FYI, Just received a harbor freight flier this week in the mail.
They have a very nice and large set of daps and a block, all steel,
with a wooden holder, for 24.99. Might not be top of the line, but I
think these will do for most. Luckily for me, there are 2 HF stores
in St. Louis, so I can save on shipping.
The dapping block/doming set from Harbor Freight are, in my opinion
an excellent buy. I got the set a couple of weeks ago and have been
playing around with them trying to teach my self how to use them. I
have since used the set to make a spoon of brass and copper which I
hope to expand into a set of measuring spoons. I’ve nothing to
compare the quality to, but, they appear to be well constructed,
made of quality materials, and have given me some new inspiration to
try something different. Not bad for $38.00 including shipping. If
anyone is looking for a set, I think these are an excellent value.
I have had the Harbor freight set since it came out in the catalog
last fall. It is the same sets sold in the catalogs and site that are
advertised as Indian imports. At one thrid to one sixth of the
price. I have found it to do the job, I don’t use it all day or
daily. But it is worth the having it around. It has a nice wood base
and is in MM’s.It is located in the section of the store with all the
pubch,chisel set.
Been there, got mine!
glen
Ive received an email from a fellow Orchid member saying that the
Dap and Block set at HF, # 93935, doesn’t come up as on sale at the
HF website. In the past I have had luck getting sale prices here
honored by emailing or calling customer service. You might try that.
I also noticed today in the same flyer that they have a nice digital
pocket scale that does Pennyweights, Troy Ounces, Ounces & Grams on
sale for $12.99. (HF # 93543 ) Don’t know the accuracy, but as long
as
its not real bad, and for only13 bucks ?? Im getting one this week
when I grab the dap set if I can afford it all.
Dan
Harbor freight lists the tool as a “doming block” hence when you do
a search it’ll send you to taps and punches or the like. Took me a
while to figure this out.
I know the dap and block set is there at Harbor Freight because I
just ordered it about three weeks ago and I received it along with
another set of punches for making concentric circles or any circles
of many various sizes.
Ive received an email from a fellow Orchid member saying that the Dap and Block set at HF, # 93935, doesn't come up as on sale at the HF website.
HF has recently been advertising some nifty items for sale at its
stores…but apparently not always in the catalogue. I’m
wondering if they can be purchased only at the stores (the nearest
of which is a few hundred miles away from me)…and that’s why people
might be having trouble shopping for them online.
93539 is the right number. The stores in states other than California
(in California ??)are a separate business from the web and catalogs.
They do not have the same items on sale at the same time or the same
prices and the stores do not carry the entire line. The correct term
to use in a search is PUNCH.
jesse
interestingly i went to a store in New Orleans and they told me the
catalogs are printed and readied for distribution six months before
they go out to customers…that’s why i tried to get the jewelers
crucibles they advertised for over six months because the order
didn’t jibe with the manufacturers delivery date…( don’t buy the
crucibles as they are not as depicted, unless you are using them for
assaying work as they are about an inch and a half by an inch in size
and graphite that is not fused/sealed/bonded)…I asked at the store
about the dapping set/doming set as they called it and the store
clerk looked it up on the computer in the store and told me it was a
catalog and internet item only, and that they were not going to be in
the stores…so i suppose it depends on how close to the mother store
you live as to what products make it to the shelves…and for the
record, the set in the most current circular is 24.99, the last time
they offered the same item it was 39.99…and out of stock
indefinitely…
I found the dapping set in Memphis this week at Harbor Freight for
$24.99. Thanks to the one that first posted the
Susan Jones
Four students here bought the doming sets at the Savannah, GA store
this week.
When I got to my local store, they were already out of the Daps. I
was told they sold out faster than anyone expected [wonder if my
first post here about them caused the rush? Better keep quite if
there is something I really do want on sale] But, I did pick up the
digital scale for 12.99, and have been using it for the past 4 days.
So far it works great. I compared it to my Nexus, Ohaus, and the
Tanita at work, and its right on the money. Does GRAMs [ to 1 decimal
place], OZ [ to 2 decimal places], DWT [ to 1 decimal place], and
TROY OZ [ to 2 decimal places], Even comes with a hard cover attached
so you can drop it in your pocket. The down side to this, is the new
catalog came today, and its now 9.99! Either price, its great for a
little knock around scale for home, bench backup, or to toss in the
luggage just in case you need one.
I just drove from South Carolina home to Pennsylvania (not a move I
wanted to make) on Thursday and I passed a huge Harbor Freight
warehouse and store somewhere in North Carolina. I wish I had had
time to stop but I didn’t. If you’re ever driving up I-95 you might
want to pop in for a look.
Report on the four dapping sets purchased by students here. Two sets
OK, one set missing two punches, the other set had three punches
that wre not finished well.
Blocks could use a good polishing, machining lines on concaves and
sharp edges.
