arbalest

Revisting this old post. I gave up on the project because of being unsure how to proceed but I am going to give it another try. I am think the material is about 1mm which is between the thickness of 2 oz and 3 oz leather. I am going to order and try line 16 (and/or line 16 segma belt) snaps with an 1/8" post but I am still open to advice. I tried glove snaps but there was too much post pounded over in the socket to accept the stud part of the snap. When I first posted this I followed the suggestion that I look for canvas snaps and I do see a lot of places selling what looks like line 20 and 24 snaps for canvas. What I am asking is -- has anyone used leather snaps (line 16, 20, 24, glove, belt, what ever) on fabric, canvas or vinyl? If so, and you got good results it might mean that my tool/fastening technique is all wrong and not the snaps.

From the photos I can't tell what the jig is or how the drill press is used. Are you using a bit in the press or a Dremel type of cut-off wheel? It looks like the jig is a depth guide screwed down over the post where what sticks up over the thickness of the peice of metal is being cut off. Is that it?

I am guessing 2-3mm thin. Maybe bigger than 1/16" but less than 1/8". Right about deforming the post -- I discovered that the hard way! But as far as trimming goes I would do that for a few but I am making slip covers for some furniture (cat proofing) and this will involve more than 100 snaps (more than 200 posts to trim). By the way, a previous version of this project used velco but since then I've gotten the snap setter set for other planned projects. I might try a hand setter (like pliers) for those plastic snaps used for fabric but I still want to understand the problem I am having now - for future projects and for others who might read this thread later.

I have some vinyl that looks like thin leather that I would like to use snaps with. I have tried line 20 and 24 as well as glove snaps and I'm having all kinds of problems. I know the line 24 is meant for thicker leather but I want the look of the larger cap. I am a beginer so I don't know if the problems are from my technique or if these snaps do not work with thin material. The main problem is that it take a lot of fussing and hammering to set the snaps and mostly the results are bad. The posts are not deforming in a uniform way, and the snaps are not set tight or when I do get one tight it is difficult (and sometimes impossible) to snap them together. I have tried trimming the post length and I get mixed results. Should I use a different type of snap like segma/belt snaps?

I am using the descriptions - dimensions listed in my previous posting. I see that the difference is minimal but I can't be sure that an eyelet or snap peening tool of one type will work effectively with the other. I guess I will just order a metric set of tools and find out if I can use my current stock of snaps.

Again, I think these sizes correspond to the caps rather than the fittings but they are not exactly the same: The line 16 snaps are 3/8" which do match up well with 10 mm But the line 20 snaps are 7/16" 11mm rather than the 12.5mm in the metric kits. And the line 24 Snaps 9/16" which is 14.3mm rather than the 15 mm in metric kits.

Is it OK to mix and match metric snaps/tools with english tools/snaps? I've noticed in catalogs and on ebay the typical line 16, 20 and 24 snaps are close, but not exact in size to the typical metric sizes 10, 12.5 and 15mm snaps and setters. I know that the snap sizes correspond to the size of the cap so there will be a small differences with respect to the cap and a concave anvil. But will the punch/setter/peening tools work out OK?