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Make a center punch - PEP BB metalworking.sand.centerpunch

BB metalworking - sand badge

posted 4 years ago

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This is a badge bit (BB) that is part of the PEP curriculum. Completing this BB is part of getting the sand badge in Metal Working.

Drilling a hole in metal where you want it is much easier when you center punch the spot first. Let's build one! This requires harder steel and likely some heat treating so that it holds a point.

Here is a guy making one by grinding and using a lathe:

And here is a guy forging one:

To document your completion of the BB, provide the photos or video (<2 min) of the following:
- The supplies you're starting with
- Partway through the build
- The finished punch
- Ten solid punch marks in mild steel and a closeup of the punch showing it's still sharp

COMMENTS:

Cam Haslehurst

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Posts: 461

Location: Northern Ontario, Canada

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posted 3 years ago

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I was finally successful. I thought I need to make a forge to harden the tip of this punch, but all it took was burning some hardwood on a very windy day. I tossed it in the coals tip first, so the tip was getting the hottest. I kept pulling it out with pliers to check the colour. When it was glowing orange, I plunged it into some water to quench and hopefully harden it. I went and tested it after it had cooled, and it worked! Ten dents on steel and it is as pointy as ever.

Here is the link where I wrongly explained tempering and hardening and was politely corrected, lol. Have a read if you want the whiole story of how this work of art came to be