Leather Snaps

[ewayne53]

I need some snaps for a leather project. However when look for snaps it's a bit confusing. They are in metric and standard measurements. Some give cap size but not post size. I'm trying to understand how to find what I'm looking for so I don't get a post size for 4oz leather when I need it for 9 oz or vice versa. In videos I often hear line 20 snaps, is that a standard size to use?

I also see kits of 100 assorted sizes, is it advisable to get a kit for pricing? Or are they cheaper snaps that won't hold a project closed?

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance for your help and God bless.

[LatigoAmigo]

2 hours ago, ewayne53 said:

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

The Buckle Guy offers a wide range of snaps. Here is a link to that site. When you click-through on a snap you will see the dimensions you are seeking. My suggestion is to study what they have then give 'em a call if you have any further questions. 

https://www.buckleguy.com/brass-snap-fasteners/

You probably already know this, but you will find that the bench-style snap/rivet setter will be your best friend when setting snaps. It is hard to get hand-style setters to set evenly. 

[ewayne53]

After much research I did find the following specifications below. Which is good to know if the seller refers to the snaps as line 20/24. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a standard description for snaps.

Line 20:

• 3/16 in. (0.5 cm) post for 5 to 7 oz. leather
• 7/16 in. (1.1 cm) cap diameter

Line 24:

• 5/16 in. (0.8 cm) post for 8 to 10 oz. leather
• 9/16 in. (1.43 cm) cap diameter

 

[LatigoAmigo]

1 hour ago, ewayne53 said:

Which is good to know if the seller refers to the snaps as line 20/24. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a standard description for snaps.

Good point. From Wikipedia I learned that "line" used to be (and in some cases continues to be) called "ligne" which is an old German button measure equating to the width of a round wick folded flat. Used to express the diameter of buttons and snaps, it was not exactly 40 lignes to an inch, but has evolved in the USA as 40 lines to an inch. So for snaps manufactured in the USA, a line 20 snap has a diameter of 1/2". For ease of conversion, a line 24 snap is typically shown as having a 5/8" diameter, but is actually slightly smaller.

Your reference to this has allowed me to understand there may be some variation in the interpretation of this measurement, resulting in some deviation in the manufacture of Line 20 and 24 snaps, which why some of my snap-setting die sets don't work with all of my snaps (the cap gets lodged in the cap-setting die).

Here I've posted a page from the Ohio Travel Bag catalogue that displays some of their offerings, including assorted post lengths. Hope you find this more helpful than confusing.

Ohio Travel Bag 2018 404.pdf