2001 - 2010

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All About Our Eyelets

Gary told us about it:
"This is a replica of an Austrian WWI military trifold ribbon, WW1. The Austrians stopped using this style when the Nazis annexed Austria in '38.  Hungary still uses the style though. (Part of old Austro-Hungarian Empire)."

Our 1/8" eyelet is on the back and a brass hook goes through it and also goes through the ring on top of the medal.

Find out how to make this great copper mesh frame!

Matte Black

Silver

Copper

Brass

Christine Cox 8/03
12 needles, 12 signatures

Christine loves to customize eyelets with texture and it's such a simple process:

Set the eyelet normally, but instead of using a cutting mat under the eyelet, use a textured surface on top of a steel bench block. Our copper mesh will make the eyelet look like it has a linen surface. You can get some dramatic effects by using brass or nickel silver texture plates that you make yourself. If I want an industrial look I sometimes flatten the eyelets on the front by simply setting them with their faces against a steel bench block.

I used this flattened eyelet on the Copper Frame Project

Eyelets 101:

Place the Eyelet in a 1/8" hole (or 1/16" or 3/16" if you bought the other size eyelets) with the flared part on the front of the work (book cover, leather, whatever).

Place the nubby at the end of the Better Eyelet Tool into the back side of the eyelet. You can use a cutting mat as a surface or just do it on a stack of paper (or scrap leather) on your table.

Hit the back of the eyelet tool with a hammer. This isn't so much about force as it is about gently flaring the back of the eyelet. It usually takes about 3 gentle blows.

Remove the tool and gently hit the eyelet directly on the back. This will make the final fold on the flare so that it crimps around the material its through.

That's it. If you've done it right, the eyelet will be flared on both the front and the back and will still be round and not scratched up.

Vera Latimer 8/03
12 needles, 12 signatures
Paper by Galen Barry
Vera made this book in a class taught by Christine Cox

Troubleshooting

Q. Why isn't my eyelet round anymore?
A. You didn't have the eyelet tool seated in the hole in the eyelet and you probably hit the eyelet too hard.

Q. The front of my eyelet is all scratched up. What went wrong?
A. Use a stack of paper or a piece of leather under your work so that the eyelet doesn't come into contact with anything rough.

Q. My eyelet split or was really hard to bend over. Can I prevent this?
A. Try installing the eyelet with 3 or 4 gentle blows rather than 1 or 2 power blows. It gives the metal a chance to stretch rather than breaking.
A. The eyelet was too long for the thickness of the material you're eyeleting. Our Extra Long Eyelets work best on materials about 1/8" thick, and are perfect for book board. Use shorter eyelets for thinner materials.
A. Some eyelets are made to split (not ours). If you bought your eyelets from someone else, look for faint seams on the shank of the eyelet.

Q. My eyelet is flat on the front. Did I hit it too hard?
A. You hit the eyelet way too hard and/or didn't have protection under the front of the eyelet. Remember, several gentle blows, not heavy blows.

Q. I drilled a 1/8" hole but I can't get the eyelet to go through it.
A. Here's a neat trick: put the eyelet on an awl, then put the awl through the hole and push. The eyelet will snap through the hole easily.

Yancey Gillies 8/03
12 needles, 12 signatures
Yancey made this book in a class taught by Christine Cox

• Our Extra Long Eyelets are solid brass underneath so they can be patinated or torched (except black), even the silver ones (a very rare and beautiful thing). 
• To torch them, hold them on the end of an Awl (as far from the wood handle as possible) and use a light duty blow torch like our Mini Blow Torch. Quench the eyelet in water before handling, and be sure to dip the awl to cool it off too. We torched this eyelet with our Mini Blow Torch. It came out a really nice gunmetal gray that matches our Snaps!
  
• You can also change their color by oxidizing them in our Patinating Solution. 
• Our eyelets are the longest around so they fit through thick leather and through book board. 
• They don't split (under normal usage and using our Better Eyelet Tools, of course).
   

A. Total length
B. Length under flange
C. Shank outside diameter
D. Hole inside diameter
E. Flange diameter