Letter Punch Guide : Straight and Tidy Every Time!

[@Blondihacks]

Hey everyone- to the one million people telling me the inside corners for the frame didn’t need to be square, as I said in the video, I did it that way because I wanted to try it. It was fun, and that’s the whole point of this endeavour! If you’re not having fun doing this stuff, then it’s time for another hobby. I’m removing those comments because they are boring. To the other million people saying I should have silver soldered it- As I said several times in the video, the goal is to have the seams disappear. Silver solder won’t do that. Furthermore, Loctite is plenty strong for this application and doesn’t require getting out the torch, brazing hearth, pickling acid, and buffing wheel. But hey, you do you, this is how I did it, it was fast and easy, and worked great. Tedious comments are removed, as always. Don’t be tedious.

[@leerogers6423]

I'll drink to that.

[@davidewing9088]

I like what you did. I am keen to make one - Exactly as you did it (but metric).

[@ehsnils]

We always try to make ideas work so nothing wrong with that. Personally I would have considered a variant where different punch sizes could be supported, mostly because I have two different punch sets.

[@pixelkatten]

I'd like to point out that there are brass solders available for the explicit purpose of color matching, but I understand that getting all the soldering stuff out can be a hassle.

[@manyirons]

Regarding 19:18, I'd re-pin it, because I'd be banging a hammer at random angles, sometimes with force against the joint. It might take twenty years, but I've run into Loctite failures before. But that's me. You're doing you. Keep up the great work!

[@FinboySlick]

Clickspring wouldn't broach this. Clickspring would file the square hole to within a micron by eye using a home-made file that he made with another home-made file.

[@leerogers6423]

TOT would do it with a sharpie.

[@FinboySlick]

@@leerogers6423 To paraphrase Quinn, TOT stock removal techniques are what separate him from the humans.

[@mpetersen6]

@@leerogers6423 ToT would simply karate chop. Project done. Myself I'd use the mill as a vertical shaper to square the corners up or simply make the base plate longer so the arcs at the end of the slot don't get in the way

[@Reman1975]

Chris does seem to like taking the hardest hand tool route possible in his projects. :) In some of his early videos I remember seeing him use an indexer and home made single point fly cutter to machine gear teeth, but a few videos later he'd begun cutting and filing gear teeth by hand !?!? He's the engineering equivalent of an artisan baker who's first step in making bread is to prepare a whole field using nothing but a normal garden spade, then planting some wheat ! :D

[@johnnaskalski1295]

That's hilarious!!😂

[@RyJones]

keming is serious business!

[@therealpanse]

Kerning is the difference between Pen Island and another place.

[@SenselessUsername]

Kerning is what separates us from the other primates.

[@aerobyrdable]

Had to highlight the letter to make sure I was getting the joke XD

[@RyJones]

@@aerobyrdable modem problems require modem solutions

[@theram8787]

I was saddened that youtube didn't recommend your channel until today knowing damn well Im subscribed to AVE, this old Tony, and abom79. I love the precision work you did.

[@oldesertracer]

I have been a machinist by trade most of my life, and I am very impressed by your knowledge.

[@rallymodeller]

If you have an arbor press, try using your guide and punches in that. The letters will come out deeper and clearer.

[@NicholasMarshall]

This is getting dangerously close to movable type

[@mpetersen6]

The ultimate answer is an engraver of some type.

[@mpetersen6]

@@jsteifel When is was still working and even now when I have to stamp something I generally just clamp a piece of 1/2" keystock the right distance from the top of the letter stamp character and eyeball it. Really good lighting helps alot. Stamping straight characters got stamped into me during my apprenticeship many moons ago*. Everything we made that was a stock item that would go into the stores cribs had to have its fixture number attached to the drawing and its detail number. I made so many parts for one fixture I still remember the number (KF-3170717 DET xxx). A production environment can be very hard on tooling. Plus we made a lot of stuff out of 1o18 CRS simply because we had carburizing furnaces in house for heat treating rear end gears. The gears were 4140 or 4340. If somebody really wanted to go crazy you could have a "die" that the stamps fit with a sliding fit. Mount that square above one of those inexpensive "milling" tables and go to town. *My last job before I finally hung it up the kids called me "old man". I either replied the following ways 1) Somebody had to sell Noah the Wood 2) Yah, I invented dirt. But I got screwed on the patent rights 3) When he said "Let there be light" somebody had to flip the switch

[@Skinflaps_Meatslapper]

Man what are you people talking about they're called punches because you're supposed to PUNCH THEM WITH YOUR MANLY FISTS

[@rallymodeller]

@@tonyennis1787 Depends on the size of the lettering and what you want to put the lettering on. A one ton press should be able to do decent lettering impressions with 1/4" letters in cold rolled steel.

