How Can I Loosen Snaps ?

[fredk]

or poppers to us uns

The type with a spring in the female part -

I have lots of snaps/poppers but I very rarely use them because they are just too tight. They are so tight I have to use a small screwdriver as a lever between the male & female parts to get them to open up. Sometimes I have to use a pin-nail hammer to force the screwdriver between the male and female parts.

I have snaps/poppers from a number of different sources. Some are worse than others but they are all too tight

I recently used a few on an old fabric jacket. I re-enforced where they were fitted, but upon trying to open a couple they ripped out of the jacket rather than opening! yes, I checked before hand that they'd open but they didn't, I foolishly thought the snaps would loosen up with some use.  One snap/popper even ripped out thru the leather on a project rather than opening

As we say here 'its dooin ma heed in' (translated; it is very extremely vexing and its annoying me )

I've tried filing the raised ring towards the top of the male part. That helped a wee bit. Maybe I didn't do enough. But filing that ring cuts through the plating on nickle plated ones, but not too bad on the solid brass ones.

Is this the only way I can make them looser? I only have about 100 snaps/poppers to work on

PS. grease, vaseline, any lube, does not work

[Burkhardt]

Something I can see is the hole is larger on the left one and maybe your setter is making the socket bigger when setting. On my snaps the bottom is raised so it doesn't have set so deep. You maybe got some bad snaps.

[fredk]

ah, don't go by the photo. Its a stock photo just to illustrate the type of snap/popper

I'll check to see if setting the stud widens the male part

I dunno about 'bad snaps', my snaps have come from at least 5 different sources and each source supplied a different size and/or finish

[Gezzer]

I have had good luck using a punch to expand the female part . Right punch and a couple of medium raps with my maul  . Hope this helps .

 

[fredk]

Thanks.  If I have the correct size punch or somat I'll give that a try

[Dwight]

Two things I can think of . . . 

First is the trick I saw one of the guys down at Tandy do . . . he smacked the snap with a mallet to get it to close.  Worked real good after that  

It is the trick I do.

The other thing you might try . . . put a plastic freezer bag over the male part and smack the female down on it.  I use that to expand holsters and knife sheaths that were too tight.

Worst case scenario . . . didn't work.

May God bless,

Dwight

[fredk]

Thanks, I'll try those two tricks as well

[MtlBiker]

@fredk - I have a press and dies from Kamsnaps and use Line 20 and Line 24 snaps, both from Kamsnaps and Jt's Outdoor Fabrics.  The only time(s) I've had trouble with the snaps is when I didn't press down hard enough with the press.  Then it's almost impossible to close the snap and if I hammer it down, almost impossible to open it.  I wonder if that's the problem you are experiencing.  If done correctly, I've never had to use a screwdriver blade to pry a snap open.

[Handstitched]

11 hours ago, fredk said:

I have snaps/poppers from a number of different sources. Some are worse than others but they are all too tight

Yeh, different brands/ suppliers work different. Some are loose, and some are just too damn tight. I have tried using up my ' odds & sods' of press stud parts, by mixing & matching, not so  bad if its just one project,  no good if you have  quantities  .  The punch idea may work though  

HS

[fredk]

Thanks y'awl for your input