Snap fastener advice required

harronek

harronek

Joined
Nov 29, 2013
Messages
2,493
I seem to be using more snap fasteners in my work lately and was wondering if I could pick the brains of the professionals here about how to set them correctly .
I bought a few standard snap fasteners a while ago and having used them up , I've just ordered some more .
With the ones I've already used I set them using the little " setter and anvil " that came with them and tapped them with a hammer .
Although they work perfectly well I was wondering if there is a technique to achieving consistent and professional results .
Is there a press or something like that that , or is the hammer the only way of setting them .
I messed up a couple by hitting them to hard and had to remove them and try again .

How do you guys do it ?


Ken
 
Others will have better advice no doubt, but when I'm having to use a snap closure, and the leather isn't as thick as the snap's tubing, I'll grind down the tubing so it's just a bit longer than the thickness of the leather, and of course the hole in the leather is a snug fit for that tubing, it'll help keep it from side stepping as it can do when you go to crimp down the tubing.

G2
 
Gary W. Graley said:
Others will have better advice no doubt, but when I'm having to use a snap closure, and the leather isn't as thick as the snap's tubing, I'll grind down the tubing so it's just a bit longer than the thickness of the leather, and of course the hole in the leather is a snug fit for that tubing, it'll help keep it from side stepping as it can do when you go to crimp down the tubing.

G2
Click to expand...

This is why I love this place :thumbup:
You have just made me realise that the ones I had problems with were on thin leather .
There was more " tube " protruding out and maybe that's what was causing problems .
To get a good solid lockup effect I was having to hit it harder .



Ken
 
I use a hand press as illustrated in this link. I am by no means touting Tandy/LF and use the link to show type of equipment only. You can find them much less expensive (even at Tandy at times). They do set the snaps and rivets and other fasteners but a set of dies is required for each different fastener.

Gary's advise concerning post length and leather thickness applies regardless of how you choose to set them, by hand or by press.

http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/...3&processor=content&p_keyword=hand+press+dies

Paul
 
Thanks Paul .

The expense of the press eliminates that from the equation in my case .
I would love to have one but for my amateur operation its overkill .
I think that Gary has hit the nail on the head though with the thickness of leather observation playing a major role in my attempts so far .
When I get my new supply of snaps I'll pay more attention to that and I'm sure my technique will improve .
We have a Tandy leather outlet here in Australia and that's where I'm getting my new supply from .
Also I'd just like to add that a while ago Paul you answered another one of my questions and you suggested gluing two pieces of thin leather together flesh to flesh to achieve a normal thickness of leather .
That simple bit of advice has been a revelation and has opened up a multitude of possibilities when making a sheath .
Of all the advice I've accrued from this forum that rates right up there with the best .

It reminds me of years ago when I was running bird dogs .
The best way to train a young pup was to run it with an old dog .
The old dog had a way of transferring knowledge and subtle guidance that no amount of human training could instil .
Of course you had to pick the right old dog , one that didn't have to many bad habits , because the bad habits were always the first to be picked up on by the pup :)

Ken
 
I struggled with those crappy 'setter and anvil' sets at the beginning, broke down and bought the tandy press. I was skeptical that they could be that much better than the anvil, but after pressing the first snap I was sold! Money well spent regardless of how small your operation is. You'll end up buying one after you finish up a really nice sheath or two and they go in the garbage because a snap comes apart due to lousy set, ask me how I know.
 
you can get a$30 HF arbor press, and drill it to accept the dies

never mind, just noticed your in AUS...
 
I don't use them much. But when I do I'm the hammer and anvil kinda guy. The proper tube length for your project is critical. We always have several sizes. I've got a special partitioned box with all the parts in it in the different sizes. I've also found that a small ball pein hammer is ideal. I can feel the tube collapse as I peen it so I can get it just right. I can't feel that with a larger hammer or one of my mauls. Its imprtant to strike the driver square and not at an angle. The press is the way to go obviously but until ya can score one try a small ball pein hammer and the right size tube for your project is 90 percent of it.
 
I've got one of those Tandy presses, but have yet to trust it fully, quite a few snaps sent back to me for fixing because they separate from a poor set. Never had one come back that was hand set.

I put the washers under the lower anvil as suggested and still it does not set the heads properly a little more often than I'm comfortable with.

Like a couple of other "time savers" I bought, I think I wasted money again.

Sometimes the old ways are the best ways, especially when hand made means hand made.
 
I have had luck using a center punch to start the setting process and then swirling the setting tool around as I strike it.
 
Check out a video by Ian Atkinson, a leatherworker in England. His website is http://www.ianatkinson.net/leather/. Just look down the Video page for the link to "Arbor Press for Leather and Kydex Work". He has LOTS of videos and does beautiful work. Being a true Brit his accent is a bit thick but if you listen closely you can understand him well enough. He had a press made out of an arbor press. I bought one from Harbor Freight on sale and drilled out the ram myself. Not too difficult if you have the tools to do it. Works great with the tools I already have and I made adapters for other things around my shop that need a press.

small_100_1382.jpg
 
I've been thinking about this too for a while. Right now I really only set line 24's, but it would be nice to have a press that does multiple things.

I just had a look on ebay... There appears to be a dizzying array of different options. Figuring out which will work, and has decent quality at the same time, is going to be tricky.
 
Nice FW, solid looking press right there! and welcome to Bladeforums too !!
G2
 
I should mention, I had no problems hand setting the line 24's, it's only those darn line 20's I need to use the press for.
 
I have done this as well (to the HF press). Let me post up some pics and do a tutorial for it. It is simple if you have the tools to do it. An accurate drill press or a mill makes it a snap.

TF
 
The Little Wonder press from Weaver is about the best there is, has adjustable setting depth and will set everything. Snaps, rivets, studs you name it. Once you've tried one you will throw away all your hand setting tools.
 
Funny you mention that Skyler. I was just coming to mention that I just received the Weaver catalog (amazing catalog btw). The MT900 is fairly expensive, but it sure looks nice. Floor height, foot operated, magazines for rivets and spots (auto feed!), and it does 14 functions, setting pretty much anything as well as punching holes.

I'm impressed.
 
Naaah, All the time spent switching the dies and resetting the adjustment for the new fastener is not worth it. I have a pile of those Wonders all lined up so I can just go right down the line, 2 grommet setters, spots/crystals and rivets, one that I modified to get rivets into difficult to reach places and 4 for line 20 and 24 snaps.

Those snap setters from Tandy do not roll the barrels properly, they tend to just flatten them rather than rounding them over. If you want to make a good setter just order the snap dies you need from Weaver, 20/24, and weld a handle to them. I have a set of those done that way for places I can't get into with a machine, usually pouches or bags and the like.
 
Skystorm said:
Those snap setters from Tandy do not roll the barrels properly, they tend to just flatten them rather than rounding them over.
Click to expand...
Thank you! I feel much better now for going back to my hand setter. Now what to do with this dust gatherer...... well, two dust gatherers.
 
Dwayne, if those two "dust gatherers" are in fact the Tandy pump handle presses, I know where you can get rid of them. PM me.

Paul
 
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