Answers to Everyday Questions : What are eyelets ?

Eyelets are rings made of brass that serves as support to a hole in paper or fabric. Eyelets have a flange around the hole that extends to the barrel inserted through a hole in the fabric and set by machine or hand. The barrel either spreads or rolls out and grabs the hole to strengthen the material.

W. H. Rogers invented the first eyelet machine in the United States on 1959; it was used for binding papers together. Eyelets are not to be confused with grommets, which has a larger flange. Grommets are ideal for industrial uses such as banners, tarpaulins, tents and flags. Eyelets are also used in some industrial applications.

In choosing the eyelets to use, several things should be considered. You should get the eyelets depending on your purpose, if you want it to serve as a decoration, you must get an eyelet color in contrast to the material that you will be using. You also have to consider the thickness of the material to make sure that the eyelets can grab the hole firmly. The main thing is actually the size of the hole. Using eyelets with the exact diameter as the hole of the material is the first thing that should be considered to have a good grip and better hold on the material being used.

You can set eyelets using wide range of tools and machine. The most common process is using hand setting tool and a hammer. These tools are available in most hardware and crafts store. For large quantity of eyelets to be set quickly and uniformly, machines are available, from hand press or foot press machines to auto-feed heavy-duty machines.

In setting an eyelet by hand, first, you have to punch a hole in the material and insert the eyelet with the barrel pointing your direction or coming from the other side of the material. The flange side should be pointing the side that will show. If you are planning to use a washer for better grip and strength, slide it on the barrel. Finally, insert the setter on the end of the barrel and use a hammer to tap it until the barrel spread out flat onto the material.