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Member since 11/8/18
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Posted on: 5/18/20 9:21 AM ET
I followed a YouTube video on how to install these Dritz Heavy Duty snaps. My fabric is very lofty/thick (not heavy). I did a practice one before trying on my garment. I'm attaching a hood to a jacket.
The first photo is what the final snap installation looks like on the underside. The second photo shows the top side.
My problem is you have to use brute force to get it to snap. It seems to want to pop out. Is this how it is suppose to look?.....Is my fabric perhaps too thick to do this type of closure?
IMG_0860
IMG_0861

  
Member since 6/4/15
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Posted on: 5/18/20 9:34 AM ET
I've been struggling to learn to install snaps recently and have the same problem if I damage the connector (usually the male connector) during installation. Did you use the tool & hammer, or the pliers?
  
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Posted on: 5/18/20 10:05 AM ET
In reply to LifeofJanine
Hi Janine- I used the tool & hammer method. It was the tool that was recommended for these snaps. This is the video I followed:
How to Set Snaps
The video was easy to follow and the snaps went in quite easily. I replicated the fabric layers I would be using on the hood and jacket. The hood has 2 layers (furry looking fabric).....then the jacket has the main fabric and a felt type lining.
The fabric isn't thick like wool, but lofty.
The snaps look like they are in correctly...they just aren't easy to snap. When you say "male connector" are you referring to the snap part on the (photo 1- right)? I know that the male connector is without the prong, so I'm thinking that is what you mean.
ETA: I forgot to mention....I realized I didn't install correctly on the first try and rather than using another snap, I took the first one apart and reinstalled....could that have damaged the snap?
-- Edited on 5/18/20 at 10:09 AM --
  
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Posted on: 5/18/20 11:54 AM ET
In reply to SyndiMC
Might seem like a silly question, but did you snap and unsnap them several times before applying? Just to make sure they were good mates, before attachment...
  
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Posted on: 5/18/20 12:01 PM ET
In reply to YoungRobert
hmmm....no. Maybe I should do that first. I bought enough for errors so I suppose I'll make sure on the next one....
  
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Posted on: 5/18/20 12:14 PM ET
Also be sure everything is facing the right direction. I have as much trouble getting “right sides together” with snaps as do with zippers! Put your tools on the right surface, too. A tabletop doesn’t cut it for me. I need smooth concrete and a real hammer. Then don’t overhammer by whacking too many times. You are likely to bend something if you do that.
  
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Posted on: 5/18/20 1:10 PM ET
In reply to SyndiMC
I have never had good luck with those types of snaps. I either hammer too hard or not straight enough so they don't lie straight. You may have just slightly bent something if you installed it twice. I also agree it's good to test the snaps a few times to see if they align properly.

The male side is the side that has the raised portion ... The way I want to describe it isn't safe for public forums!
  
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Posted on: 5/18/20 2:58 PM ET
In reply to LifeofJanine
Quote:
the raised portion ... The way I want to describe it isn't safe for public forums!
I get it.
I thought this would be the perfect solution for this....You were on the last topic about this too (about the tool to use).
I don't know of any other closure that would work here. I had thought that buttonholes were out of the question, but I may have to sample this to see.
  
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Posted on: 5/18/20 2:59 PM ET
In reply to chickenne
These snaps seem "temperamental". I did it on a flat table and used a hammer....
too hard....too light......not lined up.....ugh....not as simple as I thought.
  
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Posted on: 5/18/20 3:26 PM ET
In reply to chickenne
This! After many, many frustrated attempts to attach these properly I finally found the answer, and it is that you must use a very firm surface. Using a wooden table or a carpeted floor just wont work, they absorb too much of the blow, resulting in poorly fitting snaps. I now only use the concrete hearth around my fireplace. I put a double layer of cotton down for a little protection but it must be only a thin layer. Next is to practice the hammering. I find a single firm, sharp blow is best. Since learning this method, I rarely get a failure.

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Sew Much Fabric, Sew Little Time
  
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