Had to choose between a Japanese screw punch and an awl for my last project, went with the punch.

I was working on a small run of leather journals and needed to make the sewing holes. The awl is what I learned on, but I kept reading about the punch. Bought a 6-prong one from a shop in Seattle. The holes were cleaner and perfectly spaced, but it was a beast to push through three layers of book board and leather. My hand was sore for a day. Anyone have a trick for using these on thicker materials without a press?

3 comments

3 Comments

julia_carter701mo ago

Oh man, I saw a tip somewhere about warming up the leather first with a hair dryer. Makes it a bit softer to punch through. Might save your hand next time.

jordang3215d ago

My buddy runs a saddle shop and he told me the trick is to actually cool the leather back down right after you punch it, not warm it up. Something about the fibers locking in place better if you throw it in the fridge for a few minutes before you start punching. He swears by it on heavy duty bridle leather that's a nightmare to get clean holes in. I tried it on a thick wallet project last month and it honestly worked better than any hair dryer trick I'd seen on YouTube. The cold makes the leather stiff so it cracks clean instead of stretching and deforming around the punch. Worth a shot for anyone still fighting with stubborn leather.

thomas2751mo ago

That's a solid tip right there. I tried something similar with a heat gun on some thick belt leather last year and it made a huge difference. My hand was killing me from trying to force the punch through cold. A little warmth just lets the tool do the work instead of your whole arm.