvil that lasts, a decent frame, and punches that are replacable? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gigidept Report post Posted October 20, 2019 Thank you all for your feedback and help, which have inspired me to look into replacement heads for my other rotary tool (a vintage Maun "home-crafts kit" which has various punches but lacks most of the standard punch sizes) - it looks like Maun Industries still exists and might have replacement heads! https://www.maunindustries.com/universal-punch-plier/ Still doing some research but maybe this could at least with minimal investment keep me going until I can afford the CAD$80 Craftool pro forged one. That is, if the shipping doesn't cost more than the product... 9 hours ago, Rockoboy said: Depending on your ability working with steel Non-existent unfortunately :| Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
toxo Report post Posted October 20, 2019 Another thing to think about is what you want to use it for. Most of the ones I've looked at start at 2mm. I'll ask at JT tomorrow and ask them what size it starts at and if the punches are replaceable. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
480volt Report post Posted October 20, 2019 Bruce Johnson currently has CSO single tube and 155 style rotary punches available. Everything he sells is sharp. No idea what shipping to Canada is like, though. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OLESKIVER Report post Posted July 27, 2020 silly me. I just bought all of osbornes spring punches. fell into the al stohlman line of thought and got them instead of the revolving punch. plus you can replace the anvils too. will see if they match my earlier osborne buys...uhh, the ones I bought 50 yrs ago. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
