Cutting Leather Discs

[Rhyolith]

I need to make a load of new washers (seals) of various sizes for the old pumps.

Does anyone have a cheap, easy method for cutting discs out of leather? I have just been using a sharp knife and scissors so far, which works but is slow and has fairly messy results (uneven).

 

[iNewbie]

You can find cheap Gasket Punches on ebay and Amazon. e.g.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Estone-Hollow- ... B00JBYIUWG

 

[profchris]

I had to make some leather washers, and achieved it by drilling holes in scraps of leather and then sandwiching them between metal washers of the right size. Metal/leather/metal/leather ... metal. Bolt through middle, tighten nut then carve away with Stanley knife. Finish with coarse sandpaper.

This worked well and was pretty fast, but you do need metal washers the right size.

 

[Rhyolith]

The washers vary from 1/4 - 4+" across, upper end of that defiantly too big for the punches... can I get metal washers that big?

 

[AndyT]

You could use a big gouge for the outside and a small wad punch for the hole.

Or else look out for a leather washer cutter. They often get muddled up with tank cutters on eBay. They look similar but are lighter weight with a sharper cutter.

The very collectable Millers Falls clamp/multi tool includes one and is a nice tool to have.

the-gizmo-competition-t75993.html

 

[bugbear]

Or else look out for a leather washer cutter.

The clue is in the name!!

BugBear

 

[iNewbie]

The washers vary from 1/4 - 4+" across, upper end of that defiantly too big for the punches... can I get metal washers that big?

A Metal Fastner stockist is likely to have large size washers.

Alternatively drill your own?

http://www.fhbrundle.co.uk/groups/0521_ ... scs?page=3

 

[bugbear]

The sainted Alf, late of this parish, had one:

http://cornishworkshop.blogspot.co.uk/2 ... ieces.html

BugBear

 

[SteveF]

would this work?

http://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/xcut-circle ... lsrc=aw.ds
http://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/modelcraft- ... lsrc=aw.ds
Steve

 

[undergroundhunter]

What about one of these http://www.originalmarquetry.co.uk/product_details_519.htm ?

Matt

 

[ED65]

I don't know how many you need to do but if it were me I'd make wooden templates and chop them out vertically with a sharp chisel.

Of if you need to do loads gang them together squeezed tight on a bolt and rasp/file/sand them to size with the bolt chucked up in the power drill.

 

[Downwindtracker2]

I've used a hole saw for leather washers on chisel handles.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

A technique used to cut gaskets for steam fittings is to place the jointing material over one of the flanges to be joined, and knock round with a ball-peen hammer (ball for inside curves and bolt holes, flat for outside curves), until the edge of the flange cuts through the jointing material. On a reasonably defined 90-degree edge, that will need less knocking than you might at first think.

This technique may not be 'best practice', but it actually works quite well.

This may be adaptable to other materials if you have some sharp-edged discs of suitable material and of the right diameters. You do need to hold the material being cut fairly firmly since it has a bit of a tendency to wander under percussion, so some sort of clamping might be in order. With the gaskets mentioned above, the usual practice is to knock out a bolt-hole first, and insert a bolt in it. That won't work with a washer, obviously, but a small G-cramp and scrap of wood would.