Preferred tool for popping bullseye

[Mr Bill]

What is your preferred tool for popping a small bullseye?
Also what do you use for a tapper?
What gives you consistent results?

[screenman]

Home made stepped punch and the handle end of a bradel, which is also useful for opening and flexing legs of breaks.

[splitpit]

I use a horse shoe stake and a sledge hammer!

[Mr Bill]

Do you hold the horseshoe stake between your teeth and then hit yourself on the back of the head with the hammer?

[screenman]

Splitpit, this guy asked a sensible question please reply with a sensible answer and then add your humour on the end if possible.

[Robin Hood]

I use my Steel flex probe and plastic suction cup remover to make perfect bulls everytime.

[splitpit]

Yes, that tecnique is done as you describe, so keep a big bottle of tylenol in your tool kit!

[cazador]

Because the steel probe out of your tool kit is of a too heavy size ,the hole made with the drilbits are smaller in diametor, I use a sturdy thread needle and tap it with the blue suction cup remover.

[SGT]

I also use a needle and suction cup remover. Remember if the diameter of what you use to make a bullseye is bigger than the drill hole diameter that was created, you may cuase more damage. The tip of what you use should reach the bottom of the hole drilled and not touch the sides for best results. But hey, what do I know!

[Nomad]

I'm always experimenting with this kind of thing and came up with, to me, works really well. I took a brass tube with a solid "hammer" inside (rod) that slides up and down. Then fastened a magnet and a smaller piece of rod with a center 1/16 inch hole to hold an old drill bit. The bit is turned to the right diameter on the end to fit the hole drilled. Insert bit in end of slide hammer, put the bit in hole, pull hammer up and tap a bullseye. Perfect almost every time.

The magnet holds the bit and the hammer from falling out. Bits are easily turned by spinning them against a stone while in your drill. Have used these for years and this works great. Also experimented and used a pin vise that had a hollow tube on top. Put the proper size "hammer" slide in the tube and you have a slide hammer. Sometimes have to stick a piece of something under the bit to keep it from just sliding up when you tap the bullseye.

When doing long cracks after you tap a bullseye in the end, if the crack hasn't gone into the hole, use the hammer with the bit between the hole and the end of the crack and lightly tap till the crack breaks into the hole.

The reason I did this was I found that holding a needle or probe and tapping with another object just didn't work that well for me. Too many things to focus on and the one I wasn't focusing on when I hit the thing was the thing that gave me trouble. With the slide hammer you can focus solely on the hole and the chip as the hammer etc takes care of itself. This is a really small tool about the size of a pen. Have also used it for a probe to pull bubbles out of drill holes, but is not sturdy enough to use as your main probe to flex cracks I don't think.

If some of you are interested I'll post a photo as soon as I take one and get it on the computer.

Gene