I recently bought a clicker press and now need to order dies for my patterns. I've asked several YouTubers where and how they order clicker dies, but haven't received a response. Does the die maker need a CAD generated design, or can I send a paper pattern? I know Weaver in this country will make dies, and there's a company in Texas, but I've also been told people order them from China for a lot less money. I would prefer to use someone local, in Washington or Oregon, even it costs more. Thanks in advance for your advice and help.
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Hi,
I have ordered a few clicker dies.
You need to read/email the manufacturer as to what they would need for your pattern.
Some are happy with Vector files such as Adobe Illustrator, Coral Draw etc, or even raster files such as gifs, jpegs images.
I have used WorkOnLeather, a Chinese seller on Etsy, very cheap.
My pattern was drawn by hand with the dimensions and I took a jpeg photo and this was ok for them. Very helpful seller and I emailed back and forth until I had the final version.
They also take vector files such as Adobe Illustrator.
The clicker dies are japan steel set in cheap plywood and will last if not used excessively.
I have also used Texas Custom Dies in the US. Extremely helpful. Dies are pricey but will last a lifetime excluding getting re-sharpened but again, if not used excessively will stay sharp.
Again, I sent an image with dimensions that I had drawn by hand and final adjustments made via email.
Hope this helps.
As a heads up, i do not have dies, this comes from all the conversations I've had with other maker friends over the years
The good majority in the US suggest Milwaukee Steel Rule Dies https://milwaukeesrd.com/
Apparently, they do extremly good stuff, priced fairly and are super helpfull. Regarding paper or cad pattern, i think it would be specific to each manufacturer and they might charge you extra for it.
Also, cad takes literally 30mins to learn for simple stuff like leather patterns, so if they ask too much for converting from paper to digital, maybe learn CAD?
Also, if it just one or two wallets, i could make them in CAD for you, free of charge, on one condition: YOU USE METRIC DIMENSIONS!!! hahahahah.