Snap Cap Dents When Setting

[quinatt]

HELP! what is going on here?

Got some new snaps and when I put them in the anvil and start tapping to set it with my mallet, the cap gets this square shaped dent. Is it my anvil or what. Only thing i can think is the snaps arent true line 24 size and the indent in my anvil is a little small? it seems to fit like its supposed to. Take a look at the pictures and let me know what you think. Thanks

[Undeadzombiehunter]

I have had this rpoblem and still do sometimes.

I am sure it is not the anvil.

I have experienced this with cheap snaps, or when the material is too thin. I am sure what you are seeing is the internal post compromising the cap shape from inside, which could be the result of being over driven withe thin material, the post has to go back soemwhere if there is insufficient material to contain some of the post material.

Do you have a photo of the cap attched to the material, say a few mm's of leather.

Just my guess, others might have bettr explaination, I just didn't want to leave you hanging.

Tony

[raysouth]

I have experienced a very similar problem with snaps of late. What I found was indeed, related to the post. Apparently, in my case the snap cap was a two piece affair when made and the center was collapsing when struck. My solution was to take a small punch and drive the interior section down, by tapping around the post gently,until it made contact with the cap and then install. Extra work but it performed as I hoped.

Seems the post portion of the snap was weak and could not handle being struck while suspended.

Hope this is clear enough.

Could not see the underside of your snaps to determine if your problem was same as mine.

God Bless.

Ray

[quinatt]

Thanks guys. I figured it was the post material making the dent but I couldnt figure out why the shape of the anvil wasnt preventing this from happening. Heres a Picture of the backside of cap and it is a two piece design. Im gonna try and return them. I guess just because they are solid brass snaps, doesnt mean they are high quality.

I tried using a small punch this morning to tap down the post a little like you suggested Ray, and only a couple very light taps left the same square indention.

[Tree Reaper]

What make are the snaps and how much post is above the snap prior to setting?

[quinatt]

Heres the snaps I bought

http://www.ebay.com/itm/221238588333?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

They have a longer post than i usually would need but I cut them shorter so that there is only 1/16" - 1/8" sticking up. I've previously been really successful at setting snaps with the tandy anvil and setter tool. very rarely screw up the post and usually get it to roll over very nicely. This is the first time ive had a problem with the cap denting like this

[Tree Reaper]

I'd switch to pull the dot.

How are you cutting them?

[quinatt]

I cut it with some end cutters then round it back out with some needle nose pliars. These simply cant be set with the basic anvil and setting tool. Even the slightest little taps with the mallet and the post starts denting through the front of the button. I'll try and find something more solid I guess. Or invest in a better setting tool which I cant really afford right now.

[Tree Reaper]

I made a jig for trimming posts and use a twist drill to trim them down.

[quinatt]

^^ Thats a good way to do it.

I ordered a Press N Snap setter tool. I'll let you guys know if my problem gets fixed or not.

[Tree Reaper]

It works well because the drill bit puts a nice inside tapered end on the post.

Pull the dot snaps come in different post sizes so I like to have a couple to choose from and they roll over real nice with hand punches.

[quinatt]

Press N Snap tool did not fix the problem. the snaps are officially junk

[Tree Reaper]

I referred to pull the dot but you really want durable dot for standard fasteners.

http://www.dotfasteners.com/durable.html

[quinatt]

Do the dot snaps have any visible markings on them? they dont say "dot" on them or anything do they? I need them to be totally plain looking snaps. I was gonna give these a try though.

[Cyberthrasher]

I'm a little late to the game here, but I had this same problem when I first started using snaps and rivets and any other hardware. The problem? the anvil on my cheap setter doesn't conform to the shape of the head. When you hammer it down, there's a gap between the head and the concave bottom of the anvil, allowing the post to deform the head as you set it. My solution, ditch the anvil and set it directly on my granite slab. If I'm worried about the finish of the snap, I put a piece of masking tape over the head first. I was having the problem with all kinds of stuff and was convinced I had bad hardware until I just stopped to think about what was happening.

[quinatt]

just gave that a try and it flattened the cap a little and left a slight square shaped indent like i figured it would but the result was better than what i was getting with the anvil and the press n snap tool. Now i need to try and figure out why i just spent over $100 on a press n snap

[Tree Reaper]

The DOT fasteners are marked on the inside of the socket where the red arrow points.

These are the setting tools I use and the posts roll over perfectly every time.

I use the cap anvil on top of a mini steel anvil and make sure the post height matches the material thickness.

I started with Tandy snaps and experienced the same problem you're having, they're garbage too!

[Cyberthrasher]

It's gotta be the snaps then. Yeah, using the granite will give an overall flatter appearance, but it still looks good with no horrible deforming.

That's how the top two wallets here were done.

http://hellhoundkustoms.wordpress.com/gallery/wallets/

[quinatt]

ya they are just too thin. and if the $150 tool i just bought doesnt work on them, im def not content with using them

I was thinking of buying some osborne snaps due to the convenience. anyone had good results with these?

[quinatt]

Thanks Tree Reaper for answering that question for me

[J Hayes]

Get the DOT brand snaps or YKK. You can buy direct at dot fasteners.com I think. $50 min but that's easy to get too. Once you have good snaps you will LOVE the press n snap. Perfectly rolled crimps and zero dented heads. Cheap snaps are cheap snaps period.

[quinatt]

Thanks Hayes. Im sure youre right about the press n snap. Ill look into the YKK snaps as well

[RoosterShooter]

I've not looked at the 'Dot Snap' website, but are the 'Durable Dot' snaps sold by Springfield Leather a 'Dot' product?