Eye Punches

[Dicky]

Hi Gang,
Anybody with experience or advice on making your own eye punches (round or oval) ? Any and all help appreciated.
Dick

[lorax]

Mine are a little unorthadox. I got some hole punches Like you would use on gaskets or leather, Punch down with those, and carve the convex down. It's basicly like using them for the stop cuts. I got a whole pack for a dollar, so I can't complain. Oh, when you're using soft wood, like basswood or jelatong the punch can be pushed and twisted down so it will be a cleaner cut.

[Dicky]

Thanx for the suggestion lorax. Thats what I am trying to use but tearing of fibres is a problem. I may get out the diamond burrs and either make the leather punches razor sharp or maybe try to make the tips of pin punches concave If I can find some at a junk shop or yard sale.

[Robert Cahill]

I haven't tried it but I think I read where you could use brass tubing in different diameters and even shape the ends into ovals

[Tom-H]

Try making your own with drill stock. Chuck the drill stock up in a good vise on the drill press. Punch the center of the drill stock end. Dirll into the end . Touch the drilled end on a fine stone or abrasive wheel, first on one side the on the opposite side. If done correctly you'll have an oval eye punch. I think the photo explains it better. I some times use these on the wee small faces.

Tom H

[Dicky]

Thanks for the help guys.
I think I will try the brass tubing idea with steel brake line tubing and I have so many broken drill bits laying around that I'll give that a shot too. Great way to get an oval.

[Kate]

For itty bitty eyes and dots I bought a set of countersink punches at Tractor Supply for $8. They already have the indent in them so I used a round diamond bit to clean them up and make the indent nice and round on the inside and the shoulder nice and thin. They work pretty well.

Love the til on the oval shaped one, will definitely have to make one of those.

K.

[knothole]

And I would rather carve my own eyes. I think they just seem to push on the wood and it will sometimes make the wood split. They do work okay for some button work though. If I had it to do over I would not have bought them. Just my opinion...Bruce

[Stan Curtis]

My uncle (a much better carver than I am) has a set of telescoping tubes that make good circles on soft wood. Not being able to find anything like them on the internet I improvized by dismantling a pocket pointer left over from my pre-PowerPoint classroom days. A telescoping antenna from a discarded portable electronic device could also be used. Anyhow I now have seven small tubes that are hard-drawn alloy that can make good circles for eyes, buttons, warts, etc. And they still telescope to fit in my travel kit.