Best clearing tool for your check makers!

[Sagebrush7]

Stop using steel punches, nails, coat hangers etc. Brass 1/8" rods are good cut to length. Better, darning needles, made out of aluminum. They have a little cap that will stop it from falling through on most calibers. Don't pound the checks into a ball. They will bulge the cutter. I know the hard way, done that myself! If you do have a complete cluster, carefully chuck in a vise and take an undersize drill bit and carefully drill out checks without touching the sides of the cutter. Reversing the drill and clearing the bit. How did I learn all this. The hard way! If the tool starts sticking you can take emory paper and sand around the top of the cutter lightly. It will hold the lubercant better and smooth things up. Don't sand the cutter mouth on the outer edge unless you develope a curled edge. Happy check making! James

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I will ..."Stop using steel punches"

Because of the timing, I suspect charlie told you my tail of woe.
He sure treated me awesome, I surely didn't deserve it.
I never felt so ham fisted.

While, I did think of the drill 'em out...I was stubborn and thinking
that they should push through...and they did push through...but so did the taper of the punch...all in one quick blow.
Jon

[Sagebrush7]

I will ..."Stop using steel punches"

Because of the timing, I suspect charlie told you my tail of woe.
He sure treated me awesome, I surely didn't deserve it.
I never felt so ham fisted.

While, I did think of the drill 'em out...I was stubborn and thinking
that they should push through...and they did push through...but so did the taper of the punch...all in one quick blow.
Jon

Jon, he did not give up any names! I have a couple of damaged 22 FcIII in my drawer also. Boy you confess real quickly! Reminds me of my best buddy. Came by the job and we went in the hospital to have some coffee. My legs were turned out away from the table, a nurse I did not know sat im my lap! That Friday night at our supper he tells my wife. For over thirty years I have not been able to live that down. I got a tapered punch stuck in a 45. Honed it down and didn't tell Charlie. I have crushed six dies so far with to much air. Charlie makes fat tops for me out of 1-3/8 tool steel. I will take confessions! James

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I got a tapered punch stuck in a 45. Honed it down and didn't tell Charlie.
James,
I imagine if my punch was merely stuck and the tube slightly belled, I'd have done the same. But the Top half of the tube was blown apart into 3 or 4 peices...only 2 peices were found. It became Junk, I was super lucky that Charlie was working on them the same time I e-mailed him about buying a new cutter tube.
Jon