[@hogan6216]

Nice job ...MR. Pete is so Cool........Enjoy Both you and MR. Pete. Thank you to all the folks who take the time to make these videos.

[@pauldevey8628]

I am always impressed by your work. You are a talented machinist, educator and "work hard for your $$". As a Patron I recommend others support you.

[@midgoog2]

In the dim distant past I worked in a engine manufacturing plant. Once the bottom end of the engine was built the block was flipped to have the head face upper most and at that point a engine number was stamped on the block. This was a manual operation using individual stamps. There was only one man who could accomplish this feat without using a guide , and he was able to do it so it looked like it was machine stamped as was done in the Japanese parent company with a giant daisy wheel equipped machine. He had a 90 second job cycle time to stamp the 11 character number, fit the 2 head location dowels, head gasket, cylinder head, 12 bolts and tighten them down to torque. As a leading hand I dreaded having to do this job whenever he went for a toilet break. Cheers Eric

[@PorchPotatoMike]

Your videos are my favorite part of Saturday mornings.

[@markwarner5554]

In CNC guitar making, we use a 1/42" inch end mill (0.6mm) to cut fret slots. They are hideously small and fragile. Spinning screaming banshees of death turn them about 30krpm.

[@jonjohnson102]

What in tarnation is a 1/42

[@markneedham8726]

@@jonjohnson102 I guess it would be .6mm, as he said. Don't be Anal, it does not become you.

[@arkansas1336]

@@jonjohnson102... .0238, same as #73 drill (.0240)

[@donmittlestaedt1117]

Thanks for crediting Mr. Pete. I admire him. He reminds me of my shop teacher from 1958, Mr Bennett.

[@Suinsap]

"chanfers is what separate us from the animals" 😂 for the book..! chaMfers animal me...

[@NeneExists]

When I heard this I mentally replaced "animals" with "wood workers"

[@12345NoNamesLeft]

@@NeneExists We all did.

[@chiphacket]

You're the best Quinn! Really nice project. That fly cut stainless certainly is impressive . Now if you could design a jig to help me think straight, it would be most helpful.

[@elricm13]

Thanks!

[@Gnudel]

Beautiful piece. I also love how this doesn’t make the letters too perfect, there should still be that hand made feeling to it.

[@LewHarriman]

So true! "...because chamfers are what separates us from the animals.." (13:42). Now that I come to think about it, I must say I've rarely if ever seen a chipmunk using a chamfering bit when he/she is machining brass blocks on the typical chipmunk-size milling machines that are so popular among the smaller mammals living in the prairie provinces in Canada. (Love your well-hidden and perfectly delivered humorous asides)

[@PiefacePete46]

Excellent! Many years back I made a simple guide that I clamped in a quick-change toolholder of my lathe. It was fabricated from mild steel with a square hole to suit my punches. It worked far better than expected, with horizontal adjustment via the carriage giving complete control over kerning. Vertical alignment was courtesy of the toolpost adjuster. Thanks for your great videos. :o)

[@charlesshorrock]

Quinn, not only do I learn from this channel, but even more importantly, the word cattywampus never fails to make me smile. Thanks so very much for both.

[@SethKotta]

This is absolutely brilliant. I think it needs to be over-engineered a bit, though. Maybe see if you can hook it up to your steam engine somehow.

[@markmiller6817]

That was funny .

[@ChristopherTate]

Shhhhh, you're giving away the long-term "steampunk Linotype" project, to go with Tom Lipton's intaglio press!

[@SethKotta]

@@ChristopherTate Oshit my b

[@derschwartzadder]

This NEEDS to happen. Stream powered typewriter for metal!

