Countersinking Snaps

[welshchris77[TK]]

Countersinking Snaps

 

I was experimenting with countersinking snaps and thought I would share my results.

I had heard of people heating the plate with a heat gun and pushing a socket from a socket set over the top so I tried that first but the results were not great, maybe I'm not doing it right but I found it hard to get the plastic evenly heated without it distorting too much.

Here are the results:-

 

 

The results were 'ok' but the snap doesn't really sit flat as the plate ends but being distorted.

 

I thought for a minute and found a much better way, maybe this has been done before I can't remember, but anyway here goes.

I used my soldering iron pushed against the hole on the back of the snap and held it there until the snap had heated the surrounding plastic.

When it was hot enough, you can tell by poking it gently with the soldering iron, I held it against the corner of a piece of timber and gently pushed it out to the desired position, I then held a damp rag over it to quickly cool the snap and plastic to 'set it' in position.

Take care not to push it to much or you could risk a 'tearout' as I did with the first snap.

I used the offcutts from my anovus kit by the way, which can vary in thickness, the thinner ones are more prone to tearout so just be careful.

Here are the results:-

 

 

Its a bit tedious but worth it for the results I think

 

Hope this helps anyone countersinking their snaps 

[ukswrath[Staff]]

Nice! very creative 

[welshchris77[TK]]

Nice! very creative 

Thanks Tony 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

I did very similar http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/20893-how-to-recess-press-studs/?hl=snaps#entry257877

 

And to make them hold http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/28934-howto-make-snaps-hold/?hl=snaps

[welshchris77[TK]]

I did very similar http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/20893-how-to-recess-press-studs/?hl=snaps#entry257877

 

And to make them hold http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/28934-howto-make-snaps-hold/?hl=snaps

 

Yes I knew I had seen something similar somewhere and it was in your posts! 

 

Your Idea worked great for a single snaps but I was having trouble making it work with a double snap plate so I came up with the soldering iron technique 

 

I didn't mention in my post but I also did a series of crimp lines around the snap post before setting it to help it along.

 

I have to add that of all the double snap plates I made I did have a few fails with some of the thinner offcuts I used but was able to repair them with a little abs paste, seemed a shame to waste them as they can be expensive little things.