shripud Report post Posted May 9, 2020 Hi, What is the grade of steel one should select to make hollow punch tools. The ones that I am trying to make are :- 1. Round Punch 2. Half Circle/Semi-Circle Punch 3. Quarter Punch 4. Oval Punch 5. Oblong Punch 6. Straight Punch for Card Holder slots 7. Rivet and Eyelet sets Regards Shripud Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chuck123wapati Report post Posted May 9, 2020 3 hours ago, shripud said: Hi, What is the grade of steel one should select to make hollow punch tools. The ones that I am trying to make are :- 1. Round Punch 2. Half Circle/Semi-Circle Punch 3. Quarter Punch 4. Oval Punch 5. Oblong Punch 6. Straight Punch for Card Holder slots 7. Rivet and Eyelet sets Regards Shripud I would use a high carbon steel that you can harden and temper, I use a lot of 1095 for knives, tools and such. I've made punches from various sizes of black pipe but they don't hold up for any length of time and are pretty much a waste of time. Rivet and eyelet sets you could probably get away with low carbon steel as they don't need to hold an edge. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shripud Report post Posted May 10, 2020 (edited) 17 hours ago, chuck123wapati said: I would use a high carbon steel that you can harden and temper, I use a lot of 1095 for knives, tools and such. I've made punches from various sizes of black pipe but they don't hold up for any length of time and are pretty much a waste of time. Rivet and eyelet sets you could probably get away with low carbon steel as they don't need to hold an edge. Hi, Thank you for your quick reply. 1095 sounds good for the punches/tools that need to hold an edge. I am primarily a leather worker and have partnered with someone who makes alot of different steel items for a living. Can we go above 1095 as a choice of steel or any other tips and tricks ? Another steel that I come across the internet is High Speed Steel. Any, thoughts on that ? Regards Shripud Khemka Edited May 10, 2020 by shripud Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chuck123wapati Report post Posted May 10, 2020 6 hours ago, shripud said: Hi, Thank you for your quick reply. 1095 sounds good for the punches/tools that need to hold an edge. I am primarily a leather worker and have partnered with someone who makes alot of different steel items for a living. Can we go above 1095 as a choice of steel or any other tips and tricks ? Another steel that I come across the internet is High Speed Steel. Any, thoughts on that ? Regards Shripud Khemka I think you could use about any high carbon steel for the punches as long as you can harden and temper them at the proper temperatures. The trick is knowing exactly what type of steel you have so you can then harden and temper at the correct rates. The reason I say this is because there are dozens of high carbon steels types, each with different properties, if you use say old drill bits or hand files or something like that you have no idea what the steel is so you depend on luck to get the proper hardness or temper, all your work could be for nil. As for high speed steel it is used for drill bits and high temperature applications and I don't think a punch will ever need that temperature protection, also it may be more expensive unless you can find a good deal and again know its hardening and tempering properties. The biggest tip or trick I can give you is know what steel you have so you can harden and temper it at the right temperatures with the right quenching agents to get the hardness you want in the end product. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
