Every now and then, you find yourself put in a position where you simply have to purchase a tool, no matter what the price. I was fortunate enough to find a smith who was making pinking punches and chisels, and requested a zig-zag blade if that was possible. Not only did he make one, but he made one exactly according to my specifications, and that matches the period example that I was going for perfectly! Below, you can see a picture of the punch, and next to that, an image of the 1600s Ashmolean shoes that we know and love. I am so thrilled to finally be able to replicate these with a zig-zag punch, as was originally intended. If you are interested in pinking punches or chisels, please don’t hesitate to let me know! I will gladly put you in contact with the smith.
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Does your smith make the pinking punches wth scallops like were used for clothing in the mid 19th century? If so, can you please email me his contact info? Thanks, Maggie
He does, actually! He has made a couple of them. I would point you to his website (http://www.brianbrownarmoury.com/) as well as his facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Brian-Brown-Armoury/258546660859154) on which you can see some of his punch work. They’re very sharp!
Wow… I have been scouring the net for zig zag punches. So glad I found your site!! Funny thing is, I already had it bookmarked and was here only hours ago reading up on how to make a wax end. 🙂 Any idea if Mr. Brown still makes punches? Advice on what to commission if my goal is to produce mens dress shoes and boots?
Hello! Yes, I was rather thrilled to get a punch from him =) I do not honestly know, but I’d reach out on FB and see. When you’re talking about dress shoes and boots, I’d first pick up a copy of “Handmade Shoes for Men” by Vass. It’s a good pictorial of the process. In terms of commissioning for punches, a lot of the zig-zagging can be done with a “rotary cutter” which is usually a bench tool with a crank. It allows you to get that edge without using a straight punch over and over!
I have been shopping rotary cutters! I can see how they would be useful for adding pinking to straight lines and convex pieces, but my great concern is how to accomplish pinking along the concavities at the center of a wingtip toe.
It might be hard to find, but I’m actually talking about a medium sized tool into which you can feed leather (even curved), and then you turn the crank, and it trims the edge into a zig-zag pattern, basically a pinking machine for leather. https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-blackside-hand-crank-singer-420579897