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Punch.
Small metal tool, usually of iron or steel, tapering to a point at one end, which, when it is struck firmly from the other end, produces an indentation (circular or intricately shaped) used to create decorative patterning. Punches were employed in late medieval painting, and the following account relates principally to that function. However, similar tools are used in leatherwork (see LEATHER, §2(ii)) and bookbinding (see BOOKBINDING, §I and GILDING, §II, 5). A punch in the form of an iron or steel spike with a small tip is also a type of stonemason’s chisel, used to rough out the stone (see STONE (i), §II, 2). Since a punch or puncheon occurs in die-sinking, the term may also relate to the making of coins and medals (see COINS, §I and MEDAL, §I).
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