Types of Bag Hardware: A Maker's Guide to Rivets, Press Studs, Eyelets and Rings
The main types of bag hardware are fastenings (press studs, magnetic clasps, turn locks and buckles), reinforcement and joining hardware (rivets and Chicago screws), eyelets for holes and lacing points, and rings, clips and sliders for straps. Each type does one job, and each needs a setting tool that matches its size.
We have been a leather merchant since 1867, and our range alone carries four press stud families (505, 7050, P201 and the Baby Dot 900) plus two shoe and boot eyelets, the S26 and S42. The numbers matter more than the photos.
Most guides to handbag hardware and bag making accessories list parts by name. This one sorts them by job and pairs each with the hand setter or bench press die that fits it, so you buy the part and the tool together. If you already know what you need, start with our full range of bag hardware.
Contents Overview
Bag Fastenings: Press Studs, Clasps and Buckles
A fastening is the hardware your hands meet every time the bag opens, so it shows a poor choice first. The broad rule: press studs and magnetic clasps suit flaps and small closures, buckles suit straps that need adjusting, and zips close larger openings.
Press Studs
Press studs, also called snap fasteners, are the workhorse of handbag hardware. Each has four parts: a cap and socket that form the top half on the flap, and a post and stud that form the bottom half on the bag body. The halves snap together and pull apart, which is why a press stud goes on a flap and never on a joint that must stay shut.
Our press studs come in four families: P201 small cap, 505 medium cap, 7050 large cap and the Baby Dot 900 in solid brass. Cap size is mostly a design decision. A small cap sits quietly on a card holder or slim purse; a large cap gives a heavy flap a closure you can find with your thumb.
Four press stud families, four matching bench press dies: 505, 7050, P201 and 900. Buy the die with the same number as the stud.
Magnetic Clasps and Turn Locks
Magnetic clasps close themselves, which makes them the easy choice for tote tops and handbag flaps opened all day. The common style fits with two prongs pushed through slits in the leather and folded flat over a backing washer, so add a reinforcing layer behind it or the prongs will slowly tear through a soft hide. Our magnetic fasteners and clasps include a small 14 mm and a large 18 mm magnetic fastener, plus a hidden flat disc magnet for closures that should not show at all.
A turn lock is the twist clasp seen on structured flap bags: a plate on the flap, a turning post on the body, and a quarter turn to lock. We stock a turn lock clasp in antique brass, and our range also lists a tuck-lock clasp, where a tongue on the flap tucks into a slot. Both reward accurate cutting, because the metal plate frames the hole and shows any error.
Buckles
Buckles are sized by the inside width of the frame, and that one measurement decides if a strap lies flat or bunches. Say you are cutting a 38 mm strap. You want a buckle with a 38 mm inside width: anything wider lets the strap slide sideways and twist, and anything narrower will not take it without trimming the edges. Measure the strap first, then choose from our buckles with that number in hand.
Reinforcement and Joining Hardware
Every bag has stress points: where a handle meets the body, where a strap loops through a ring, the top corners of a pocket. Of all the types of bag hardware, rivets are the ones built for these spots, because they are permanent fixings that do not open. Stitching holds the seam; a rivet stops the load working it loose.
Tubular and Double-Cap Rivets
Tubular rivets, also called single cap rivets, have a decorative cap on the front and a hollow post that the setter rolls over on the back. They suit places where the back is hidden, such as inside a lined bag. Double-cap rivets carry a finished cap on both sides, so a strap looks as good underneath as on top.
Our tubular rivets come in three head sizes, the 106 large head, 107 small head and 1000 mini head, each in a choice of stem lengths. Our closing tools range carries bench press dies with the same numbers: 106, 107 and 1000 for single cap rivets, and W106 and W1000 for double cap rivets.
The mistake most makers make once is buying rivets before measuring the stack. Two layers of 5 oz leather come to roughly 4 mm, since 1 oz is about 0.4 mm (our leather thickness guide goes deeper into substance). A post that is too long folds over sideways when set; one that is too short leaves the cap gripping nothing, and it will pull out under load.
