Being unhappy with commercial eyelets, and having had my ‘roo hide laces cutting into leather lacing holes, I decided to work out how to make my own out of brass.
A 100+yo shoe in our possession seems to be done with short lengths of tube, very neat on both sides.
The tools I use with the home made setting tool in the middle.
Close up of setter. I stuck a length of mild steel rod into a power drill , cleaned it up with a file and put a blunt cone on one end of each.
The ‘Anvil’, which will be put in the hole .
In place.
Marking off. Roughly 2 ½ - 3 times the thickness of the leather seems to work. The brass tubing comes from model aeroplane shops, in very precise sizes, each one exactly sleeving over the previous size. This is handy, as I did have an eyelet come off our 6yo’s shoe and the next size up was a tight fit in the stretched hole. These shops are also where I get the music wire for making my awls (if you don’t aneal it , it will destroy your file as you try to shape the awl’s tapers
![I've got it! !](./images/smilies/idea.gif)
Pipe cutter. This one is sharper than my cheap red one. Blades can be sharpened by slipping it over a suitable bolt, tightening up a nut under it, placing it in a power drill and while spinning, touch up the edge with a fine file and/or carborundum paper.
Debur the inside with whatever you’ve got that works. I sharpened the pipe reamer with a file, making the edges nice and square.
Or the end of a file.
Ready to go,
Punch a hole slightly too small for the eylet, then widen it with a smooth tapered tool (my scratch awl). This helps prevent it stretching in use.
Push the eylet in so equal amounts are top and bottom.
Now the next part has a lot to do with feel.
Eylet on anvil,
Setter in place, and hit with hammer
![Image](http://www.thehcc.org/forum/images/old_smilies/happy.gif)
Flip it over and do the same.
The tubing is now flaired
Place it on a metal surface (back of my press stud setting anvil), and do another couple of strikes front and back. You’ll see a lot of change happening now.
Do the final flattening with a clean hammer to your satisfaction.
With, and without
Done
![Image](http://www.thehcc.org/forum/images/old_smilies/happy.gif)
No sharp edges, almost the same thickness as the leather they are mounted in , and the final touch to a pair of shoes you made yourself.
Hope you enjoyed this and there weren’t too many photos etc.
Cheers
Duncan