2 Great Ways to Install Grommets

Signs, banners, apparel, and tarps all can have grommets installed in them. We’ll show you how to use an inexpensive kit as well as a grommet machine to install grommet reinforcements.

Buy your DFJ T-Shirt, Cap, or Coffee Mug at https.//www.dirtfarmerjay.com/shop

#tarps #bannergrommets #howtoinstallagrommet #grommetsizes

Grommets are metal reinforcement rings installed to strengthen the area of material where ties, ropes, cable ties, or bungee cords will be pulling on the material.

This can be for camping gear such as tarps, sunshades, or tents. Outdoor banner signs are another common application where the sign is affixed to posts or a crossbar. The attachment points need to be very strong to resist wind pressure without tearing out. Grommets are also used with shoes and other apparel items to reinforce where lacing secures the item.

In this episode, DirtFarmerJay will show you how to grommet using both an inexpensive grommet tool and supply kit as well as a grommet machine. The machine makes sense if you are doing a lot of grommets on materials that can easily be flattened (vinyl, tarp sheeting, fabric). We are event organizers (with plenty of banner signs!) and found that using a machine is much easier and more efficient. The initial investment (about $80) will be recouped very soon in consistent results and speed of completion.

Whether using a kit or machine, the process means choosing a grommet location that is far enough “into” the material that the grommet resists tearing out under tension. If the material can be doubled by folding over the edge or in a doubled-over hem, all the better.

Once the location is chosen, a hole is punched through the material. The hole matches the size of the grommet. Common sizes are #0 (6 mm, roughly ¼”), #2 (9.5 mm, roughly ⅜”), and #4 (12 mm, roughly ½”). We typically use #2 and #4 grommets.

In manual kits, this is done by striking a punch with a hammer and driving it through the material into a wooden backing block. An anvil is placed under the material facing up with the “male” part of the grommet set on top of the anvil with the barrel of the grommet protruding up through the hole. The grommet washer (“female” side) is then placed on top of the material over and around the grommet barrel. The two then are pounded together using the inserting punch. It’s pretty straightforward but very manual. The benefits are that for doing a few grommets from time to time, this is very inexpensive and the space needed is very small. This is because you take the tool to the work.

The grommet machine makes the process speedier with much more consistency. The machine can typically accommodate different-sized grommets by changing out the anvil and punch plate. You bring the material to the machine, as the machine is mounted or clamped onto a work surface with space to both sides of it. This allows you to unroll material on one side and roll it back up on the other. The machine uses the barrel of the male portion of the grommet to punch the material at the same time the barrel is being pushed into the grommet washer and cinched.

The machine we have allows you to place grommets about 3 -4” from the edge if need be. We bought our machine from DIYOutlet.com for about $80, plus shipping. We think it’s well made, intuitive to use (even though it comes with a pictorial instruction manual), and installs grommets flawlessly.

Here’s the (just about the longest!) URL for the machine at DIY Outlet:

https://thediyoutlet.com/products/grommet-mahine-w-0-2-4-dies-900-grommets?token=68da5fdfc9cc06d6b35e2d174f00ca748ec640d0&utm_source=yotpo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=map&ref=yotpo_8

When you’ve got a lot of grommets to install, you don’t need to have the supplier do them and charge you for the service. Now, you can JUST DO IT YOURSELF!

Buy your DFJ T-Shirt, Cap, or Coffee Mug at https.//www.dirtfarmerjay.com/shop

Follow us on Social Media to know when we’re building projects or releasing new episodes!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dirtfarmerj
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dirtfarmerjay

You can help support this channel by buying our merchandise or supporting us on Throne or Patreon

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/dirtfarmerjay