Then I have this set of tools. I think they are for setting snaps but I don't really know. They were all in a medicine bottle along with the wooden spool. It seems that she used the spool with these tools but for what? And what are those hook-things for?
Here is a close-up of the ends. They are concave to differing degrees and the male ends are different diameters.
5 comments:
Dawn,
Those "hook-things" look like they might be belt prongs, which may have come from kits for making covered belts. If your husband's grandmother was using patterns that called for belt buckles without prongs, she probably just left the prongs off and saved them. I'm not sure about the other objects, but I'm guessing that the tools at the lower right of the third picture *might* have been used for setting grommets.
Yep, the tools are for adding the snaps. The snaps are missing the other side though. They're little circles the same size as the snaps, with these sharp little prongs sticking up. You put the prongs through the fabric, put one side of the snap on top and it looks like she used her wooden spool as the base to pound the two parts togther! Rebekah's right, I've made several belts from kits and they all come with those prongs.
The snaps are applied with the things that are not hooks (I haven't a clue what the hooks are but rebekah's post sounds good!) I can't exactly tell from the picture if the parts are all there for the snap, though; a snap has two parts, male and female, and should have two more parts, these are rings with little "teeth" sort of. You would sandwich the fabric between the teeth and the snap-half; she probably set it down on the spool for a sturdy surface; then you set the tool down, concave side cradling the snap, and bang on it with a hammer to make the teeth grab into those grooves on the snap-half. (Simple as rocket science, eh?!) You can purchase these sets at Joann's on the notions wall; sometimes you get a different snapsetter, that's all. I wonder if the skinnier awl shaped things are for setting grommets? Anyway purchasing (or just looking at) just one set at Joann's would give you the basic directions and an idea of whether you've got all the parts. Here's a start: http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog.jsp?CATID=cat2660&PRODID=prd11080&source=search
Yep. Snaps, snap setting tools, and belt prongs. But if you really want to set snaps without swearing, buy a Snapsetter tool instead and use their snaps. ;-)
Thanks for writing this.
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