Hi Gang,
In case any of you ar interested in a doming punch/block set.
I got a Harbor Freight flyer in mail yesterday. They had a 25 piece
doming punch/block set listed for $27.99. It’s regular price was
listed as $39.99. It had 23 punches, a doming block & a tray to hold
everything. Lot no. 93539.
Dave
It’s a pretty decent set - the dapping block is nice - very smooth,
but some of the punches are pretty rough. All in all, a good deal for
the money.
Lady
Smith Studio
Dave,
Check your punches and see if you got one of each. A friend of mine
bought a HF set and got two 11mm and no 12mm. Otherwise it’s a usable
set for the price. Keep it oiled. It will rust like the dickens. Of
course you want to put a drop of oil on your dapping block when using
it to keep metal from sticking.
Rick Copeland
Silversmith and Lapidary Artisan
Rocky Mountain Wonders
Colorado Springs, Colorado
rockymountainwonders.com
I headed down to the Harbor Freight in Tacoma on Saturday and picked
up my own dapping (doming) set. I ended up with doubles of the 24 and
the 11 punch and no 23 or 10. No big deal really. All of the punches
seem to have very smooth finishes and the dapping block is in great
condition as well. I love the $27 price tag. It is worth it to me
even if it lasts only a few years! Thanks so much for the heads up on
this great deal 
Laney
I recently bought one and wrote up a short review with pictures for
my blog:
It looks good from a distance, but when you look closely it is a bit
rough. You do get what you pay for.
Nick
I guess that mine wasn’t that bad, it had 2 #12’s. Decided that it
isn’t worth the gas (about 15 mis, each way), to take it back and
make sure that I had a #13! LOL, guess that’s why it’s on sale!
Cairenn, the Howling Artist
www.howlingartist.com
Check your punches and see if you got one of each. A friend of mine bought a HF set and got two 11mm and no 12mm.
I had just purchased one of these doming sets on sale at the local
H.F. store the day before this thread began. All the punches and all
the holes in the block were present and accounted for, nothing
missing or duplicated. Everything metal was coated with some really
slimy brown oil that looked and smelled like used motor oil. It
cleaned up nicely with just paper towels And the finish on the
punches isn’t too bad–some very fine machining marks on the bigger
ones, but nothing awful. Maybe I just got lucky, but apparently not
all of the H.F. doming sets are defective.
At the same time, I also bought a tube flaring/cutting/bending kit
and a small tap & die set which were both also on sale. I think
that’s
the first time I’ve ever gone into a tool store with a list and found
everything I wanted on sale all at once!
Question–what kind of hammer should I use with the doming set?
Kathy Johnson
Feathered Gems Jewelry