Hi All,
Yes, I purchased the Harbor Freight doming set since I was missing
some sizes. Mine, on the wood, had a half the holes the wrong
size… too small. It was a simple but time consuming job
to ream out the holes so the punches would fit. I just do not have
those wood tools that were needed. BUT… all punches were in the
package and in good shape. It is a fill in set and will do just fine
for the application.
Beth Katz Unique Solutions Inc
Paste Solder and Powder Solder for Jewelers and Metalsmiths
(http://www.myuniquesolutions.com
Report on the four dapping sets purchased by students here. Two sets OK, one set missing two punches, the other set had three punches that wre not finished well.
What you described is what I have found typical of anything machined
in India, or frequently China. (I have the Harbor Freight set but I
haven’t even opened the box yet !) It just isn’t the real stuff. Call
me an ethnic snob (German Swiss on my father’s side and French Swiss
on my mother’s) but I love anything made in Switzerland, or Germany
for that matter. You can just see and feel the difference.
Brian Corll
Brian Corll, Inc.
1002 East Simpson Street
Mechanicsburg, PA 17055
duh daniel…harbour freight gets limited amounts of items that they
order months and months in advance…your post did in fact make the
sets unavailable for order via the catalogue by as according to
them"indefinitely"…they come up occassionally in the ads but the
ads are six months advance paste-ups…so if you see it, we see it too
giveing the first come first served a chance is always
appreciated…those of us on dial-up connections are at a
disadvantage, as are we who live over 150 miles from a HF store…so
if you don’t mind…keep in mind that everyone gets the ads and some
of us poorer folk wait for 25.00 replacement tools…so next time
consider those of us rural people who can’t run into town —or 300
miles round trip to a town to get a crucible, or tool that almost
every metalsmith would want to have a stab at…
The Best Dapping Sets came from Germany about 30 years ago then we
got French sets that were marketed by the Swiss and Germans. The last
good European sets came from Italy and Spain which have also stopped
making them.
The current East European dapping sets are made in Ukraine and
Romania. These are hardened and perfectly round made on CNC with the
best Steel I have seen so far better than any of the earlier Western
European manufacturers.
China may have just started I have not yet seen one. There are a few
made in Mexico and India. I wish the Mexicans stick to Tacos.
We have both the good and the ugly coming out of India. There are
several Indian qualities. Remember you get what you pay for. There
are 3 qualities from India. Low, Medium and Deluxe.
Four steps to look for in a dapping set. 1. Round 2. Hardness 3.
Size 4. Polish
If it is not round it is not worth going to the next step. Next it
would be good to have a hardened piece so if stay that way with no
dents & marks. The Range and accuracy of size is also desirable.
Polished Dapping punches are more desirable than one with tooling
marks & lines.
Pricing will depend on these four factors. So it all depends on your
needs.
If you are not going to be serious about cooking you do not need the
best knife perhaps a good Can opener will serve you better. In this
case a few good Ball Pien Hammers.
Kenneth Singh
46 Jewelry Supply
46 West 46 St,
New York, NY 10036
If you are not going to be serious about cooking you do not need the best knife perhaps a good Can opener will serve you better. In this case a few good Ball Pien Hammers.
so true kenneth…pepe tools resembles the harbour freight set so
much i am astonished, however, the pepe tools set is noticeably
finer, and for the marginal cost difference, Mr.Tony’s products
(PEPE-itallian made) are worth the extra thirty dollars, and his
gaurantee of service and quality!
I just have to say, I haven’t had any trouble ever returning an item
to HF that I can remember in recent history. In fact, I bought
someone the 4" digital caliper for her birthday. A couple weeks after
she had it, she mentioned to me she didn’t use it much because it
wouldn’t stay calibrated. I didn’t have the receipt anymore but I
offered to take it back for her. I figured the least I could do is
buy her another one since this one was defective. Ive taken a couple
other things back without any problem at all. One was a auto battery
tester that I had had for over 2 years now, and they exchanged it
without question. It still looked new and I did have the original box
for it though. But nevertheless, I wasn’t to worried about it. Worst
case I would buy her a new one, they are only $14. I have 2 of the
6", and my Dad has a couple, my brother,and about a hand full of
other people I know have them, and they all still worked great. To be
honest with you, I had a digital caliper that I had purchased from
Gesswein in 2004. That same year the electronics just quit working.
Yes, I checked the battery but Gesswein wouldn’t cover it. That one
cost me around $100, and I cant tell the difference between that one,
and the HF one. They look identical in everyway except the box. HF is
plastic, Gesswein’s is wooden. But all the way down to the Made in
China stamping, they are the same.
Anyway, At the store I walked up to the cashier and was ask if it
was a return or exchange. I said exchange. She said, leave it here,
and stop to show me the other one before you leave! That was it… I
have been buying items from HF off and on for some 20 + years, and I
really cant complain to much. Sure, in the past I have seen some real
junk, but for the most part the stuff is fine.