Punch retainer with punch release tool

In an improved retainer assembly and tool for holding and releasing a shank of a punch, including a generally triangular retainer body having a bottom, three side walls, and a flat top mounting surface, a punch shank opening extending into the body through the bottom for receiving the shank of the punch, an elongated locking ball hole aligned on an axis which intersects an axis of the punch shank opening, a locking ball in the locking ball hole movable into locking position with a tear-drop shaped ball-receiving recess formed on the punch shank and a spring urging the ball into the locking position, in which said ball in its locking position engages said tear-drop recess at two angularly spaced contact positions on the shank of the punch and engages the retainer body at a third contact position, and in which said body has a pair of transversely positioned mounting holes, a dowel pin receiving bore located on a line with said shank opening and said ball hole, and a tertiary dowel pin bore located in laterally offset position with respect to said line adjacent one of said side walls, the improvement comprising:

• a ball release access slot in said retainer body extending through the side wall remote from said tertiary bore into intersecting relation with said ball hole, said access slot having a longer axis aligned generally parallel with the axis of said shank opening through said body, said access slot terminating at said ball hole with a lower wall portion of the slot located between the ball center when said ball is in its said locking position, and said retainer bottom,
• means in said retainer body forming a notch in a wall of said ball hole positioned in opposed relation to said access slot and accessible through said slot, said notch having a lower latching ledge extending in generally normal relation to an adjacent portion of the wall of said hole, and,
• a ball release tool in the form of an elongated bar having an upper surface and a generally parallel lower surface and proportioned to fit within said access slot and having a nose on a terminal end in the form of a ball-lifting tapered surface extending generally from said terminal end in spaced relation to said lower surface, to said upper surface of said bar, said bar terminal end being undercut to form a latching surface proportioned to be received in resting relation on said notch ledge for retaining said tool hands free with said ball elevated by said tool to a released position out of engagement with the punch shank recess.