For the last month or so my husband has been having a problem with the snaps on the leather vest he wears while riding his motorcycle. In windy conditions, the vest was often forced open because the inner spring inside the snap was no longer secure. Can you imagine riding down the road with a piece of leather flapping behind you, not enjoyable?!
We considered a few different options including just replacing the vest but finally settled on replacing the snaps. I wasn't sure how hard it would be to remove the old snaps but considering dry cleaner charges $25 per snap I figured we should give it shot! Not to mention the fact that Scott's vest is full of patches and most have meaning behind them. We knew we could remove the patches but once you do they don't look right when placed on another item. The other reason was his vest is worn in and comfortable, something that doesn't happen overnight with leather.
Deciding On Style
The first thing we had to do was locate the buttons. He has buffalo nickel buttons and he wanted to keep the same style. Luckily, they were available on Amazon! We also had to purchase a punch set tool and anvil.
Tools Needed:
Snap Tool and Anvil
3M Rubber Tape
Rubber Mallet 
Drill with a metal drill bit
This video will show you how to to remove the old snap and then how to replace it with new ones. The steps are the same regardless of the snap style or what you are putting them on. If you are replacing them on light weight fabric you may find it easier to use the Dritz Heavy Duty Snap Fastener Plier Kit.
If you are unable to view the embedded video, you can click here to watch
>> Replacing the Snaps on a Leather Vest <<
Was replacing them the right choice? Well, the buttons were $3 each, we needed 4 and the punch tool and anvil were $6. For $18 dollars plus tax, we were able to purchase everything needed, compare that to around $120-$200 for a new vest. It only took about 20 minutes for all 4 snaps and we learned something new. Oh, and Scott got to keep his broken in vest so yeah I would say it was worth it.
This is good to know for the future!
Great info! I will give it a try on a couple of old jean jackets!!!
This is such a helpful tutorial! I wouldn't have known how to remove the snaps or thought of using electrical tape to protect and hold the snap. I can't believe a dry cleaners charges $25 for each snap--definitely worth learning to do it yourself!
My husband also has a leather jacket that needs some attention. Great info to know!
Very helpful tutorial! Thanks for this!
Great job.. I like how you were really quiet in the beginning and then BAM it got real!
Great job, Margaret!
Thank you for sharing this information. I really appreciate it!
I'm glad you found it helpful!
Very helpful! Replacing a snap closure on a leather cuff bracelet....only issue I have now is I also am replacing the other half...and not having much luck with post securing in....off to find it, wishing you had video #2 lol!