Dome Press
I came across this random thing a little while ago, I thought it was a dome press that was missing some parts. After a little more research it turns out it was actually a rivet press for changing brake lining on cars.
I'm not much of a car guy, but I do a small amount of leather work. So I decided to go with my first impression and make this into a dome press that I'd actually use.
Supplies
- Old Brake Liner Tool
- Round Metal Bar
- Paint Stripper
- Paint
- Grinder
- Buffer
- Wire Wheel for grinder
Clean Up the Brake Liner Tool
I gave this part a quick clean-down with the wire wheel and then washed it to remove any dirt or oil. I then applied some paint stripper and after it had melted the old paint washed it off and gave it a final clean on the wirewheel.
Make the Parts
I cut a couple of lengths of the round bar; they were different diameters with the bigger one being used for the bottom anvil. For the bottom anvil I placed the bar into a drill and spun it against the grinder to make a step down to the correct diameter. Likewise, the top 'hammer' bar was too big to fit the tool, so I used a similar process of spinning it in the drill against the grinder to take it down to size.
I then sanded the new parts and cut them to the final length.
The last stage was to spin them against the buffing wheel to really smooth them out.
Test Fit the Parts
I then tested everything out to make sure the parts worked as expected.
Painting
I then primed and painted the tool body, I settled on a copper colour as I really liked the retro look it gave everything.
Try It Out
I used a separate leather punch to make some holes in a couple of leather scraps and then placed the dome through the leather. Once I placed the leather in the Dome Press I gave it a few light taps with a small hammer and it came out perfectly.
Overall it's a much better option than the silly little thing that came with the domes.
Only as I'm writing this did I have the idea of using this tool to punch the holes as well, I suppose that I could try and make some sort of adaptor for my leather punches to fit in, but that's a job for another day.