How to use your new snap press

Congratulations on the purchase of your new Professional Snap Press!

Your Press should come fully assembled, though the handle may be strapped down. Remove the strap and stand your Snap Press upright on a table. Caution: Snap Presses are made of metal, they may scratch nice surfaces!

Though we wipe down Snap Presses before sending them to you, it may still be a bit greasy. Wipe down the handle and body with a damp cloth. You may want to add a squirt of mild grease-fighting detergent such as Dawn. Don't wipe down the spring, however, you want that to stay well lubricated.

Your die pieces should be packed in a small ziplock plastic bag. You might want to wipe these down as well.

Now we're ready to set up and get snapping!

Loosely screw the bolts into your press. These are to be tightened when dies are in place to keep them from slipping out when applying your snaps.

Your cap die is the solid metal piece with the shallow dimple in the top. Your cap snap piece with the sharp center prong lies here.

Once you decide which side of the snap you are applying first, select the appropriate die piece. Here I have chosen the socket die, and have snapped my socket piece into the die. It should fit snuggly. If it won't snap in, you probably have the wrong die piece. Once you've figured out which is the socket die and which is the stud die, mark the socket (female) with a bit of nail polish.

Slide your socket die into place and tighten the screw to hold it firmly in position. It isn't really necessary to tighten the bottom screw, the cap die stays in place pretty well on its own.

Take your snap cap and punch the cap prong into the fabric. If it doesn't punch all the way through, that's okay, just hold it firmly where you want it to be applied.

Now place the fabric with cap in place on the die. Gently hold in position, making sure your fingers are clear of the top die. You don't want to smoosh your fingers.

Push the lever down firmly! I keep my snap press on a waist level stool or table and lean my body weight on the handle when I lower it. You need to press hard enough that your press smooshes down that center prong on the cap completely. If you don't, the snap will not snap. But be careful of pushing too hard, pushing too hard on Standard Snaps can cause them to crack or distort.

If you've placed your snap correctly, you may need to pop your snap out of the top die. Gently tug to release.

Change your top die, and replace with your stud die. Snap your stud snap piece into the die and repeat the steps to apply the other side of your snap with the other die piece.

You did it! A completed snap! Try snapping the snap together, does it snap securely? If not, you probably did not press hard enough. Pop the socket back into the socket die and lean firmly on the handle of the press to re-smash the snap. Repeat with the stud side as well and try again.

If the prong is not being smashed completely inside the snap pieces, the snap will not close all the way. This is a common problem with Industrial snaps as they are stronger and harder to smash completely. But with a little practice, you'll soon find you know just how hard to press and it will become second nature for you.

Good luck, and happy snapping!