The Tribal Tales

Punches are tools made of rod steel or brass, shaped according to their function, and known by the name of the function they perform. Dapping punches are
used for doming. There are several other types of punches. A tracer punch is used to outline a pattern, shape, or design. An embosser punch is used to raise
metal into relief or to depress it. Grounder punches are used to create an all-over pattern in an area and are traditionally used for the background of designs
for textural effect.
There are two kinds of punch work decoration used in metalwork. The first employs smooth, polished punches that have a definite shape, such as a round,
square, oval, diamond, etc. These punches are usually worked from the back of the metal, though they can also be worked from the front. The metal being
punched rests on a soft material such as a lead or zinc block, piece of hardwood, or a pitch block. When worked from the rear, the pattern appears on the front
of the metal as a raised shape or “boss”, from which the word embossing comes.
The second kind of punch work involves the imprinting of a design which is engraved at the end of the punch onto a metal surface. The design may be a single
unit, used as a unit, or a repeat pattern. It is always seen from the front of a metal. The design usually is sharply enough engraved on the punch to impart the
pattern with one well-registered blow. This kind of punching is done on a hard, solid bed, usually a stake, an iron block, or a bench block, as these surfaces
resist the punch impact and the result is a sharply defined imprint of the pattern.
7.18 7.19
(Fig 7.18)
Stamps used for creating
motifs and designs on silver
jewellery pieces.
(Fig 7.19)
Silver pendant created by
Stamping method.
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