Tool steel bar stock and drill rod cut to size and ready to be annealed, ground and filed into shape.
I usually buy the W1 tool steel stock in 3-foot lengths from an outfit in Texas, but have used old bolts, broken files, screwdrivers and other sources of tool steel to make stamps out of in the past.
Some chasing and repoussé tools in the process of their making. After annealing if needed, the steel can be easily shaped as desired. I guess I really should say the steel can be shaped “more easily,” as elbow grease is always in short supply it seems, and the shaping process is definitely not a quick process at all if you want it done right.
Above are the finished chasing and repoussé punches after their forming has been completed and are now ready for the hardening, tempering and re-polishing stages.
The tool faces need to finely finished and polished, otherwise every micro-scratch or defect left on the face of the punch will be diligently transferred to the piece you’re working on with every blow of the hammer.