# Transfer Punch



## Joncooey (Feb 8, 2019)

Any one have advice on how to resharpen/repoint/reharden these cheap Chinese transfer punches?


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## mmcmdl (Feb 8, 2019)

Surface grinder and a whirley jig . Put that whirley jig ( spin indexer or whatever you may call it ) perpendicular to your wheel , dress appropriate angle on your wheel with a norbide stick ,  then throw those Chinese punches in the scrap pile and make something cool . Then buy a good set of transfer punches .


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## mikey (Feb 8, 2019)

mmcmdl said:


> Then buy a good set of transfer punches .



If you take Dave's advice, Spellman makes good punches. 

If you want to try and sharpen those Chinese ones, chuck it in a lathe and put a grinding stone to it. There is no specific angle required for that; just a sharp point. The problem with these tools is that they can be hard, soft or just right for the job and there is no way to tell until you whack on it. And this can be within the same set of punches. I suppose we can't be fussy about a set of punches that cost so little but, well, I long ago decided that Spellman punches is a better way to go.


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## Norseman C.B. (Feb 8, 2019)

If yer a cheap A$$ like me you can chuck them up and re point them 
on the lathe, then you bust out a torch or the forge, heat the working end to critical temp.
quench in warm canola oil and then stick em in the shop toaster oven at 375 deg. fer an hour or two then quench in water.
If the steel is descent they will be good fer a long time, if steel is sub standard not so long a time,
rinse and repeat as needed.......................My  $.02


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## mikey (Feb 8, 2019)

Norseman C.B. said:


> If yer a cheap A$$ like me you can chuck them up and re point them
> on the lathe, then you bust out a torch or the forge, heat the working end to critical temp.
> quench in warm canola oil and then stick em in the shop toaster oven at 375 deg. fer an hour or two then quench in water.
> If the steel is descent they will be good fer a long time, if steel is sub standard not so long a time,
> rinse and repeat as needed.......................My  $.02



Just gotta' hope the steel doesn't curl like a weiner!


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## Norseman C.B. (Feb 9, 2019)

Just heat the last 1/2" or less, shouldn't have curl issues


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## Tozguy (Feb 9, 2019)

On the question of how to sharpen a punch (regardless of quality), this is one way to do it;
The punch is first chucked up in a small drill chuck which is then chucked up in a four jaw. After zeroing the punch for runout it is ground using a tool post grinder.


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## benmychree (Feb 9, 2019)

Generally speaking, one can repoint a transfer punch with a carbide tool in the lathe.


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## P. Waller (Feb 11, 2019)

Generally speaking one may buy a set of 28 transfer punches for $10.99 including a molded plastic stand.
This makes sharpening existing tools rather expensive.
If each of the the 28 tools is used only once it is just $0.40 per use, I suspect that a home user can afford this (-:








						Transfer Punch Set, 28 Piece
					

Amazing deals on this 28Pc Transfer Punch Set at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.




					www.harborfreight.com


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## benmychree (Feb 11, 2019)

I guess the question is: how much is our time worth, also we are too much of a throwaway society.


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## P. Waller (Feb 11, 2019)

benmychree said:


> I guess the question is: how much is our time worth, also we are too much of a throwaway society.


Initial cost is a large factor.
If you were to produce a line of Bemmy's 28 piece set of Transfer Punches that would perform for 100 strikes for $125.99.
28 tools X 100 uses per tool is 2800 strikes or $.04.00 per strike, how many home users will cough up $125.00 up front?


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## benmychree (Feb 11, 2019)

P. Waller said:


> Initial cost is a large factor.
> If you were to produce a line of Bemmy's 28 piece set of Transfer Punches that would perform for 100 strikes for $125.99.
> 28 tools X 100 uses per tool is 2800 strikes or $.04.00 per strike, how many home users will cough up $125.00 up front?


Not me, for one, when I retired, I bought import sets for fractions, letters and numbers; most will likely never get used; I have had to repoint a couple of them, the work of a few minutes at most.


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## PT Doc (Feb 11, 2019)

I like my Spellman set that I got from Enco years ago. Good quality for a fair price. You can clearly see that about half of the punch is hardened. These have a teet looking tip. How do you repoint these?


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## benmychree (Feb 11, 2019)

I just use a hard grade of carbide tool and recut the point.  Perhaps a ceramic insert would work as well.


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## rwm (Feb 11, 2019)

See my comments here:









						American Made Transfer Punch Set
					

So I broke down and paid the money for an American made transfer punch set to replace my cheap Asian one with off center points. These are made by Spellman  Manufacturing Company. This is what I got:        OK...as you can see, the business end has been heat treated. However, the tools were...




					www.hobby-machinist.com
				




I am curious to see what you get if you order the Spellman punches. Please let us know.
Robert


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## arvidj (Feb 12, 2019)

Like others I bought import sets for metric, fractions, letters and numbers plus the type that screw in threaded holes. Thanks Enco!! I really miss you.

Anyway, knowing that they were import quality I have treated them as *Transfer Markers* rather than Transfer Punches. I tap them just hard enough to make a usable mark ... possibly on a blued surface ... then proceed with a hardened punch to make the real 'drill here' divot. Yes, an extra step but for this hobbyist on a budget it has served me well.

Just food for thought.


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## mcostello (Feb 12, 2019)

Just in case You fellow skinflints missed the plot, You can make bushings and extend the range of sizes the basic set of punches will cover. Example 1"OD bushing to 1/4" Id punch.


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## Norseman C.B. (Feb 12, 2019)

Done that too !!........................


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