I have used paper punches and the Harbor Freight heavy duty hand punch with interchangeable dies. The paper punch can only punch one size hole, then you have to hand ream an ugly gash of a hole to get the right size. The HB punch is heavy and unwieldy and won't reach down far enough down the side of an Altoids or Whitman's tin, not to mention that changing dies requires an annoying disassembly of the punch. It does make a nice clean hole, though, and I use it for punching lots of same size Manhattan style islands.
Eric KE6US -----Original Message----- From: J F [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, July 19, 2005 5:52 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Elecraft Discussion List Subject: Altoid Tin Holes Eric, You may want to look for a hole punch. There are plier like devices that should make nice clean holes in the sizes you need (at least in the ends). They are reasonably priced, or you may be able to find one at a hamfest or flea market. http://www.nextag.com/metal-hole-punch/search-html For some holes they are less aggravating than using a drill... 73, Julius n2wn _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
