Chasing Punches / Tool Steel

[Nick martin]

Afternoon all,

Does anyone know of a reliable link, or indeed reading material on how to produce chasing punches to whatever design you need?

Even better, does anyone know of a retailer selling such punches pre-made?

I presume that you would need to heat and temper the steel as you would do a graver etc, but where would you actually buy the stock tool steel from?

Cheers,

Nick

[CJ57]

Hi nick
I bought a set from this guy,Peter will tell you they aren't the shapes he would choose:) but they are well made and having asked around other producers, a reasonable price.
Delivery was quite quick. https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/159753726/hand-made-chasing-and-repousse-tools?ref=market

[rockshelley]

I looked into this a while ago and found a few sources for how to do it. I have not done it yet but I liked this video for how to. I am not sure where you live but here in Edmonton, you can get tool steel from a place called Metal Supermarket.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9R3z_tv0ag

Rock Shelley
www.rockshelley.com

[ps_bond]

Nancy Megan Corwin's book has a good amount of detail on making them - the working end must be hardened and tempered, but it's best if the hammered end is tempered back even softer.
Round silver steel & square O1 I tend to buy from Cromwell; James has a suggested retailer who does silver steel in shorter sections than 5' but the name eludes me at the moment.

And at some point I will shape all the punch blanks I've cut...!

[Nick martin]

Blimey that was a quick and useful response from you all, thanks very much.

For the sake of seventy odd quid, I think I'll save myself the faff and order from that Etsy guy to begin with. If in the future I need a shape thats not included, then I'll venture down the make-my-own route.

Many thanks,

Nick

[CJ57]

It does say that he can do to order so might be worth asking. The postage wasn't that much either

[Dennis]

Typically with a selection, there will be some less useful ones and you can customise those. Of course it doesn't end there: you will need a pitch bowl, although a square wooden box full of pitch is what I was taught on. Alternatively you can opt for a lead block, as suggested by James Miller.

I found this link, which might give useful information: http://jarkman.co.uk/catalog/jewel/chasingpunches.htm. Regards, Dennis.

[metalsmith]

Voorsprung durch Yunke!

I read a section in (I think it was) Silversmithing for jewellery makers by Elizabeth Bone on tool making. Somewhere round and abouts I also picked up that the best steel can be found in old files at car boot sales etc for next to nowt. I have a couple, but not so sure that my modern SDS chisel heads will be up to scratch.

On the link that Dennis posted, Jarkman says to drop the heated steel into water. I think Bone says to drop it into oil... not sure which oil mind. Best DYOR on that point.

[ps_bond]

Water hardening steels need the faster quench rate of water.
Oil hardening steels need the slower rate.

Old files are all well and good but you need to forge them to tool blanks. If you're going that far then garage door springs are easy to unravel and already a decent diameter to use for punches.

[metalsmith]

If you're going that far then garage door springs are easy to unravel and already a decent diameter to use for punches.

I think I picked that up from a knifemaker friend of mine - yes he does go so far as to forge, so point taken, but don't worry he doesn't threaten anyone's garage doors on a regular basis.

[MMM Jewellery]

I had a bit of fun making my own:
https://www.facebook.com/MMMJewellery/photos/a.718857458142374.1073741857.661344500560337/718857674809019/?type=3&theater
I cant say I used them with any skill mind you and I just went from a book so the tool shapes are probably all wrong!!
I got the silver steel from
http://www.chronos.ltd.uk/acatalog/metal_bar.html but they also do HSS tool blanks.
I have found doing it once has given me the confidence to make the tool I need rather than doing without or buying it- very liberating and good for the wallet.
Cheers Matt

[ps_bond]

DON'T use HSS for punches... It's a pig to HT and it isn't ideal for impact tools. Cutting tools, including gravers, fine.

[Nick martin]

I had a bit of fun making my own:
https://www.facebook.com/MMMJewellery/photos/a.718857458142374.1073741857.661344500560337/718857674809019/?type=3&theater
I cant say I used them with any skill mind you and I just went from a book so the tool shapes are probably all wrong!!
I got the silver steel from
http://www.chronos.ltd.uk/acatalog/metal_bar.html but they also do HSS tool blanks.
I have found doing it once has given me the confidence to make the tool I need rather than doing without or buying it- very liberating and good for the wallet.
Cheers Matt

Hi Matt and thanks for the links. Looks like you've made a great start to me!

Prices on the silver steel look good, and out of interest what mm diameter rods did you buy? I noticed they come in 13" lengths, so did you cut them in half before shaping the ends?

Talking of shaping them, did you grind them on a sander or use your regular jewellery files to shape them?

Sorry for all the questions!

Nick

[Dennis]

Hi Nick,
While waiting for Matt's reply, I can tell you of my own experience.

Firstly remember that you are hitting the punch blind while keeping your eye on the working end. Hence you need a large faced hammer, so that you miss less often. To slip can hurt.
It also helps to have a well balanced chasing hammer: so much so that I have seen beautiful ones of different weights made for himself by a master chaser.

The punches we made on our course, many years ago were made from 6.6mm square tool steel and about 10cm long, so that the hammer was quite close to our face. They were first ground, then filed, then re annealed and then tempered and finally polished.

The principal shape for chasing straight lines was wedge shaped with a sloping edge. After much practice, I could not make a smooth enough chased line for my purposes, so I adapted a short blunt knife and whacked that. For a chaser, that would be considered sacrilegious, I guess.

Also doming punches can be recruited for rounded areas. Dennis.

[MMM Jewellery]

Hi Nick. I brought a range of diameter rods so I didn't have to forge them down to size. I cut the rods into 3, and shaped them with a bench grinder and pendant grinding wheels. I used old files to smooth as i didn't want to blunt my good ones. Likewise old polishing mops as they will be ruined for silver. Best of luck and have fun! ! I love the sparks when grinding :) Cheers Matt