A clicker press is a fun and extremely useful leatherworking tool when you have a project that requires you to work with some leather. Leather is a fine material that needs proper equipment to
produce good results. Sometimes, you want to use dies to cut out leather into similar shapes, and it is more convenient or efficient to do it by a clicker press than by hand. Sometimes you want to create in bulk. It would not be efficient to work on a large number by hand. After a while, cutting the same shape and sizes can get a bit boring and can even tire you. This is why it is best to use a leather clicker press.
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How Does a Clicker Press Work?
The Clicker Press makes repeated cutting of perforated sheets a breeze. It can also be used to imprint indentations in leather. The force of the press allows the stamp to be easily pressed into the leather surface. This could be logos, designs, patterns, or anything stamped for that use. The physics behind pressure generation makes these tools far more powerful than the force of a human arm, making them great tools when working with these types of elements in your projects. This can save you time and make you more efficient and fast in completing your projects.
Finding the Best Leather Click Press
To find the best leather click press, you must look for certain characteristics. The characteristics that you need to look for in a leather click press are;
Base Plate
The clicker press base plate size is the bottom that is flat and forms the base of the press. This is where the material to be shaped, cut, or stamped is placed. It is important to have a base plate that can comfortably hold as much material as you need so that the top press plate can be easily tucked into the leather. The base plate is usually larger than the press plate.
Pressing Plate
The upper plate of the press that applies force to the material below is the pressing plate. This element must be large enough to cover the stamp or whatever is pressed against the leather underneath. The pressure plate should be slightly larger than the material placed underneath. A
press plate is often smaller than the base plate underneath it. It is important to ensure that the
material to be cut, stamped, or shaped is smaller than the pressing plate. If it is not of equal or smaller size, the only area that will be affected will be the one the pressing plate is covering. This might ruin your project as it will not give you the required shape or size.
Pressing Force
The pushing force is an important factor that determines how thick the leather can be pushed. Different leathers need different forces to be applied to them. Thin leather can be cut with little force. More force is required to cut thicker leather or multiple types of leather at once. The thicker the leather, the more force is required to cut the material smoothly and cleanly. Typically, the pressing force of a manual press is about 0.5 tons to tons or more. Hydraulic presses typically produce ten to sixteen tons of force, with the very advanced capability of producing over a thousand tons. 1.5 tons of force is sufficient for most leather craft projects in a typical small shop. Medium and larger stores may prefer around tons. Also, commercial or high-production facilities may be looking for a hydraulic press with a force of 10 tons or more. A higher force generation means that the clicker is heavier and bigger.
Remembering these main factors while getting a leather clicker press would be best.
Best Clicker Presses on Amazon
If you are looking for leather clicker presses, then look no further. Here you can find the best leather clicker presses to find on Amazon.
Weaver Leather Mighty Wonder
House of Weaver Leather began in 1973 as a shoe store in a garage. The small shoe store has grown into one of the pillars of the leather industry, now known as Weaver Leather. Weaver Leather is known for quality leather goods, hardware, aerosols, and leather goods, tools, and equipment. Part of their belief is that every successful product requires quality leather goods and that influences the quality tools they make. Weaver Leather offers various tools, materials, and manual machines such as leather clicker presses.
The Weaver Leather Clicker Press is a handcrafted American-made clicker press with high-quality steel materials and fine craftsmanship to provide consistent performance over time. The powerful Weaver Leather Mighty Wonder clicker press can easily fit onto your workbench. It is significantly reinforced at all major and secondary stress points to receive enough pressure to be consistent with your application. Get a spare clicker board to adjust the die height, or use it as a backup board. The amazing thing about the Weaver Leather Press is Weaver’s conscious effort to help leather artisans grow their leather business with this high-quality equipment that saves artisans much time and pays for itself in a very short time effort. If looked after, it can have a long life and save you from incurring buying costs every other year.
Pros
It required very minimal assembly. It includes a clearly outlined instruction sheet. This makes it easier to use and assemble. The clicker head swings apart, making it easier to see when setting up dies and punches. Another advantage is that it has the easiest set of various dies. It has one of the nicest adjustment knobs. Material Thickness Handle height and angle can be easily adjusted to suit you. The handle can be snapped into place for fine embossing. It has a large three-inch knock and is twenty-nine inches long. The handle allows for the easiest, smoothest clicks, and when the punch is sharp and cuts through leather weighing up to 16 ounces perfectly. This clicker press is the perfect cutting tool for all small leather crafts such as keychains, coasters, spur straps, and other small leather items. It does not require hard maintenance and can be maintained by occasional lubrication.
Cons
A con of this tool is that it is on the expensive side. The weight of material over sixteen ounces takes a little force to cut and requires it to be sharpened properly. The area that this press is a little, and this can be troubling for projects that require bigger pieces to be worked on.
Vevor Leather Cutting Machine
Vevor is not a leathercraft-only brand like Weaver Leather but a general product line with great product sets ranging from home, office, outdoor, and sports to arts and crafts categories, including leather clicker presses. It is located in a niche of popular products.
The Vevor Leather Cutting machine is a rugged, easy-to-use, versatile trimming tool. It has excellent stability and strong load-bearing capacity. The good thing about this machine is that it can handle a lot of pressure and force. This clicker press is made of cold-drawn steel with a rust-resistant surface treatment. Clicker pressure is distributed by a concave pressure relief pad that protects the steel. What Vevor does pretty well and Weaver Leather doesn’t do is provide a constant supply of the wide variety of products it has to offer. Different sizes Vevor is offering. These tabletop sizes range from 180 x 120mm, 200 x 140mm, 260 x 120mm, 260 x 160mm to 280 x 140mm. Depending on the type of material you’re using and what size you need, you can choose the tabletop size.
Pros
A pro of this clicker press is that the price is relatively cheap compared to weaver leather. It is made from rust-resistant, extremely strong, and durable materials. This means that it can have a long life and will not give up on you for a long time. With a self-lubricating copper sleeve, this tool requires no maintenance, as opposed to frequent greasing on the Weaver Leather clicker press. The double guide shaft saves time and effort. A hex wrench and a wrench are included. A punch slot can be attached to the clicker with regular engraving tools, letter points, chisels, etc. It can withstand up to 1.5 tons of pressure, which is considerably lower than weaver leather.
Cons
The wrench used to adjust different components is huge and can hinder your fixing. Another disadvantage is that the knobs of the press are very big and bulky.
These two leather clicker presses are some of the greatest. The good news is that if you want to buy a leather clicker press, you can look into these two on Amazon!