What Do You Use To Line The Back Of Snaps?

[grezb]

I've been making a few magazine pouches and I'm trying to figure out what to do about the backs of the snaps. They're right where you slide the magazine in, and I feel like they should be covered. The front is just 1 layer of leather, so no sandwiching between layers. Do you just glue a piece of fabric or felt? Are there super thin tooling leathers out there that work for that? Do you glue, or do you make it wide enough to sew in?

[Tree Reaper]

When the entire piece of leather doesn't get lined to cover the snaps I use a forstner bit and counter sink them into the leather.

[WScott]

Never thought of that , Great idea

You could use a circle punch and make some pigskin circles to cement on the back to cover if you leave the snaps flush

Or some veg tan plugs if you recess them like suggested above

[grezb]

When the entire piece of leather doesn't get lined to cover the snaps I use a forstner bit and counter sink them into the leather.

I like it.

Any tips for how to get a consistent depth? Or is it just a "more you do it the better you'll get" type thing?

[WScott]

Would have to do it on a drill press with a depth lock on it for consistent depth and to be at perfect right angle to the leather

[camano ridge]

Those are good ideas here is another way to deal with them High desert leather sell plastic caps that snap into the back of the scnap and covers the metal.

[camano ridge]

Those are good ideas here is another way to deal with them High desert leather sell plastic caps that snap into the back of the scnap and covers the metal. http://www.highdeser...r.com/id74.html

[RMB Custom Leather]

I use these http://www.bluegunstore.com/?page_id=10&slug=product_info.php&products_id=403 .

[silverwingit]

Here's another couple of ideas that you can make with materials you already have.

Use a French skiver to create a depression into which the bottom of the snap can fit. Just put one of the tool's "thumbs" (for want of a better term) into the hole you've punched and rotate the tool (or the leather) as you apply downward pressure, creating a snap-sized cater in the leather. Often, depending on the thickness of the leather and the "flatness" of the object being inserted, insetting the bottom half of the snap in this way will provide sufficient protection.

If you want to put something between the snap and the magazine (or whatever), you can use thin leather. Either skive a thin piece of veg-tan or use the thinnest lining or garment leather you have. There are two ways to do this. One, simply cement a circle of leather that fits the crater you've created with your French skiver into place on top of the snap. The other method is not quite so thin but likely more secure. Make a figure 8-shaped piece of thin leather (1-2 oz if possible), where one half of the 8 is the diameter of the crater and the other is the size of the actual snap. Punch a hole in the smaller of the circles and set the snap through the hole. You can then fold the rest of the flap over and cement it in place over the crater. If you ensure that the fold in the flap is on the top end of the hole (with respect to the open end of the pouch), the magazine won't dislodge the flap when it's inserted.

Thanks,

Michelle

Edited November 15, 2013 by silverwingit

[grezb]

Thanks everyone for the input. This has helped immensely. I'll be ordering and trying a few different things, I may end up using different methods for different situations. Before I was having trouble figuring out any really good ways to do it, now the trouble is that I have a bunch of good ways to choose from. That's a good trouble to have. Thanks!