Copper Rivets and Washers (Burrs)
Copper rivets sit at the heavy-duty end of joining hardware: the fixing for thick straps, tool bags and saddlery-weight work. Each rivet has a solid shank and a separate washer, called a burr, that you press over the shank before trimming the excess and peening the end into a dome. Our range lists the 19 mm Copper Hose Rivet and Washer, and the Copper Rivet Hand Tool No. 9 for setting copper rivets.
Chicago Screws (Sold as Interscrews)
Chicago screws look like a rivet on the front but come apart again. A female post with a flat head takes a male screw through the other side, so the join opens with a screwdriver. That makes them right for interchangeable straps and any part a customer may want to replace. A drop of thread locker stops the screw backing out on a strap that moves all day. In our range they are listed as the Steel Interscrew, in a choice of lengths.
Eyelets for Holes and Lacing Points
A raw hole punched in leather stretches the moment a cord pulls on it. An eyelet lines that hole with metal so it holds its shape, finishing drawstring tops, side lacing and hanging points for charms. Grommets do the same job and usually come with a separate back washer for heavier materials.
Eyelets
Our fittings and closures range lists two eyelets for leather: the Shoe Eyelet S26 with a 4 mm serrated stem and the Boot Eyelet S42 with a 6 mm serrated stem, each with its own bench press die. The S42 is the larger, boot-weight option. Set one on an offcut of the same leather before you run a batch, so you can see how the stem rolls over on your stack.
Sail Eyelets for Canvas
Canvas behaves differently to leather. Cut a hole in a woven fabric and the threads around it fray and open, so canvas needs an eyelet that clamps the weave between two pieces. A sail eyelet does that: the eyelet goes through the front and a ring closes over it on the back. Our range lists sail eyelets and rings in genuine brass and nickel plated, in a choice of sizes, alongside a Sail Eyelet Hand Tool. They are the natural choice for canvas totes.
Rings, Clips and Strap Hardware
The strap carries the full weight of the bag, and the hardware on it takes that load every time the bag is lifted. It is also the handbag hardware people handle first, so match sizes carefully, on a laptop bag strap as much as a shoulder bag.
D-Rings and Square Rings
A D-ring has one straight side and one curved side. The straight side sits against the strap so the leather lies flat, and the curve gives a clip somewhere to hang. Our D-rings come in brushed nickel, brushed antique brass, black and rose gold, with tapered D-rings in nickel and antique finishes. Square rings, listed in our range as square and rectangle loops, keep the edges of a wide, flat strap square, which suits tote handles. O-rings let a clip swivel freely. Size all three like a buckle: the inside width should match the strap width.
Trigger Hooks and Snap Hooks
Trigger hooks and snap hooks are the bag clips that make a strap removable. A trigger hook opens with a lever you pull back; a snap hook has a spring gate you push inwards. Both clip onto a D-ring or O-ring on the bag body. Our trigger hooks and snap hooks come in black, rose gold, brushed antique brass and brushed nickel, so you can match them to the rest of the bag.
Strap Adjusters
A strap adjuster, listed in our range as a loose bar slider, lets one strap work at several lengths by folding back through itself. Say you are making a crossbody strap for someone who wears it long over a winter coat and shorter in summer: the slider gives them both without a second strap. Match the slider's inside width to the strap.
Tools for Fitting Bag Hardware
A stubborn myth in bag making says a hammer and any punch will set any rivet or stud. They will not. The setter and anvil, or the bench press die, must match the hardware size. A mismatched tool leaves a press stud that will not close properly and a rivet that can pull out. Choosing among the types of bag hardware is only half the decision; the other half is the tool.
Hand Setters
A hand setter is a shaped punch you strike with a mallet over a matching anvil. It needs no bench space and suits makers working a few pieces at a time. Our closing tools range includes the Press Stud Hand Tool (P201 and 7050), the Anvil for Presstud, the Sail Eyelet Hand Tool, the Copper Rivet Hand Tool No. 9 and a 7 mm Domed Rivet Setter. Work on a solid surface such as a stone slab: a soft table absorbs the blow and the hardware sets crooked.
