Question about oblong punch holes

[ivan7342]

Hello guys,

 

I been trying to punch some oblong holes and no matter what i do, some of them always ends wrong, misplaced a bit to one side, not straight, etc...

First i mark them with a pencil and then use the tool, then i tried marking the shape with mask tape and even with that it ended bad.

Maybe i just need more practice, or there is any tips or techniques that could help?

 

[Handstitched]

G'day mate, 

I've had a similar problem , so I tried using my regular rotary hole punch of the same size at both 'ends' of the hole to be punched, if that makes sense . That has helped. Try that on some scraps to practice. 

It also just takes a bit of practice with oblong punches. Hope that helps a bit  

Is that a guitar strap you're making? 

HS

[jcuk]

This may help around the 3 minute mark, I don't use this method myself just hand eye co-ordination have to confess i do get it wrong at times if my mind not on it.

The other thing is make sure you strike the punch hard and square, that's goes with all punching too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMfsEmcn14w

Hope this helps

JCUK

[Dwight]

What works for one . . . may not for another . . . but if you mess with it long enough though . . . you will find the one that works for you.

I mark one end of mine . . . the spot on the "other side" away from me . . . and put the heel of the punch over there.

I give it a couple light taps . . . watching it go down into the leather . . . and using the aforementioned  eye/hand coordination I slowly start working the punch down into the leather as I work the cutting part towards me.  

If there is any doubt as to how straight or crooked it is . . . lift the punch and check it out.  You can move the punch a bit and get away with it most of the time.

Slow medium punches work best for me . . . a firm tapping motion.

BUT . . . another key to making sure it works . . . the surface under the leather cannot be a bouncy surface.  On those punches . . . I am directly over a leg of my work table . . . and it goes a lot, lot, lot smoother.

ALSO . . . if you have any beeswax . . . rub your punch all the way around on the beeswax . . . it makes things go so much easier.

May God bless,

Dwight

[ivan7342]

Thank you all guys,

Good advices to try!

@Handstitched Yes, i play guitar and bass, i'm trying to do different things with leather but focusing a bit more on the straps...

Struggling a bit with the edges now, after the gum tragacant they ended not as smooth to the touch as i would have liked, maybe will need a second hand.

[zuludog]

I have never used an oblong punch - I can'y afford one! But this is how I use round punches, I hope it is useful for you

Make sure the punch is very sharp.....I punch over a corner of my bench, where the leg is.......for the support under the leather I punch into an old magazine......this is thick enough and solid enough not to bounce or yield, but is soft enough not to damage the cutting edge of the punch.......move the leather and/or the magazine so there is always a fresh part of the magazine under the punch, and it stays over the leg

Decide where you want to punch and press down by hand......this will be just enough to make a small mark; or give the punch the lightest of taps.........remove the punch and double check the position is correct......then tap with light blows, becoming heavier till you've finished the hole

This is similar to the way I cut a curve in leather - draw the line with a scratch awl, which acts as a guide.....then a very light cut with the knife........ then firmer and deeper cuts tiill you're through

I hit the punch with a hide mallet, or you could use wood or nylon. I think that if you use a rubber mallet that might also cause a bounce......and when you do hit the punch you should hold it down very firmly onto the leather

[Danne]

Make templates. If you don't want to do them on the computer, you can use paper and a ruler. 

Punch holes in your template, and after you aligned your template you push down your hole punch to leave an impression in leather.

Remove your template and it's easy to align your hole punch and punch your holes.

(Not to scale, because I don't know your dimensions.)

 

[RockyAussie]

I would be surprised if that punch design would ever work very well myself. Even so I recommend that you polish the crap out of the cutting edge area with some tripoli polish and a rag wheel if you have one. doing this operation by hand is never easy and following the advice that @Dwight gave is good. I would invest in a higher quality oval punch or at least one that does not have a check out for the waste on the long side like that. Some punches like in this fella's page are pretty good if you can get them.https://www.dovesaddles.co.nz/Hand_Tools.php

or these http://www.leprevo.co.uk/photos/English-crew.htm

Note how they are all polished and smooth.

[Samalan]

You can use a try square then set the edge of the punch against the squres edge, with somthing like that small tab you can use a combo square then set the distance in from the end. Be sure the work is on a very flat solid surface .

[ivan7342]

Thanks for all the answers, after some tries, this is working good so far, i did a template with the wide of the strap with small holes 3 cm apart (The size of the punch) so i just line up the punch on one hole, then the other one and then put a very light pressure with my hand, then check if the position is right, fix if needed and then just punch it.

I will try to add some cuts in the template where the sidelines will go to see if i can align the punch better too.

Changing to a harder surface helped too, i got them right most of the time, just some straggler here and there... with more practice it could get better.

And yeah, i agree my punch is not great, i just can't get a better one right now, those are a bit expensive, but is on my list of things to buy.

Cheers!

[johnv474]

Instead of marking where you want to put your punch, use your scratch awl and put a dot at either end of where you want the hole to go.  Then, scratch a center line between those two.  Obviously you won't be able to see that when you are punching, so put a small dot about 1/8" - 1/4" to either side of the center line.  Do this at both ends of the center line.

 

For repeat use, a template can be made that has those holes premeasured so you just line up the template and make your dots (or, even, have the exact oblong punch hole cut out of the template and just trace it with your scratch awl).

 

The idea with the dots is that, since you can't see the center line, when you put your oblong punch into place you can visually center each end between the dots on either side of the center line.