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How to use an automatic centre punch, step by step

Updated: 22 October 2026

You have marked the hole, the punch is in your hand, and nothing clicks. How to use an automatic centre punch is a square press until the spring trips, then a lift so it can reset, starting on a light setting and on scrap. It is not a tap with a hammer on the cap. The [automatic centre punch comparison](/hub/hand-tools/automatic-centre-punch) is the twelve tools. This page is the action, the cap direction where a maker states it, and the first checks when the punch stays silent. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Peter F. wrote this on 21 October 2026 from Starrett's punch overview, HSE guidance and amazon.co.uk review notes, not from a lab test.

You have marked the hole, the punch is in your hand, and nothing clicks.

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Starrett Starrett 18A

Best overall

Starrett Starrett 18A
7.6/10about £32.00
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Starrett Starrett 18C

Alternative

Starrett Starrett 18C
7.0/10about £26.46
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Eclipse Eclipse 65-171R

Best value

Eclipse Eclipse 65-171R
7.0/10about £9.00
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On this page
  1. 1.Set the tip and press
  2. 2.Turn the force down before you turn it up
  3. 3.When it does not fire or stays down
  4. 4.When to stop using it

Set the tip and press

Start with a point that is still a point. A chipped or mushroomed tip will skate even if the spring is lively. Hold the work so it cannot jump, and stand the body square. A lean puts the dimple beside the cross, and the drill follows it. Press straight down until you hear the trip, then lift so the mechanism can reset. Starrett describes a 90-degree point. That is the maker's tip form, not a claim for every unbranded pack. Try scrap of the same material first. A click on aluminium does not mean the setting will catch a drill in mild steel. Class is on the automatic centre punch buying guide.

Turn the force down before you turn it up

The first marks should be lighter than you think you need. A heavy setting on thin aluminium dishes the sheet, which one S&R reviewer saw on unsupported soft metal. On the Starrett 18 series, turning the knurled cap counter-clockwise reduces the strike. Mark scrap, then increase only if the dimple is too small. Do not copy that direction onto the Eclipse, the S&R collar or the SabreCut knob. Those listings do not state it. Find the light end on scrap.
Starrett Starrett 18A

Testsieger

Starrett Starrett 18A
7.6/10about £32.00
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When it does not fire or stays down

A silent press is a fault or an unset trip, not a cue to hit the body. The Eclipse listing says a hammer should not be used, and a Starrett fires from downward pressure. The 18AA locks compressed, the 18C has failed to trigger out of the box, the Eclipse has arrived with no click, and the QWORK does not catch at every angle. If it stays down, stop pressing. A new punch that will not trip is a Consumer Rights Act 2015 question. Wear eye protection when a chip can fly. The Health and Safety Executive expects protection for impact and flying particles when the risk assessment says so.

When to stop using it

Stop when the tip is chipped, when the spring stays compressed, or when clicks are intermittent after a square press on scrap at a lighter setting. A SabreCut with a snapped tip, or an 18AA with a flattened point, is not still a punch because the body looks the part. A plain centre punch is a different tool. Do not practise a window-breaker bullet on a car window. For a Starrett that still will not trip, use the maker's repair note. At work, take a stuck punch out of service under PUWER 1998.

Common questions

How do you press an automatic centre punch?
Hold the body square on the marked centre, press in one movement until the spring trips, then lift so the mechanism can reset. Try that on scrap of the same material before the workpiece. A dimple off the cross is usually a lean, and a silent press is a fault or a setting, not a reason to hit the cap.
Which way do you turn a Starrett cap to make a lighter mark?
On the 18 series, Starrett's overview says counter-clockwise reduces the strike. Turn it down, mark scrap, and increase only if the dimple will not catch the drill. Do not assume the Eclipse head, the Vylro cap, the S&R collar or the SabreCut knob follow the same direction. Those listings do not state it in the review notes.
What if it does not click?
Stop and do not strike it. Check that the tip is intact and that the cap is not at a setting where reviewers say the punch will not fire, which on the Eclipse has included the medium and high settings after little use. An 18C that fails out of the box, a QWORK that catches only at some angles, and an Eclipse with no click are return candidates, not a hammer job.
What if it stays compressed?
Lift off and do not keep loading it. The 18AA locks with the spring compressed, and the Oavie sticks down after a press, in the review notes. Forcing the cap is how the jam gets worse. If it will not reset, treat it as faulty. A SOWBUD that only worked afterwards as a plain punch had already lost the automatic action.
Should you hit it with a hammer to make it fire?
No. The Eclipse listing says a hammer should not be used, and a Starrett fires from downward pressure. A stuck spring is a fault. One short GCNWW review mentions a rubber mallet, which does not overturn the listing warning or make a mallet the method for the rest of the set.
When do you stop and return it?
Return a new punch that jams immediately, will not trip, or arrives with a chipped tip. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 is the route. Stop using a punch that stays compressed or that misses clicks after you have tested it square, on scrap, at a lighter setting. For a Starrett that still will not trip, follow the maker's repair note rather than grinding it.

Related pages

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Sources

Public UK and maker sources from the research digest, last checked on 22 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures captured on 19 October 2026.

  1. Starrett, punches: types and uses (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. Starrett UK, 18A automatic centre punch (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. Starrett 18-series data sheet (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. Spear & Jackson, Eclipse automatic centre punches (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. HSE, PUWER overview (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. HSE, using the right type of PPE (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. Resqme, tempered-glass limit on spring breakers (retrieved 22 October 2026)