Punch forms, old and new

In an effort to keep the studio well organised I store each type of tool in their own boxes - all pattern-making kit is together, everything related to stitchwork is in one place. The image above shows my various punches. At the top of the frame are some of my traditional Dixon saddlers' punches, hand-forged in high-carbon steel. The rest of the punches are of a different type known as 'press knives' or 'Swedish knives', a rare example of industrial technology offering obvious improvements to our traditional world of hand-stitched leatherwork. They're essentially cookie-cutters, precisely engineered to CAD files and mounted in laser-cut plywood supports. These punches are usually mounted in pneumatic presses and, with the help of half a dozen tons of pressure, used to stamp out belts, components or even whole bag forms, a process which can speed up industrial bag production no end. I tend to use these tools sparingly and for the precision they permit rather than for labour-saving reasons. Accurately cutting tight radiuses (radii?) in thick leather is a challenge so using these punches there is very helpful - see the 'U' shaped stamps at the centre of frame, used to neatly trim strap ends. Equally, the 'pippin' punch for Sam Brown studs by the red-handled pincers or the kite-shaped 'tab' cutter nestled safely in the cotton balls.