sourcing and fitting eyelets

Phoenix of Hamble

Phoenix of Hamble

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I've got a dinghy that I'm intending making a small sail for... i've got the sail material, i've got access to a sailmakers sewing machine, and a sailmakers palm to put reinforcing tape on the corners etc etc... its a simple sail, gaff rigged, with a pattern to follow, so all OK on that front....

but the one thing i'm not sure on is eyelets for the 4 corners...

A fall back is to sew a tape loop on each corner, but wondered if anyone has any bright ideas about where I might source proper sail style eyelets, and how I might fit them?
 
Although I have an aversion to buying things that are overpackaged, I have used the Hotchkiss (I think) eyelet kits several times for sails and covers. Hawkehouse do them, as do several chandlers local to me.
You could also try Jimmy Lawrence - they would probably put them in for you (it's easy to deform them and make an unsightly job of it when you wack them down.
 
I used to do proper sewn eyelets - sew in a brass ring and then press in an inner protective ring (which needs a much bigger version of the common small eyelet punches. The best illustration I can find is http://www.frayedknotarts.com/images/SewnRingGrommeting.gif

I used to borrow the punch from a sailmaker, but it looks as though this is now a near-lost art. Last time I needed to do a similar kjob I sewed in a loop of tape!
 
Second that, I made my own sails for my Oughtred boat. You need the `barbed´eyelets and a special tool to set them. Can be rented by the week from www.profabrics.co.uk who also supply the cloth. BTW I used a domestic machine with no problems.
Andrew
 
I need clew and tack eyelets to put a reef in my dinghy's sail. I'm not keen to use the sad, soft little brass things which come in packs of several dozen...

...and I only found this thread by Googling "sailmakers' eyelets" - because the chandleries don't seem to supply such things in a suitable size.

But oh my lord! Can this be right...more than £20 for one eyelet?

http://www.kayospruce.com/index.asp...ref=&InBox=Grommets&cct=0&TypeSearch=&subcat=

I can appreciate that the rather large & solid ones fitted into sails, even dinghy sails, won't be ten-a-penny...but I'd hoped I might find a pair for £5.

Are there any less-expensive sources? Hopefully I can attach a pic of the sort of thing I want (the name on the pic doesn't relate to the eyelet) :

View attachment 33684
 
Neil,
Cindy at Wilkinson Sails will be happy to sell you the right Rutgerson eyelets. In fact, you should do her sail maintenance day for around 50 quid, and do the job yourself while you are there.
 
FullCircle said:
Neil,
Cindy at Wilkinson Sails will be happy to sell you the right Rutgerson eyelets. In fact, you should do her sail maintenance day for around 50 quid, and do the job yourself while you are there.
Click to expand...

FullCircle, are you addressing me, sir? I'm definitely called Dan. The other, earlier contributors here, are likely to have finished the sailmaking jobs at least five years ago!
 
dancrane said:
FullCircle, are you addressing me, sir? I'm definitely called Dan. The other, earlier contributors here, are likely to have finished the sailmaking jobs at least five years ago!
Click to expand...

Sorry Dan, mis-read. Send a PM to wilkinsonsails. Cindy runs a fab day all about sail construction repair and maintenance. Worth every penny and very entertaining. Down in Faversham Kent.
 
Thanks for that. I'm sure I'd benefit from a sailmaking course, every bit as much as I'd enjoy it, but my top priority at present is just fitting a cringle to allow a deep reef.

I was quite surprised that such work is too obscure for chandleries to profit by stocking the eyelets.
 
dancrane said:
...my top priority at present is just fitting a cringle to allow a deep reef.

I was quite surprised that such work is too obscure for chandleries to profit by stocking the eyelets.
Click to expand...

I suspect that the type of cringle you picture requires far more pressure to flatten than the amateur is able to muster. A sailmaker will press a couple of cringles into a sail for not much money. The amateur option is to sew in a stainless ring.
 
