The back of the rivet setting base, or your quartz slab works well for this. If you don't have the rivet setter, however, or you would rather have flat-topped rivets, you can just set them on a hard, flat surface with a hammer. This will keep the caps of the rivets slightly rounded rather than hammering them flat. The correct way to set the rivets is by nesting the bottom cap in the correct sized divot in the rivet setting base, and then using a mallet to pound down on the top cap with a rivet setting shaft that has a concave end. To attach these rivets, punch a hole the size of the rivet stem, or slightly larger, insert the stem into the hole from one side, and then snap the cap onto the end of the stem from the other side. They are also often called double cap rivets because of the cap on both sides (though some variations have one end that is hollow or decorative in some way). Rapid rivets have two parts, an end with a stem that looks like a tiny mushroom, and an end with just a cap and no stem. In my opinion, these are the best kind of rivets because, as the name implies, they are quick and easy to set. There are a few different kinds, but I'm just going to show you the easiest for now. They come in a variety of finishes so you can choose rivets that intentionally stand out against your leather or rivets that blend in. Rivets let you attach two or more pieces of leather together when they are set through holes in the leather. Rivets are one of my favorite leatherworking tools because they are just so easy to use, and I love the way they look. Punches like this can be useful and fun for creating cut-out filigree patterns. You can find punches in different shapes, like ovals for attaching buckles, or even decorative shapes like stars. This will eventually distort the top end of the tool making it harder to use. It is also not a good idea to hit a metal tool with a metal hammer or mallet. This will dull your punches very quickly. Never punch directly on top of a hard surface like your metal anvil or quartz. One strike with the mallet should be plenty to punch through, though with thicker leather you sometimes need to strike again. Hold your punch straight up and down on top of your leather where you want to punch a hole, then hit it with a mallet. To punch a hole with a manual punch, place your leather over your poundo board or other soft punching surface. The set I have has a single shaft that comes with interchangeable heads of different sizes. They allow you to punch in hard to reach places far from leather edges, and they can punch through very tough leather. Manual Punches are a more versatile, if slightly less convenient way to punch holes. If your punch isn't making a clean cut all the way through your leather, swiveling the leather around while clamping down on the punch will sometimes help it cut through. Like most tools, rotary punches only work well if they are sharp, so keep yours sharp or buy replacement blades when they get dull. Also they are not great for punching through very thick leather because you can only apply so much force by squeezing the tool with your hand. Rotary punches are great for punching holes in straps and other easily accessible areas, but they can only punch a hole about 1 1/2"-2" from the edge of a piece of leather (or a little more if the leather is flexible enough to gather). To punch a hole, you just squeeze down on the handles until you press the punch through the leather. It has a rotating head with different punching blades to create holes of various sizes. The Rotary Punch is the easiest to use and most convenient tool for punching holes. There are a few different tools for hole punching that are better for different applications. Punching holes in strategic places can also be helpful when you need to cut out slots or other complex internal shapes. In order to attach rivets, snaps and other hardware to leather, first you need to punch holes.
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