In addition to our own line we do sewn product manufacturing for other simpatico designers and companies. 

In that pursuit, lately we’ve been doing a good bit of attaching “Pull-The-Dot” fasteners, also known as “Lift-The-Dot” fasteners. They’re usually used for marine and automotive products, but on these bags they These little buggers can go in at any angle, but have to be pulled apart in a very specific way, and there aren’t really any good hand press dies. Some exist, but nothing thrilling. 

This morning Avery found the perfect set of tools for fastening them up.  Firstly take apart a pair of snips and use them to cut small slits for the prongs. The snips are perfect because they’re easy to control, can’t cut too deep, make a nice vertical cut, and cost about a dollar. Make sure to cut them from good pattern/jig or the fabric it attaches to will pucker. 

To press down the prongs of the snap, take a short little screw driver, and fit it with one of those hex extender bits. I’m sure there are other tools that would work as well, but we happened to have one of these hanging around. Using that little adaptor head, instead of a flat-head screw driver was a huge improvement. You have much more leverage and the prongs flatten out more fully, without slipping around, or sliding off the prongs and stabbing you.

The ultimate trick though is when it comes to the male end of the fastener. Find a 12mm socket for the small size ratchet. The fastener fits in there perfectly and gives you a nice stable base upon which you can press the prongs down with.

And there you go!  The perfect kit for attaching Lift-The-Dot fasteners without spending a couple hundred bucks on dies and punches that won’t do you much better.