Most sail cringle type (loaded corners) are put in using a hydraulic press.These are usually all stainless steel, such as Rutgertson or Endeavour .The small 14 mm ones start at £1.00 tools from 100 quid press a lot more ;).The closing pressure starts at 3 tons.
For dinghy sails we sometime put in Size 6 spur tooth eyelets ,nickle plated brass 19mm id.These press in by hand ,big hammer job.Each eyelet costs £ 1.90 plus VAT the tool about 40 quid or so .
The best thing to do would be to pop in to your local sailmaker and ask them to put the eyes in .You may be pleasantly surprised at the cost of having the proper job ,.Phone first just in case they are busy .
Cindy
 
dancrane said:
FullCircle, are you addressing me, sir? I'm definitely called Dan. The other, earlier contributors here, are likely to have finished the sailmaking jobs at least five years ago!
Click to expand...

Finished mine in '07.... But am about to start on the next set for another boat. The bigger ones need to be formed by a hydraulic press and I bought my eyelets from the local sail-loft for nothing like £20. The no.2 size I bought from Point North, both in SS, not brass.
 
I'm very glad to have woken up this thread, many thanks to all for the honest advice. Especially as I may be asking sailmakers whether I can do without their services!

Perhaps a fairly large dinghy mainsail falls between grades, in terms of the pressure needed to fix an eyelet in place?

The reason I'm asking, is my need to fit a reef, with a substantially reduced sail area & stress on the cringle, so I'm tempted by the eyelets I've seen fitted on Youtube...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXInsgf3RGE

...granted their fitment requires quite a lot of careful work for unskilled hands, but I'd be disproportionately, obnoxiously proud of the results...

...although the simpler 'spur eyelet' looks appealingly easier, if it will be resilient enough for, let's say, a 65'sq mainsail in breezy weather...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VW0oCSNZ4fA

I recognize that any minor work would be better done and initially less costly if I take it to a sailmaker - although the necessity to double/quadruple the section with stress-spreading strips of sailcloth is something I'd enjoy doing, and I'd consider shelling out a few quid on hole-cutting tools, soft mallet and dies, etc, because I'd hope to use the skill many times in the future.

The main issue is, will a simple spur eyelet, carefully fitted into several long radiating strips of sail-repair tape (sewn for reinforcement) be an adequate job, or are these less heavy-duty eyelets only fit for covers, etc?

Thanks again for all replies. :)
 
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I've used both washer and spur grommets on acrylic canvas in tent flysheets etc. The spur grommet is definitely stronger than the washer grommet. I wouldn't feel confident in using either for a luff or leech reef cringle. The forces involved, especially the shock loading when a sail flogs, could be too much.
 
I wouldn't bother using sail repair tape as a reinforcing when pressing an eye ,you really need a bit of body to squidge it into.Sail cloth is still the best option .if it was 10 sq ft you might get away with it ,but not 65.
If you can't obtain an eyelet punch and grommet kit then hand sewing around the ring is likely to out perform most other methods.When fitted with a turnover covering stitching ,it will beat most pull tests.Easy to do on board and can often save the day in get you home sail repairs.
Cindy
 
wilkinsonsails said:
If you can't obtain an eyelet punch and grommet kit then hand sewing around the ring is likely to out perform most other methods.
Click to expand...

Thanks Cindy, it is looking like something I'll have to do myself...my nearest sailmaker quoted me more than the sail is worth, for putting a reef in.

Unfortunately they don't actually sell the items required for doing the job, so I'll probably have to order over the net. Are you able to quote me for the bits I'll need?

I had thought to use the heavy-duty sail repair tape because I believed that it IS sailcloth...and as it's self-adhesive, it'll be easier to line up, prior to stitching.

I'd gladly sew-in the rings as shown in that first video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXInsgf3RGE ...if I can just order the bits required.

It looks like the guy is cutting through about twenty layers of cloth to make the hole...how many strips of cloth will I need, to spread the load on a 65'sq dinghy sail?

I'm guessing I'll want the rings (one each for clew and tack?), the sailcloth, the thread, the metal inners which protect the thread, and the die/press for flattening them.

I think my sails have quite big grommets - 16mm internal diameter or perhaps larger - but I'd expect the smallest available to be big enough.

Here's a dumb question...having secured tack and clew in the reefed position, will I also want "threaded" reef-points along the boom? The sail isn't normally loose-footed.

Thanks for any suggestions you can give me. :)
 
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