[@scottrowlings5345]

“Chamfers are what separates us from the animals”....another one to use in my class, thanks Quinn!

[@saifcathum3423]

This is great! Just what I needed for my super secret Bitcoin private key pass phrase thingy. They sell stainless steel cards with letters for $100+ dollars for crypto passwords. I was thinking about making my own, but was not sure if I could live with misaligned lettering on something so important. So glad I found this channel, Mr. Pete sent me.

[@ipdjbt]

Loved the visual balls out reference!

[@Blondihacks]

People always think it means... something else. 😬

[@foleycomposer]

Is it the same reference as "balls to the wall?" Makes way more sense than . . . . "something else. 😬"

[@paulcopeland9035]

@@brianhaygood183 Nope, not originally. It is a centrifugal governor term used in the steam boiler biz.

[@redoorn]

J Maxey Me, too

[@paulcopeland9035]

@@brianhaygood183 ...While "balls to the wall" was used as aviation slang, starting most likely during the Vietnam war, the actual birth of the term took place during the Industrial Revolution. Governing steam engines was the root of this term. Check it out...jalopnik.com/heres-why-balls-to-the-wall-is-actually-an-engineering-1790023623

[@AaronJohnsonSTL]

The CAD in the corner pointing out the feature you're working on is a nice touch. It really helps clarify what you're doing in each step.

[@markoates6688]

I love your videos because your not afraid to share your mistakes and challenges. Most dont do this, and they are missing out on a lot. In the end it makes your videos for more educational, and the subject far more accessible for those of us who are learning, even someof us who dont own a lathe or mill..... yet ;) Cheers and keep up the good work!

[@JeffreyJamesMusic]

i love this. I feel like the number one reason I want a lathe and cnc is to make tools that go way beyond “good enough.” This perfectly fits the amount of frustration of using punches without a guide. Not just good. Not just enough of a soliton to line them up like 4 pieces of wood. A solution that just annihilates the problem.

[@ChristopherTate]

"Chamfers are what separate us from the animals."

[@Suinsap]

send me one 🙋🏼‍♂️

[@mortenb100]

Laughing my head of 😅😂

[@elizabethburgess7671]

Round here I've heard they sometimes have to use crowbars! Just sayin' ....

[@josephnorton1996]

I laughed out loud at this. Good, but not good when watching before work and wife is still asleep. :)

[@bobuk5722]

Hi, something very similar to the Mr Pete method was documented by the late George Thomas for his single stamp punch holder many, many years ago. Being old school he used silver solder for the join which was in steel. I suspect the technique pre-dates even GT by many decades, if not a century or two but it is good to see it used in this application. George's two books are well worth read, combined with the modern kit like DROs and Loctite available now they give a very good solid foundation. They got me started with this wonderful hobby. It's not overstating it to say that GT was the guru's guru. Have a read folks, you will not regret it. BobUK.

[@Hydrogenblonde]

This is a brilliant tool. Stamping neatly is a next to impossible task.

[@MikeBramm]

I worked for a company back in the late 1980s that made those punches, along with embossing and debossing steel type for canned food. I used to engrave the punches on a 3D pantograph. We also made holders for those punches so you could make up to 5-character production codes.

[@leewilloughby6214]

Great job. I was trying to figure something like this. I think putting a vee on the bottom though so it can be set on a round surface would be a nice addition

[@Blondihacks]

Good idea!

[@warrenuecker683]

Beautiful, as always. Appearance counts. Love the bearing hack for truing up the material for the pins!

[@stevejeffryes5086]

Variation in the letters is also a function of the length of the cutting edge of each letter. Thus, the 'I' is cut more deeply than the "Q' or the "N". Now, you could make a drop hammer with a guide with a scale to allow you to deliver energy to the stamp in proportion to the length of cutting edge. Some might say that would be obsessive.

[@OmikronZeta]

There exist commercially-made "moveable type" stamp sets where you insert letters into a fixture to 'roll your own' die - since all the letters are joined together in the fixture which receives the blow, they should all imprint to the same depth. I think that is how job shops would do parts for customers.

[@Bosbulls]

I was thinking that a sliding hammer would work nice. You could let it drop from the same height each time.

