Ingest 01.08.01 Howard Wyman wrote:

> I have used the "Midiboek" program to create templates for the book
> music, but I need a method to do the actual punching.  I plan to
> eventually build the Midster Punch designed by Bob Essex but in the
> meantime I would like to make a couple of books.  Does anyone know of
> a punch machine for sale or can anyone suggest a method for making the
> holes short of cutting them out with an X-acto knife?

I use a punch made by a machinist friend to punch a round hole at the
beginning and end of each note track, or segment of a track whenever I
decide to break up a long note into a chain.  After punching all the
start and end holes in a piece, I then cut out the intervening paper
with two parallel strokes of an Xacto knife.  Dave Wasson made himself
a knife with two parallel blades, to make this faster and neater, but
he is working at 88-note 9 per inch scale, whereas Raffin 31 is more
like 4 to the inch, so I needn't be as careful.

The punch is not hard to make on a metal lathe.  You start with a
spring-loaded impact punch used to make center holes for drilling, etc.
Remove the conical punch bit, bore out its center with the diameter you
want, then turn down the outside to form a sharp circular rim.  Also
grind a hole in one side at the end of the bore to let those Florida
chads out.

The chads won't come out on their own -- you'll have to stop ever so
often and dig them out.  Your wrists will appreciate the rest break!

The punch must be used against a solid backing that goes "thunk" rather
than "crack" when hit.  I ended up using a sheet or two of shirt
cardboard on my concrete floor.  So I punch a song while down on my
knees on the floor, then bring the roll up to the table for cutting
with the knife.  This should look really cute in the COAA article I
plan to write.  Figaro measuring for his nuptial bed?  No, just fixing
to serenade his new bride.

I got a thread going on such punches a while back.  The end result is
that you have to make your own.  But for narrow rolls, like 20-note,
you may be able to find a "paper boy" double punch that will reach to
the center, and punch small enough holes.

Dave Wasson used to start and end his notes with just a transverse cut
with an Xacto knife.  That would seem to make a very weak roll, prone
to tearing, but Dave said he never had a problem.  Xacto makes narrow-
squared-off blades that should work for this.  Maybe I should try this,
but commercial Raffin rolls all have circular holes and I wanted to
match this.

To cut cardboard folding books, I'd start and end each note with a
narrow chisel or Xacto blade, tapped with a hammer against suitable
backing.

Do try it.  Play all your favorite CDs are a good novel-on-tape while
punching and cutting, and the hours go faster than you would expect.

--Mike Knudsen