# Small punches



## cathead (Dec 27, 2019)

The first thing I noticed about ring shank nails years ago is that they are made from some pretty hard stuff.  They can easily be ground into
a small punch or to a point if desired.  One needs to take his time to not overheat the ground area as it will soften itself if not careful.  I generally
grind a little and cool the end in water and resume until I have the desired shape.  This is quite handy as one can make any desired diameter of
small punch if you have a few of these ring shank nails.  They to come in several different lengths but I like the 5 inch ones for little punches.
I needed one today so thought I would share the concept.  
	

		
			
		

		
	




The photo explains it all...


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## Rootpass (Dec 27, 2019)

Great idea! Thank you for sharing it!


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## Tozguy (Dec 27, 2019)

Similarly, fluted cement nails are still sold these days and are tough as nails.
With the head ground accordingly they make good little boring bars .


			https://www.lowes.com/pd/Fas-n-Tite-9-Gauge-Bright-Steel-Fluted-Masonry-Nails-1-lb/1000435419


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## Tim9 (Dec 27, 2019)

Yeah those cut nails for concrete are hard as hell. Never thought about small boring bar cutters but I bet they would work just fine if you brazed them to the bar and then dunked in oil or water bath. Great idea.
  Have an old box of these and was thinking about how hard they were...every time I moved them out of my way. 


9-Gauge Steel Cut Masonry Nails (1-lb) https://www.lowes.com/pd/Fas-n-Tite-9-Gauge-Steel-Cut-Masonry-Nails-1-lb/50408260


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## cathead (Dec 27, 2019)

That's what I like to see, thinking outside the box.   Ahhhh cement nails, possibilities there too!  Also save any broken carbide
scrap for a  future silver soldering project such as cutters, boring bars, ETC.   I have a lot of large(chipped ) end mills(carbide) that so
far I have not found a use for.  Any Ideas on these for you outside the box folks?


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## Tim9 (Dec 27, 2019)

I do save my endmills also. I’ve used them a couple of times for one off tools...cutters punches etc. But...I’ve now got a good bunch of EBay hss lots I’ve purchased plus decent stock of new hss blanks. I lately have just been mostly using my hss. Still, it’s always good to keep that toolbox full for whatever gets thrown ones way.


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## Tozguy (Dec 27, 2019)

Cement nails have also been used for making small chisels for carving wood. They hold an awesome edge.
But I am also going to make a center punch with one. I like your idea cathead.


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## cathead (Feb 3, 2021)

Sometimes one needs a specialized tool so today I made a pointed awl.  I used a disc grinder
to carefully grind the needed shape being careful not to overheat the work.  One needs to grind slowly
and cool it often so as not to anneal the nail.  It takes about a half hour to do a nice job constantly
rotating the nail as it is ground to the desired shape.  I have a lot of these in my assortment of
small tools, some as punches, some with a small hook.  They are great for a lot of applications in the
shop as well as for electronic work, fitting holes together in sheet metal, as a scribe, ice pick etc. 
At times, I will make a specialized tool when the need arises and I save it in my drawer for future use. 
I have probably twenty various configurations so it isn't too often that I have to grind a new one. 
Today I made a spare for the other shop.  The trick is to watch carefully where the sparks are coming
off as that is where the metal is being removed.

(Ring shank pole barn nails)


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## cathead (Feb 19, 2021)

Today I found another good use for ring shank pole barn nails.  My Craftsman table saw was acting
like that the start capacitor or maybe the centrifugal switch was bad.  As it turned out, it was the switch.
Before reinstalling the motor, I decided to oil the sleeve bearings on the 1HP motor.  I thought of a small   
screwdriver but opted for using a ring shank nail to drip a few drops of oil into the oil galley.  Dipping the
nail into some light oil allows one to accurately control how much oil to apply to each hole.  I was able to add 7 or
8 drops quite easily in one jump.  The surface area of the corrugations allows one to easily add a predetermined
amount into an oil hole with no difficulty.


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## RJSakowski (Feb 20, 2021)

Hardened trim nails make good mini pin punches.  The diameter is around .07" and they range in length up to 2-1/2 inches.   You can grind the tip flat and use as is or you can drill a hole in the end of a piece of round stock and secure the pin with a drop of super glue,


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## gjmontll (Feb 20, 2021)

This discussion's suggestion of using cement nails as raw material for boring bars is very timely. 
On a plastic part, I need to enlarge the bore of a 0.875" hole out to 0.985" diameter. Required depth is about 1.5". 
But the plastic part has a metal coupling, about 3/8" diameter in the center of the hole, sticking up part way. This prevents normal techniques like milling, drilling or boring with tools at hand to the required depth. I need a tool that will fit in the narrow space between the coupling and the plastic wall.
So I'll grind a cement nail to make a boring bar.


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## cathead (Mar 22, 2021)

This morning I started out in the shop with no particular project in mind.  The remainder of the ball joint
needed to be something beside junk so I ran it through the band saw and did a bit of machining on it
not knowing what is was going to turn out to be.  It ended up being
	

		
			
		

		
	




	

		
			
		

		
	
 an ice pick.


The rest can go to the scrappers.


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## Tozguy (Mar 22, 2021)

Hey there is enough left to make a ball turner methinks.


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