Bench Press Dies
A bench press swaps the mallet for a lever, and the die does the shaping. Every piece in a run gets the same pressure, so the hundredth sets exactly like the first. We sell the bench press as well as the dies: 505, 7050, P201 and 900 for press studs, S26 and S42 for eyelets, 106, 107 and 1000 for single cap rivets, and W106 and W1000 for double cap rivets.
Say you are making 20 card holders with one press stud each: that is 40 settings, one per half, and a press gives every one the same pull.
Hardware | Job on the bag | Opens again | Tool in our range |
Press stud P201 or 7050 | Closes flaps and small openings | Yes | Press Stud Hand Tool P201 or 7050, or bench press die |
Press stud 505 or Baby Dot 900 | Closes flaps and small openings | Yes | Bench press die 505 or 900 |
Single cap (tubular) rivet | Joins layers at stress points | No | Bench press die 106, 107 or 1000 |
Double-cap rivet | Joins layers, finished on both sides | No | Bench press die W106 or W1000 |
Copper rivet and washer | Heavy-duty permanent join | No | Copper Rivet Hand Tool No. 9 |
Shoe or boot eyelet | Lines lacing and drawstring holes | Not applicable | Bench press die S26 or S42 |
Sail eyelet and ring | Lines holes in canvas | Not applicable | Sail Eyelet Hand Tool |
Chicago screw (Steel Interscrew) | Removable join | Yes, it unscrews | Screwdriver |
Choosing a Finish: Nickel, Brass and Antique
Finish wear shows at the contact points first: the clasp a thumb presses, the ring a clip rubs against all day. Solid brass does not flake, because there is no plating to wear through; it darkens into a patina instead, much as veg tan does. Nickel-plated and antique finishes look good for years on most bags, but heavy daily wear can eventually rub the plating at those points.
Brass-coloured is not the same as brass. Many gold-toned finishes are plating over another metal, which is perfectly sound for most bags. If you want hardware that ages with the leather, choose solid brass, such as the Baby Dot 900 press stud, or browse our solid brass fittings.
Solid brass has no plating to wear through, so it patinas instead of flaking.
Keep one finish across a bag: a brushed nickel trigger hook beside an antique brass D-ring looks like a repair. Our D-rings, sliders, trigger hooks and snap hooks all come in brushed nickel, brushed antique brass, black and rose gold, so every part on a strap can match. Sail eyelets come in brass and nickel; for other items, ask our team which finishes are in stock.
Our Customers Frequently Asked Questions
What are the different types of bag fastenings?
The common bag fastenings are press studs, magnetic clasps, turn locks, buckles, zips and toggles. Press studs and magnetic clasps suit flaps and small closures, buckles suit straps that need adjusting, and zips close larger openings.
What is the difference between a rivet and a press stud?
A rivet joins layers permanently and does not open. A press stud has two halves that snap together and pull apart, so it is used where something must open and close, such as a flap or strap.
Do I need special tools to fit bag hardware?
Most hardware needs a matching setter and anvil, or a die set for a bench press. The tool must match the hardware size and type, or the part will not close properly and can pull out.
Which bag hardware finish lasts longest?
Solid brass does not flake because there is no plating to wear through. Nickel-plated and antique finishes look good for years on most bags, but heavy daily wear can eventually rub the plating at contact points.
Final Thoughts
The types of bag hardware make sense once you sort them by job: fastenings open and close, rivets and screws join, eyelets line holes, and rings, clips and sliders carry the strap. Pick the part for the job, measure your leather and strap, then buy the setter or die with the matching number. If you are kitting out a bench for the first time, our beginner leatherworking starter kit guide covers the rest.
Our team at the Cape Town and Pinetown branches can help you match the types of bag hardware above to the right tools. When you are ready, browse our full bag hardware range.
Comments