When a favorite shirt became unwearable recently I was asked to fix the snaps. My first thought was, “You can’t fix snaps.”
But then I figured it was worth some research and, whadyaknow, you can fix snaps. It’s easy.
Take a pair of pliers and gently squeeze the post part of the snap. You’re trying to make it a little bit oblong so the fit into the socket is stronger. Just a little squeeze at first. Then try it out. If it’s still loose, give it another squeeze, and so on, until it gives a satisfying “snap” when you try it out in the socket.
I wouldn’t try this out on your designer originals, and you may have to twist the post into the snap to find the orientation of post to socket that fits best.
Now that I know how to fix snaps there’s a blanket sleeper I hope I didn’t throw away that needs fixing, and a couple of onesies, and that other old shirt . . .
I had no idea! And I work in costumes! We sew on snaps anyway though, but when we buy garments with faulty snaps we just toss them! No More!
Did you also know something else cool about snaps? A size 3 snap will fit on a medical patch (the kind they use to put electrodes on you) – so you can make all sorts of fun accessories to put directly onto your skin! I should have told you this BEFORE Halloween…..
Corinne–I’m afraid my Halloween costume skills don’t extend much beyond the ghost sheet with eye holes cut in it, but if I ever get ambitious I will have to remember that! You may have to start a blog to show how to do it.
My mom taught me to fix snaps with a hammer. If you tap the post gently you will flatten / widen it, and voila! The snap stays firm again. Just don’t smash it too hard of course…
When I read this post I jumped right up and fixed the snap on a favorite wallet that hasn’t closed in about a decade. Thank you! Something that has been a minor but daily annoyance for years is no more. If you have a quota of people to make happy in a day, count me for one!
I can see why you wanted to repair this wonderful shirt!
Another way to fix such a shirt is to harvest snaps (with surrounding fabric) from other garments. The snap components can then be sewn onto the garment, and then covered with a matching bit of thin fabric if necessary. If you want to be fancy, you can put buttonholes along a strip of matching fabric, and it should fit over the snap parts perfectly.
Tandy Leather sells replacement snaps in all kinds of sizes and the rivet tool to set them with if you ever need to replace one or a tougher one like a jean snap.
Maven Koesler–Thanks for the resource!