Snap Problem: not staying snapped

[Jorran]

As seen in my other thread, last night I finally completed the body portion of my armor (helmet still in progress) and got suited up for the first time. Wow...I mean...wow, what a feeling! Now I know for sure why this hobby becomes an addiction!

 

But while I was suiting up I started having a problem: my snaps were not staying together. I wasn't moving around much - since it was my first time in the suit I had my wife helping me snap a lot of the pieces - but snaps were still coming apart all over the place.

 

I used Tandy Line 24 snaps for everything, as that's the brand I saw most often referenced here. I bought a pair of snap pliers from the local hobby store and crimped them all together using that tool. One thing I noticed while I was assembling the various pieces was that it was sometimes very, very hard to get the male and female snap to make a connection, and when it did, it was a weak bond that would come apart very easily.

 

Have any of you ran into this problem before? If so, what was your solution?

[bobojuice]

Which snaps specifically are you having problems with?

[Laspector[TK]]

If I ever do another suit I am going to skip on the snaps all together and just do the velcro thing. But, when I assembled my suit several years ago I did use snaps. What I found was that wherever you are putting a snap--use two!! Space them about a half inch or an inch apart. One male to female and reverse the other, female to male. This helps a lot. At least it did for me.

[Locitus[Admin]]

I've never ever had a snap come loose by accident. I don't know how those tandy leather snaps are, maybe they are just too weak, or you're doing something wrong. Pics?

[BananoPower22[TK]]

I've never ever had a snap come loose by accident. I don't know how those tandy leather snaps are, maybe they are just too weak, or you're doing something wrong. Pics?

 

I've never ever had a snap come loose by accident. I don't know how those tandy leather snaps are, maybe they are just too weak, or you're doing something wrong. Pics?

 

 

Nah, they're not weak. I've literally ripped skin of my thumbs trying to separate some of them.

[Rich330[TK]]

Elastic too short, i.e. the snaps are subjected to constant pulling force?

[TrooperVenger]

Is it easy to get the snap to connect and pull apart? Maybe you haven't flattened the metal center enough and it's not getting closed properly.

[Jorran]

Luis, the snaps connecting my shoulder bells to the elastic strap under my bridges were the biggest problem last night, although I also had one of my chest-to-ab snaps and butt-to-kidney snaps come apart. The bad part about the shoulders, of course, is that once that snap comes loose your whole arm starts falling off!

 

Darrel, I was thinking of reinforcing some areas with Velcro as well.

 

Ricky, you might be on to something. It's difficult to get the snaps together. I'll try flattening out the centers on a few test subjects and see if that improves the situation.

 

Sorry I don't have any pictures to post at the moment. I will tonight once I get home from the office.

[gazmosis[501st]]

UK Ricky's got it!!! The male end of the snap is designed to be grabbed by an expanding ring inside the female snap. The "snap" you hear is the ring collapsing around its male counterpart. If the male cannot get this ring completely around it, it will hold, but very weakly. IS weakly a word????? Anyway, use the head of a strong nail and flatten out everything within the female snap and you'll be golden and strong!!!!

[bobojuice]

I've never found a pair of snap pliers that can effectively put together those line 24 snaps. Pick up a snap tool with anvil at your local Tandy leather and use the hammer method instead. That's always worked for me. You can find the tool and anvil for around six bucks.

[sith_241]

I've never found a pair of snap pliers that can effectively put together those line 24 snaps. Pick up a snap tool with anvil at your local Tandy leather and use the hammer method instead. That's always worked for me. You can find the tool and anvil for around six bucks.

 

THIS

[Jorran]

Luis and Steve,

 

I made all of my male snap plates while waiting for my armor by using the snap pliers. Once the armor came and I got to the point of making the elastic straps with the female snaps, I noticed that the connection wasn't very good and started using the snap tool+anvil to flatten out the interior of the female snaps. Should I go back and do the same to the interior of the male sides as well, or does that even matter? I'm just thinking I might've screwed up the male ends already by using the pliers and wondering if there's a way to fix it since they're all glued to the armor already.

 

Also, someone earlier mentioned that there might be too much stress on the snaps due to the elastic being too short. This is something else I'll look into, but I thought part of the purpose of the straps was to hold the pieces closely together so that there won't be gaps showing. If I made the straps longer with less tension, gaps would start showing everywhere. Maybe that's just the trade-off I'll have to make.

[stormtrooperguy[501st]]

I agree on the "no pliers" idea. I use either a benchtop press or the hammer/anvil tools for snap setting.

