American Made Transfer Punch Set

[rwm]

So I broke down and paid the money for an American made transfer punch set to replace my cheap Asian one with off center points. These are made by Spellman Manufacturing Company. This is what I got:







OK...as you can see, the business end has been heat treated. However, the tools were quenched in oil and then not cleaned of finished prior to packaging. There is black residue and scale on the end of all the tools! Is is just me, or is this unacceptable? The residue actually rubs of on your fingers when you handle it. These are supposed to be machined to .0025 undersize however I don't see how you could measure that since the scale coating is thicker than that? Yes I can clean these up and I am sure they will work just fine but really....
What are your thoughts on this?
Perplexed
Robert

 

[Janderso]

I just checked mine, (same set) no crud on these, they must have missed a step in manufacturing.
Have you used them?
I had the Asian set, used it one time, the one in the orange plastic holder. The tip rounded off.
I called the source where I bought it. They said they will send me another set," just discard that one".
I chose to take a credit and bought the same set you have.

 

[4ssss]

I'd send them back. That's pretty shabby. Not only not cleaning the working end up, but the heads are going to mushroom and that stand will be useless unless you want to clean them up after every use.

 

[rgray]

That's sad. One would think they would have a tumbling or polishing routine done before shipping.

 

[Diecutter]

Looks like they hardened the business ends only by heating them red, then dunking in oil. OK for diy punches, but in production a controlled atmosphere furnace is faster and produces a higher quality tool.

 

[Nogoingback]

Do you know for a fact that they're still made in the USA? Maybe they aren't any more.

 

[rwm]

They claim to be made in the US. I sent a polite inquiry and got this:

Andrew Klumb <Andy@rehncompany.com>


Robert;

Thank you for your inquiry. Our punches are not cosmetically coated post production. This decision was made for environmental reasons. The typical black oxide process is incredibly toxic to the environment in its’ waste products. We opted to end that practice a few years ago. The process that we use currently post heat treat provides better rust protection than black oxide (minimal at best). The down side is that you see the heat treat bands. There is no need to further treat the punches, unless you need something that looks different. Parts that are plated and/or cosmetically treated typically cause great harm to our environment in the long run – those chemicals do not leave quietly.

Regards,

Andy Klumb

The Rehn Company
419-381-1155
R.L. Spellman Mfg.
419-381-6720

I'm not sure he gets that the parts are actually dirty with oil residue!
Robert

 

[Aukai]

Do we know if the Asian punches are heat treated at all, and what treatment would make them more durable? The ones that I have actually used seem to be centered.

 

[Nogoingback]

Apart from being dirty, is there any problem that you can see with these tools? I've noticed a trend with newer tools
needing cleanup before use. Cost cutting, you know.

 

[mmcmdl]

Tools aren't what they used to be .