How to Remove a Mis-Placed Snap

If you've ever used your snap press to apply a snap, only to find out you've applied it in the wrong place or applied a stud instead of a socket, you know how frustrating it can be to try to remove it.

Here are some methods you can try to remove a misplaced snap:

1. Hold the misplaced snap carefully on its side on the bottom die, lower the top die until it's on top of the snap turned on its side, remove your fingers and smash the snap to crack it. Once it is cracked, you can pick it off. If you've got two cap dies, put one cap die in on top, so you've got two solid cap dies slamming down to crack the snap.
2. Use pliers to grip either side of the snap and crack it. Be careful not to pinch and damage the fabric.
3. Use some heavy duty fingernail or toenail clippers to clip away at the snap until you reach the center and can pry it loose.
4. Use a thin drill bit, carefully drill through the center of the snap until it cracks and you can remove it.
5. Use a hammer and give the misplaced snap a good whack to crack it.
6. Position the sharp end of a Philips screwdriver (the cross type, not the flat screwdriver) on the stub, gently hammer till the snap cracks, and pick up the pieces. It works like the drill, but just more arm work.
7. Use a hot soldering iron and push in on the stud/socket side melting the cap part that pokes through. Push straight in and you will feel it fall apart, then pull back the iron quickly, the stud or socket will be stuck to it and the cap will fall on the ground. Takes maybe 5 seconds.

In all cases, there will be a hole in the fabric where the snap was applied. Use your sewing machine to zig zag tightly across the hole to secure, or use a needle and thread to slip stitch the hole closed. You can also sew a small patch of the same fabric over top of the hole if you wish.

If you got a snap on backwards, or used the wrong socket/stud piece, and want to reapply the snap in the same area, you can simply place some extra squares of fabric (that will be hidden beneath the snap cap) and reapply through that without necessarily repairing the hole, though it's always wise to do so to keep it from fraying out from underneath.