Punches should be steel. “High carbon,”“drop forged,”“mild,” and “steel” are commonly seen in product descriptions.

This saves time and effort compared to other punch types except for machines. The holes are 25mm/1in apart, which is the standard spacing for belts. The individual punches are removable for easy sharpening or replacement. Available with either round or oval holes. Leather Hole Punch Machine A Japanese screw punch has a mechanical action, most commonly made out of bronze, that rotates the punch 90 degrees as the handle is pushed down into the work surface. The punch head is interchangeable and comes with a set of small-diameter punches, making it comparable to the rotary punch. Although you can use regular hole punches to create holes in a watch strap, sometimes special watches may require you to punch different shapes like square holes into your watch strap. In that case, you will need specific punches made for the occasion. Also, you need to be more careful about creating clean holes without any frays to have the premium look. Korean company KS Blade produces one of the best stitching punches. They are a bit expensive but the built quality and popularity of the punches justify the price. They also have a good selection of hole punches and strap punches. 2. SinabroksYou can sharpen a hole in a leather punch using some fine sandpaper, or a dedicated tool sharpening stone. You need to sharpen the bevel outside the punch to get a good result. Then you can also also carefully use some sandpaper to remove the burr from the inside of the hole, created during the sharpening process. That will make the tool sharper. Can I drill a hole in leather?

They come in a small range of small diameters and are best used for rivets, screws, grommets, or belt holes. Multiple sets of pliers are needed to cover the full range of possible punch diameters. Quality pliers will last long, and the punches are replaceable and interchangeable. A revolving punch is a set of pliers with multiple sizes of smaller punches on one jaw with an anvil, or flat surface, on the other. The punch side is a revolving wheel that can be turned to select the desired hole size. Once the punch size is selected, the leather is placed in the pliers’ jaws, and the pliers are squeezed close until the punch blade pushes through to meet the anvil. Another reason we pre-punch leather for stitching is that it is much easier to get a consistent stitching line with punching tools. Buttonhole, also known as keyhole or tailed, punches produce a round hole with a small slit off to one side. These are used with button studs or ball head rivets that slide into the hole and then slip into the slit to keep the flap closed. Oval/Square/TeardropThese will be cheaper and need to be replaced more often. According to research by Katea Luaibi Hamid, Nader Majed Moustafa, and Amer Fadhel Noori published in the Journal of Mechanical Engineering Research and Development, the carbon content of steel affects its durability. Sharpness Hand stitching leather requires us to pre-punch the leather before the stitching process. The needles used in hand stitching leather have dull tips. This protects the leather from scratching and is safer for the leathercrafter. Also leather is a strong material and even the sharper needles can’t penetrate the leather too easily. A squeeze punch is a set of pliers with a single punch on one side and a flat surface on the other. Slide the leather into the jaws, locate where the hole needs to be, and squeeze until the cutting edge meets the flat surface. The depth of the jaws limits where the pliers can be used to place a hole (1–2” from the edge). Similar to belts, straps used on a bag or long wallet often require you to finish the end of the strap into a specific shape. In that case, you can use the smaller sizes of the strap end punches. While these cuts can also be made by hand, using a punch generally leads to faster, more precise, and more consistent results.

Another reason we pre-punch leather for stitching is that it is much easier to get a consistent stitching line with punching tools. Consistent stitching can help make the finished piece look much better. Watch straps are like small and good-looking belts around your wrist. Similar to belts, you need holes on a watch strap to adjust it according to the wrist size. Consistent and clean holes are quite important on a watch strap since with smaller items like a watch strap, details matter more. Leather hole punch is one of the most common punching tools. With the help of a hammer or mallet, a leather hole punch can create a clean hole in the leather. The diameter of the hole differs based on the need and leather hole punch sets usually start from 1mm diameter and can go up to 40-50mm or even higher. Leather Punch SetThe time to punch six holes was determined by finding a video of each process and counting the seconds it took from start to finish. For a more uniform time, the hole locating was measured at 18 seconds using the drive punch video and used as a standard addition to the drive, screw, drill, and hand press times because each would require that as a step in the process. Seven seconds was added to the rotary and self-centering guide times for the same reason. Korean company Sinabroks is a pricey but premium alternative for leathercrafters. Unlike KS Blade they only provide stitching punches. The brass handle of their punches is popular. 3. Wuta

Sometimes the punching tools can get worn and harder to pass through the leather. In that case you can use some sharpen them to help rgain their edge and make it easier to cut through the leather. Prepare the Surface: Place a PVC mat or some scrap leather underneath the piece of the leather we are punching to protect the tip of punching tools.Leather punching is the process of using appropriate tools to create holes and shapes in the leather. Simple tools can make the leather punching process easy and effective. There are specialized tools for different punching needs. Let’s explore some of the most popular types and how they can be helpful in the shop. Leather Round Strap End Punch Leather Hole Punch