I wasn’t printing yesterday but I was working on my prints: I am getting ready to start some 30 x 40 inch reduction silkscreens so I decided to make myself a new hole puncher. I’ve been using one I made with four one-hole punches 30 years ago but decided it was time to move up to six holes for the bigger pieces. So this one is made from three two-hole punches: I looked for a model that had removable rulers and an opening in the handles. The top picture shows where it was at yesterday: I cut an aluminum etching plate and slid it through all three punches – they’re counter sunk into a sheet of dense foam mounted on two pieces of wood, leaving an open space for the holes to fall through. Then I cut some thin foam core to go around the aluminum strip and glued it, then glued another layer of the same stuff on top of that, trapping that aluminum strip and making it impossible for the units to detach from the base. I put a foam core bottom on this one, I didn’t bother with my previous one, but this will make it easy to carry it over to the trash to empty it. I attached the handle this morning with super glue but I don’t trust it, so it’s re-enforced with Gorilla Tape. I found the levers on Amazon – they’re a motorcycle part!! And they work great. On my old one I just pushed down on the bar, but those were four little one hole punches and very easy to push: these are quite a bit sturdier. The reason for the off center is so you don’t accidentally flip your paper over: I usually punch face up. Its 30 inches long but I also wanted to be able to get 4 holes in a 15 inch sheet, so that’s another reason to alter your spacing. I used one of the little rulers, which will be helpful with the big sheets. If I ever have to use a needle tool to clear out the punches, the bottom is just foam core. Total cost: about $60.
www.lisedrost.com
Fab!