[@OmikronZeta]

@@Bosbulls Since each letter has a different area, if the height was the same each time, the smaller letters would be more deeply punched than the larger letters. Hence the reason for joining the entire word into one fixture.

[@joeromanak8797]

I enjoyed that one a lot, as is the tradition. I had just been losing sleep over what it is that separates us from the animals (since it obviously wasn’t toothbrushes) so thank you for that. You are always a slice of sunshine. 😎👍👀

[@andyfreeman660]

Another dose of Quinn. You guys ( Adam, Tony Keith etc) are my theropy these days. One of the few things I look forward to these days. Hugs to shop cat from England ❤💚💛💜

[@ardemus]

An approachable approach. You may be pleased to know that I prioritize your videos the same way I do when a ToT video comes out. They get premium queue placement and normal (100%) play speed.

[@Blondihacks]

I am very pleased to hear that! That’s high company indeed. ☺️

[@twm4259]

Love that your product has form AND function. Shop jigs tend to be short changed on the former.

[@NickAlexeev]

Thanks for demonstrating the method for machining the unmachianble corners. Having said that, this kind of jig with the same principle could also be designed with a machinable geometry. Oblong slot in the static part; rounded ends on left and right. Oblong slot in the carriage; rounded ends on top and bottom. When these slots intersect, they form a square well with sharp corners.

[@MagnetOnlyMotors]

3:07 nice tool box! 7:39 like that one ! 19:08 the crow part ? Very Nice !

[@bobuk5722]

This, Blondie, is not a hack. Far from it. Genius would be more like it. You could sell this. Guess it will be available from the far east before long. The GT design I mentioned below is great for stamping on rotary wheels, but not so good for linear work. This guide is exceptionally good for doing just that. Well thought out and well implemented. I'll be building one. Cheers. BobUK.

[@AaronAlso]

Quinn as awesome as that little thing is and it was to see you make it it is a machinist tradition to stamp crooked letters.

[@Blondihacks]

ⱽᵉʳʸ ᵗʳᵘ ᵉ

[@ramonching7772]

I have seen a lot of ideas on this. This is the best idea yet.

[@douglasbutler4360]

I really like the inset drawings with arrows showing the feature being machined.

[@MaybeLang]

The disappearing pin trick is magic and thanks for sharing that! My best magic trick is to make the lower half of #0-80 taps disappear, into otherwise finished parts.

[@coasmechteranic]

This is great!! Keming is important!

[@NRiggiKnives]

An attractive and functional tool.

[@therealpanse]

Her name is... oh... nevermind.

[@56COLWOOD]

EXCELLENT video! Clear and well spoken. Very enjoyable.

[@jackhanson8467]

That's an excellent solution young lady. Well done. Nicely executed also. You're an excellent mechanic/machinist.

[@tylerkrug7719]

I did enjoy watching you do the Mr Pete method!very nicely done

[@Markus__B]

Dammit you genius. This saves my lettering for leatherwork. firing up F360 and heating up the 3d printer.

[@douglascox9996]

Brilliant solution to a common problem! Thank you. For those of us who have not your skills and tools, however, we’ll need to wait for a mass produced item or try something Q&D/DIY (quick and dirty) with a pair of Picatinny rails, set and squared on a mounting surface, with a couple of crossbars holding the punch in line - details not worked out yet.

[@BriarRose931]

Thank you for thinking of this and sharing!!! I haven't gotten all the way through the video as I comment- I wanted to express my gratitude! Now you have me thinking about modifying your idea to make a version for curved surfaces. Muchas gracias

[@LCOOTS]

Hey, that was a one handed "this is Blondie hacks". keep it up you are wonderful to watch. L.C.

[@johnyoungquist6540]

This is a brilliant solution to a widespread problem. You even see commercial products with crummy stamping. You could just leave radii on the end of your square slot Or mill a T slot with a small cutter to open the corners. Nice job.

[@VincentGroenewold]

Random recommendation, then I saw all the measuring and I'm sold. :) Subbed

[@bonzai2380]

It’s simple and gets the job done. That makes it a success. Nice job!

[@dirkderkdurk]

I learnt so much from a single video, thank you so much for narrating all the decisions you're making along the way!

