Tools of the Trade
Day Fifteen: Hardware Press
A few years ago, I spent each day in January writing about a different tool I use in my maskmaking. As I am currently redesigning my entire website in the new year, I thought it might be nice to revisit this project. Each day in January 2021, I’ll share a different item that I use in my studio. I hope some of these can help other people who are interested in making wrestling masks.
I like to use grommets in the holes on my laceplates, and I sometimes have to use snaps for things like chinstraps. There’s a number of tools on the market to set grommets and/or snaps, and there’s a range of reliability and quality as well. The leftmost tool is just a simple setter and anvil that came with a bargain assortment of grommets. The next one is a bit more professional, with a solid + hefty anvil that can accommodate a range of sizes of snaps. The plierlike device is what I usually recommend to people who are dipping their toe in the craft: it’s called the Crop-O-Dile, and it can punch two different sized holes and set a number of grommets and snaps. It’s simple to use, and produces consistent results. The next item is a professional grommet setter from Japan. The last item is a drive punch, which is how I prefer to make the holes for my grommets and snaps.
What I use to set my grommets nine times out of ten is the Heavy Duty Press from GoldStar Tools. The press is the easiest way to set hardware in the most consistent fashion with the least amount of effort. You need to buy a set of dies for each size of each type of hardware you want to set. I store them in labelled compartments in a plastic box. (You can also buy dies for punching holes, but I prefer to use drive punches, as I think they make a cleaner hole.) Goldstar sells a number of different packages that include the press; the one linked above comes with one die, which saves you a little money.
Note: there are many companies out there that sell presses that look like this one, but they are not all the same—the dies are not necessarily interchangeable! Manufacturers love to make proprietary fitting methods for their dies, so you have to buy from them and them only. When I was originally looking to buy one of these presses, I did a bit of research and decided I liked GoldStar the best. They seemed to be a reliable and reputable business (and have proven to be, as I’ve now been buying from them for years.) They had the widest variety of items that the press could be used with, and very importantly, they had the best prices. A GoldStar press by itself is currently $60, while dies run about $30. Other companies charge $170 for the press and $70 or more for dies.