MicroMark Punch Set and Hammer
Toolmaker-grade micro punch set makes perfect miniature disks from plastic, wood veneer, cloth -- even metal! And it punches tiny holes in materials virtually impossible to drill: thin metal sheet, cork, rubber, vinyl, and more. Use it on pre-printed paper gauge-faces and clear acetate sheet to create the most realistic miniature instrument panels you've ever seen. Also makes custom size washers and miniature gaskets. Easy to use: Just place the material between the clear guide plate and the perfectly matched hardened steel die, then insert the punch and tap through. Includes 9 precisely ground and hardened steel punches ranging from 1.0 mm (0.039 inch) to 5.0 mm (0.197 inch) diameter in 0.5 mm (0.0197 inch) increments. Approx. overall size: 1-1/4 inches x 2-5/8 inches.
A club member was showing off his handy work with a MicroMark set he purchased at a local model rail road store. I picked one up over the holidays and have been happily punching out little disks of styrene ever since. It easily punched .01” and .015” styrene, but the largest punch stopped short of punching through .02” thick styrene. Maybe I didn't hit it hard enough. I haven’t tried any thin metal yet since I just got it and didn’t want to break it already. I use a nylon head hammer also through MicroMark. The plastic head prevents mushrooming the steel pin.
The punch set works great so far, but I have two critiques. The 5 smaller diameter pins are shorter than the larger diameter pins which makes then a little harder to grasp and much easier to lose. Also, the clear sheet could be a little bit thicker to help steady the pins better.
I’m pretty jazzed about finally owning a punch seat. I don’t know how soon I’ll be making an instrument panel, but at least I’ll have the right tool for it.