[@HansFormerlyTraffer]

It's nice when you hold your breath machining Stainless and the rough cut comes out like a mirror. Very satisfying.

[@yambo59]

Really enjoyed this project, best thing ive seen for holding letter punches straight - surprised I havent seen something like this in the hardware stores etc.

[@ddcd53]

Great video. This is a pretty neat little tool. Thanks for sharing with us. Dan

[@JF32304]

Gorgeous blonde that knows her way around a shop! The magic we could accomplish.

[@mariellecb1]

Slick application of the Mr Pete method and excellent tool. I have been dissatisfied with my letterpunch abilities... now I know there is a cure. Thanks! 😁

[@sofiatgarcia3970]

Chamfers are what set us apart from the animals!! Love your vids and love that phrase.

[@joecolanjr.8149]

Great project Quinn!! I think i may have a go at it. Thanks for the idea...i will definitely give you the credit!! Take care!!

[@phildcrow]

The Official Sponsor returns!

[@rustyshackleford928]

LOL @ 13:30 Really this is great! I will make a version of this for sure. Thanks

[@MattysWorkshop]

Gday Quinn, this is a brilliant idea, it’s a real game changer now, thanks mate, throughly enjoyed watching, cheers Matty

[@phillipyannone3195]

That’s a very nice tool. When I was trying to accomplish the same end result I drilled a square hole in the removable foot on the column of my arbor press and used my XY table to index. It was okay but slow going. Nice job.

[@fasteddie4107]

Cool project and nice work, Quinn. I do punch things with lettering quite a bit - until I find a cheap, used $50k-when-new laser engraver - so this will come in handy. Thanks for sharing this!

[@r1mein54]

Nice little stamping guide. I had to do some center punching on my 3 jaw chuck. Any time I swapped out the inside holds to outside hold or vise-versa I had problems of them being out of order - so I made 1 punch for jaw 1,,2 for 2, and 3 for jaw 3.

[@LCOOTS]

THAT WAS THE BEST WAY TO DO PUNCH NUMBERS!!! THAT WAS A BIG PROBLEM FOR ME!!! THANKS LC.23

[@JPGuay]

Hurry to the patent office ! Very well done !

[@waynespyker5731]

Nice. Been there, done that with the same inconsistent results since 1962 with 1/2" stamps for our shop order identification, S O 99999. Used a scribed line on blue Dyken, then an 1/8" fence but the characters still weren't consistent. Saw a neat shop made fixture in a 'What Is In This Tool Box's? It was a cylinder shape vertical notched guide to keep the stamp perpendicular. The diameter was what fit your finger tips while it's length was 1/8"-1/4 "shorter than the stamp, the notch removed one quarter of the cylinder's material by milling to those centerlines. Holding the stamp into the notch, spacing alignment to a Sharpie line permitted a visual check before the hammer blow. It accepted various sizes stamps as long as their shank lengths exceeded it's length. My modifications are breaking the top corner with a liberal radius, lightly knurling several band on it's length before notching. Additionally extend the notch 1/2 the stamps body width beyond the centerline, keeping the other on the centerline. Also mill a small flat (2x the body width) on the bottom to clock the notch parallel if the 1/8th thick fence is used.

[@tilliesinabottle]

I love the use of the pins especially that they were purpose made for the project.

[@KimbrellBrad]

Excellent technique! And well executed. Thanks for posting!

[@lordchickenhawk]

That's a great idea Quinn. It's taken me years to get to a point where I can sort of do straight(ish) lettering. I'm just not using my imagination enough obviously!

[@mousemade1]

Nice fixture Quinn, thanks. Not that you need it now but FYI a good method for freehanding is - place masking tape as a guide (you can feel when the bottom of the letter is touching it) and, most importantly, punch the letters from right to left or last to first. This way you do not have your hand and the punch in the way and you can see to judge spacing. (Southpaws can ignore this 😊)

[@TheFreshmanWIT]

That turned out great! The broaching reminded me of 2 things! 1- You should make a rotary broach! I don't think it would work for your machines for something this size, but I'm guessing being able to cut squares/hexes one day is something you want :) 2- You should get a shaper! They are great at cutting inside square corners.