[bobojuice]

Yeah, there's really only one tool out there that's reliable for putting those things together and its this: http://www.amazon.com/Tandy-Leather-Craftool-Press-3990-00/dp/B003CH9YQ4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1313083596&sr=8-2

 

Too much $$ for me, which is why I never got it. Then again, if I knew how many snaps I'd be putting together back then, I probably would have sprung for it.

[Jorran]

Understood. I will cast my pliers into the fires of Mt. Doom as soon as I get home.

 

I guess the follow-up question is: is there a way to fix the snaps that are already glued on (could be an impossible question without pictures, which will come later)? Or will I just need to make a new series of plates using the hammer/anvil and put them adjacent to the existing plates?

[TrooperVenger]

I used the little spike thingy with the..err.. little metal bowly thing (I can't remember the proper names, sorry) Just hammer the crap out of it untill it's completely flat. Give the thing (Elastic, webbing, plate whatever) a shake and if it sounds like a cats collar bell, then it's probably not all the way down.

It's not gonna be because there's stress on it. I have 1 snap on a piece of elastic holding up my thigh armour. No problems.

[bobojuice]

Understood. I will cast my pliers into the fires of Mt. Doom as soon as I get home. I guess the follow-up question is: is there a way to fix the snaps that are already glued on (could be an impossible question without pictures, which will come later)? Or will I just need to make a new series of plates using the hammer/anvil and put them adjacent to the existing plates?

 

Can you pry them off and redo them? If not, I guess you could add another set of snaps.

[TK-2126_MD[TK]]

If I ever do another suit I am going to skip on the snaps all together and just do the velcro thing. But, when I assembled my suit several years ago I did use snaps. What I found was that wherever you are putting a snap--use two!! Space them about a half inch or an inch apart. One male to female and reverse the other, female to male. This helps a lot. At least it did for me.

YES!!!! 2 snaps

Is it easy to get the snap to connect and pull apart? Maybe you haven't flattened the metal center enough and it's not getting closed properly.

This is most likely the problem

I've never found a pair of snap pliers that can effectively put together those line 24 snaps. Pick up a snap tool with anvil at your local Tandy leather and use the hammer method instead. That's always worked for me. You can find the tool and anvil for around six bucks.

yep get a good snap tool a pro one i have a industral one that is a lever system Bench top i think they call it

 

Can you pry them off and redo them? If not, I guess you could add another set of snaps.

this is what is probabliy the best bet ,as not to wreck the armor

 

WHen it comes to snaps it is best to get the heavy duty one, regradless of the maker. if all your snaps are a problem then u need to check the following: stress they are bearing or they might be cheap ones. that were assembled wrong

if its only one or two ,best bet is that they are the one or two lemons in the pack.

 

use more then one snap

 

bench press system

 

i have been usieng and putting snaps on just about everything i own and can get snaps into ( i luv my snaps)

 

if they are already glued i would re do the other/opposite snap first ( the one that isnt glued on) if the new doesnt work then the glued one is the problem and add a new one on top ,below or of to the side of it.

[Jorran]

Thanks for the feedback, all. As promised, here are a couple pictures of a pair of the offending snaps. The first is angled to see the centers of each, and the second is a little more top-down.

 

 

[pandatrooper[TK]]

My guess is the snap pliers are creating too high of a build up inside both snaps, and when you join them they are not sitting deep enough for the retention ring to set. Try using the little anvil and setting tool with a hammer.

[pandatrooper[TK]]

Btw: Focus on fixing the female snaps.

[Jorran]

Ok, thanks again for the pics and advice!

 

I had already flattened out the inside of all the female snaps with the setting tool once, but I'll gladly go through and beat the tar out of them again!

[mondas42]

I was having the same problem with my snaps when using the plier set. In the end I gave up on the pliers and used the punch that came with the snaps and a large hammer and just wacked it!!. worked a treat and quite good fun

[Jorran]

Ok, I took the last couple snaps I had and put them together using the anvil/setter tools...and it worked like a charm. The snaps are easy to press together and hold solidly. So the good news is that I know I can assemble the snaps properly now and won't have that problem.

 

The bad news is I've got to basically redo all of the snapping on the whole suit. While not the end of the world, it's just more I have to buy and more lost time. But in the end everything will hold together better and I won't be constantly worried about my arms and other plates falling off.

[Darth Aloha[Admin]]

While I'm sorry that Jorran has to redo all of his naps... cause that sucks considering that he's in the home stretch... I'm really glad I read this before my armor arrives.

 

What's funny is that all the threads I've read (and I spend a ton of time reading build threads) have gone on and on about vario pliers. This is the first thing I've read that say they suck.

 

I hope I can find the little anvil thing on island rather than paying even more outrageous shipping fees.

 

Aloha and thank you,

 

-Eric