For the last month or so my husband has been having a problem with the snaps on the leather vest he wears while riding his motorcycle. In windy conditions the vest was often forced open because the inner spring inside the snap was no longer secure. Can you imagine riding down the road with a piece of leather flapping behind you, not enjoyable.
We considered a few different options including just replacing the vest but finally settled on replacing the snaps. I wasn’t sure how hard it would be to remove the old snaps but considering a dry cleaner charges $25 per snap I figured we should give it shot! Not to mention the fact that Scott’s vest is full of patches and most have meaning behind them. We knew we could remove the patches but once you do they don’t look right when placed on another item. The other reason was his vest is worn in and comfortable, something that doesn’t happen overnight with leather.
The first thing we had to do was locate the buttons. He has buffalo nickel buttons and he wanted to keep the same style. I found several places online to order them from including one that is local, Tandy Leather. We gave them a call and found out they keep those particular ones in stock, score! We also had to purchase a punch set tool and anvil.
Supplies and Tools Needed:
Snaps
Snap Tool and Anvil
3M Rubber Tape
Rubber Mallet
Drill with a metal drill bit
The video will show you how to to remove the old snap and then how to replace it with new ones. The steps are the same regardless of the snap style or what you are putting them on. If you are replacing them on light weight fabric you may find it easier to use the Dritz Heavy Duty Snap Fastener Plier Kit.
If you are unable to view the embedded video, you can click here to watch >> Replacing the Snaps on a Leather Vest << on YouTube.
Was replacing them the right choice? Well, the buttons were $3 each, we needed 4 and the punch tool and anvil was $6. For $18 dollars plus tax we were able to purchase everything needed, compare that to around $120-$200 for a new vest. It only took about 20 minutes for all 4 snaps and we learned something new. Oh, and Scott got to keep his broken in vest so yeah I would say it was worth it.