[@jn8601]

Gotta give props to you for using the porta by hand!!!! Most make the table and throw it in a vise

[@ralphwaters8905]

Love your tiny end mill. The smallest I've used is 0.125". In my own letter/number punching adventures, I've found that a short length of 1" angle firmly clamped to the work gives me a solid ruler for character alignment, and I tune the kerning by eye. I try to strike each character only once. All my cars have aluminum tags on when the fluid was last changed! 😁

[@stxrynn]

I like to see different ideas on holding punches. Well done.

[@SethKotta]

I like to hold mine like cigars. It does shit for accuracy, but I feel classy as all heck.

[@TheKnacklersWorkshop]

Hello Quinn, Nice little project tonight... Following any of the Mr. Pete methods is generally a smart move... Have a good weekend. Paul,,

[@tomburson5554]

I saw your band saw, did you know that there is a co that make a holder to make a vertical bandsaw out of your saw? Works really well

[@dwaynetube]

Brilliant and so very well narrated as always!

[@johnboy454]

The old guy I learnt 'some' of my engineering skills (ha!) from could hand punch number and letter strings like they had been done with a machine. But I must admit this idea is way cool! Excellent Video as usual.

[@gregorycore9489]

From a old ironworker it all looks fandamntastic!

[@keithslayback4626]

Oh thank you I never thought of the tab and slot system like that I was making spacers that stacked up and well with doing that besides being a real PIA to make you lose them. The only thing I would different would be to put a v-groove on the bottom with the magnets so that it will sit on round stock.. What a wonderful little tool to make,

[@travishein]

This is such a neat idea. It is almost one of those things where you can't believe it wasn't already a thing.

[@charleslimparis2069]

Nice Job! I made a very poor vertical alignment support for the punches to print equipment ID tags, but kerning was left to the user and some pencil marks. Your implementation is light year ahead of my kludge. If I ever get my workshop setup, I think this will be one of my very first projects.

[@asdf35750]

You can also true up the stock in the lathe by running the lathe backward and using the back of a tool to nudge it into place.

[@diggmore1362]

A very neat bit of toolmaking

[@RalfyCustoms]

Great as always Quinn, I use a couple of strips of tape, as a guide for the bottom of the stamps, but this frame totally blows that away, thank you 😊 BTW, is it only me, but has anyone else noticed Quinns dirty right thumb, always makes a cameo

[@Blondihacks]

The 🤬 Y axis table locks on my mill. 😁

[@RalfyCustoms]

@@Blondihacks I get the same lol, I recognise the screw marks

[@andyinannarbor]

Back in grad school, I needed to make a rectangular microwave cavity with sharp internal corners and used what we called the “baseball stitch” method. Like the Mr Pete method, you make two “U” shaped pieces that fit over one another when one is rotated by 90 degrees. Solder them together and drill a coupling hole in one face and you’re done!

[@andyinannarbor]

@@cdorcey1735 this was a long time ago, and without the benefit of good modeling, it was impossible to know in advance the balance between soldered joints vs. poor Q due to rounded corners. Then there was the cavity loading with the frozen (1.2K - 20K) protein solutions, so I was thrilled that it worked at all.

[@AmateurRedneckWorkshop]

Great design and a great build. They stay straight and your fixture looks really good. I have a set for letters and a set for numbers and I have often thought about making a guide for them but then I have not used them almost ever so my motivation is weak. Maybe this will get me to move on it sometime.

[@leafrusenov2142]

Crazy how the universe works i literally just got a letter punch set and was wondering how I'd go about making a jig for it!

[@brushybillroberts2654]

Nice piece of work. Considering the small inconsistencies in the manufacturing of the stamps, I think your results were about as good as you could hope for. For future projects on personal tooling like this. Consider getting some small corner rounding end mills for use instead of the chamfering tool. They make the stuff look more like jewelry. Nice video, keep having fun with it.

[@scharkalvin]

Nice looking tool. Something that I'd try to 3D print.

[@JustinShaedo]

Never going to make one of these, but I admire the craft work involved. Well presented. Respect.

[@joeybobbie1]

Great Idea Quinn

[@EightiesTV]

Your content is excellent and greatly appreciated.