Thursday, March 31, 2016

Beading Tips & Tricks - How to repair a magnet clasp


Although it doesn't happen often, occasionally the magnet will pop out of a clasp as in the photo above. You can see that the magnet is now stuck to the other half of the clasp and the socket is empty. If you have attached your clasp with jump rings, you can simply put on a new clasp. But, what if you have stitched the clasp directly to the bracelet or you don't want to waste a perfectly good clasp? My husband Jerry came up with the following method for putting the magnet back in the clasp and I've yet to have one come back out after he has repaired it. Below is a tutorial showing how he does it plus at the end is a link to download a PDF file of the tutorial.


SUPPLIES:

  • Epoxy (30-minute slow-cure)
  • Sharpening stone, file or sand paper
  • Sharp knife or razor blade
  • Skewer or toothpick
  • Wax paper - one sheet for your work surface plus a small square
  • Alcohol - for removing excess glue from the clasp and your hands




1. Use a knife or razor blade to scrape the excess dried glue from the magnet.







2. Rough up the side of the magnet that will be glued as well as the sides of the magnet. Do this by rubbing it along a sharpening stone or file. This helps the glue adhere to the magnet better. Wipe off any magnet dust.


3. Put a dab of each part of the epoxy on the wax paper. Both dabs must be exactly the same amount. They should be close to each other but not touching.




4. Mix both parts of the epoxy together by rolling the side of the skewer from one dab over and onto to the other. Roll the skewer back and forth until they are well blended. Doing this prevents bubbles from forming in the glue.






5. Using the flat end of the skewer, scoop up just enough epoxy to rub around the inside edges of the empty magnet socket allowing a little of it to run into the bottom of the socket. You don't want too much glue or it will ooze out.



6. Spread a thin coat of the epoxy on the back and sides of the magnet and insert it into the socket. If the glue does ooze out a bit, wipe it off with a little alcohol.


7. Put the small square of wax paper between the newly glued magnet and the magnet on the other side of the clasp. This prevents the magnets from fusing together should any glue get between them. It also keeps the newly glued magnet from dropping too far into the socket as it dries.



8. Set the bracelet on wax paper or hang it for several hours in a warm place until the glue has dried.


9. Slide the magnets apart (don't pull them) to remove the wax paper. Dry at least another 24 hours before wearing the bracelet.

JERRY'S TIP:
Keep the piece of wax paper with the remaining mixed epoxy. Use this dab of glue as an indicator of when the glue inside the magnet has dried. When the dab of epoxy on the paper has hardened, you'll know that the glue on the magnet has also set.

Click HERE to download a PDF of this tutorial.

 

17 comments:

  1. Great instructions especially the part about keeping the wax paper with epoxy to use as indicator of when the glue has dried. One question - would E6000 work? Also, excellent tip to attach clasps with jump rings.

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    1. I asked my husband and he had never heard of E6000. He said that if it has to "air dry" it won't work. I went to the E6000 website but they don't mention anything about air-drying. My husband said that Super Glue will also work but you have to be very careful not to use too much or it won't cure.

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    2. I would think E6000 works, since it's used to fix boats and stuff. I've never used it for this purpose though.
      Thanks for the tutorial and the tip about mixing epoxy glue, Linda!

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    3. e6000 is a one part epoxy that is very strong. I have used it on items run through a dishwasher and it holds. I think it would work ok, have used for many years and it seems equal to other 2 part epoxy.

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  2. Thanks so much for the photos and the concise instructions. I love that every question is answered and show that not the one favorite glue is used for every task.
    Becki

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  3. Thank you Linda for taking the time to document this and share it. And thanks to your Hubby too.

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  4. Great idea of putting some paper between the two magnets :)

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  5. This is very helpful since I've always worried about the magnetic clasps. Thank you and your husband!

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    1. You're welcome, Marlene. I have no experience with expensive magnet clasps but the only reason why the cheap ones come apart is because they don't use enough glue. My husband told me that the ones he repairs will never pop out again. You can also squeeze some Super Glue into the clasps to prevent them from coming apart in the first place. I have my husband do that for me whenever I make a bracelet that will be a gift for someone. Just be careful not to get any on the outside of the magnet and don't let the ends touch until you're sure that the glue has dried. I think he said he uses a thin type of Super Glue so that it runs into the gap between the clasp and the magnet easily.

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  6. Hey Linda, I've started beading again after my two year hiatus. At a party, my daughter gave me a couple of my bracelets to repair. One had a bead missing, easy peasy, but the other one- well, for no reason that I could see, the magnet clasp was un-openable. I called her, and she SAID she had no idea what had happened. I thought maybe she had dripped clear nail polish on it, but it didn't look like that. So I put a new clasp on and tossed the mystery one which seemed to be super glued closed.
    Anyhow, I am back to reading your posts and spending all my free time beading and thinking about beads.

    Dolly

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    1. Hi Dolly. I'm glad to "see" you and to hear that you've gotten back to beading. There are probably a lot of new beads, and patterns, for you to catch up on.

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  7. I don't understand y
    how you got the magnet piece out of the other side where it is stuck!

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    1. Hi Scarlett. My husband does not remove the side of the magnet that is still glued in. Instead he squeezes a little glue around the edge of that magnet to keep it from popping out like the other side had done. The glue seeps into the socket behind the magnet which is what they should have done in the first place. They tend to just put a very tiny spot of glue on them in the factory which is why they pop out so often. I assume that this isn't an issue with expensive magnet clasps but I have no experience with them since I can't afford to buy them.

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  8. I apologize for asking about this so long after the original post, but could you tell me the name of this pattern? Thank you so much!

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    1. Hi Judy. It is Sam Wescott's "Tracery Trinket" pattern. You can buy it HERE in her Etsy shop.

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