From Tammy Powley,
Your Guide to Jewelry Making.
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How many times have you found yourself in a situation while making jewelry where you need to punch a hole or maybe a few holes in some metal? Even if you don't normally work with metal, this can happen now and then when you are working with pre-fabricated jewelry components.

There are a number of ways to make a hole in a piece of metal. You can use a drill, such as a hand-held drill or drill press. In fact, I'm a big fan of drill presses.

However, sometimes you just need one little hole and it's not that convenient to drag out a lot of equipment, so that's when a little tool like this Two-Hole Metal Punch can really come in handy.

I purchased the tool pictured from Dick Blick Art Supplies, but I've seen them at a number from a number of other jewelry tool suppliers. According to the information on the Dick Blick web site, this tool can "cut 3/32" or 1/16" holes in silver, copper, plastic, or any soft metal up to 14 gauge."

I like these because they are easy to use and small enough to fit inside a tool box. I've seen them range in price from $12 to $20.