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Cosgrove Micro Poppers...sorta

Two, maybe three seasons back I got a selection of micro poppers from Jim Cosgrove. I was impressed with them, and the fish hit the things with some gusto.. Heres an attempt at recreating them.
I need a sharper edge on my cutter, though; the edges arent smooth. Kinda crude, these should work.

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Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on December 26, 2013 at 2:14pm: A hollow punch is nice, true. Harbor Freight sells sets for 8$.
Me, I'm not in a hurry and not focused on production. If I blow through 20 poppers in a season I'm doing good.
Now, about that "perfect tool" for poking the hook hole - holding out on us?

Comment by jim cosgrove on December 26, 2013 at 2:01pm: allen,david-have tried a lot of things.a drill will work but you have to use water.shell casings could work but brass or aluminum are soft and then you gotta push em out each time,the leather punch set is the way to go.they start popping out the side after you punch a few,the machining on the inside is a little rough on some so i use a stone on a dremmel and polish the inside.9 of 10 bodies come out clean.the biggest draw back was the hole thru the body .the slit method is slow and sloppy.i found the perfect tool quite by accident

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on December 24, 2013 at 8:57pm: Actually, Allen, these were made using a punch with an ID of .210. A .223 would be right for the size. Knock out the primer and enlarge the hole to eject the plugs and, voila! Popper bodies.
The aim here is micro sized, remember. I already have big poppers, so these are the mini companions to those.

Comment by Allen Morgan on December 24, 2013 at 5:03pm: .223 might be to small???? .357 might be better, but I'm not sure.

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on December 24, 2013 at 4:55pm: Spent casings I got! A .223 casing would work.
Just full of great ideas, you are!

Comment by Allen Morgan on December 24, 2013 at 4:01pm: I've heard of some decent punches that have a chuck, so you can put them into a drill. Available at Harbor Freight. I've also heard of some folks using spent bullet casings, pop out the primer, fit it with a bolt, and a lock-washer and nut on the inside, should allow you to put it on a drill. You'll probably want to cut a hole in the spent brass, though, so you can get the resulting foam plug out.

Another person I know has a special attachment for his dremel, that turns his dremel into a mini-lathe. He cuts out a chunk of foam, attaches it to the dremel, and using a low speed, turns it, using an emery board to carve it.

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on December 24, 2013 at 3:37pm: PS thanks for the tips, Mr. C

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on December 24, 2013 at 3:36pm: I glued the foam sheets together, then punched them.
I do need a better set of punches, but this proves the concept.
I'll have to refine the work a bit, for sure.

Comment by DAVID L EITUTIS on December 24, 2013 at 12:45pm: THANKS SCRUFFY FOR THE HOOK SIZE , WAS JUST CURIOUS IS ALL ...... I tend to favor the 10's over the old 12's I used to use on the silents because of the wider gape on the hook.....

Comment by jim cosgrove on December 24, 2013 at 11:53am: i tried that david,a leather punch,the kind you strike with a hammer works good.i run a dremmel around the inside to de burr anything rough inside the punch.you can get sets of these at the craft stores.layer your sheets of foam and lay on a board and whack with a hammer.i think the force of the blow helps cut em neater.i use jewelry punch pliers to make the small hole.i let sit a couple days to let the foam recover its shape