IT'S DECISION TIME, FOLKS!
When the die-set is used to blank out a part, the interior piece is shoved upwards and will fall out into your hand when the die-set is turned over. The exterior piece is shoved downwards and becomes trapped by the punch. The part is a bit difficult to remove and a choice of methods has to be made at this time. Your decision determines the next step in making the die-set.

Method #1: Using a Knife
A relatively simple method to remove the part is to use a thin knife blade to slide between the metal and the bottom plate and gently pry the metal off of the punch. This can be time consuming and the likelihood of tweaking the metal is significant.

Note: This operation is shown out of sequence, because a choice of how to proceed must be made now.

Method #2: Using a Stripper Plate
A much better way is to make a stripper to push the metal off of the punch. To accomplish this, a number of holes are drilled around the punch that will allow short pins to push against the metal and push it off of the punch. These pins are fastened to a plate, called a stripper plate. Drill a series of holes around the periphery of the punch as shown here.

If you are going to make a stripper plate, follow the directions in the next two steps. Otherwise skip ahead to step #16 (Make the Hinge).