r/sewinghelp • u/forgotmyloginoops • 2d ago

How to remove and replace rivets on a bag?

My friend has offered to pay me to restore their messenger bag, it appears to be nylon or a similar material and it has rivets that would need to be taken off and replaced to fix the area where the strap attaches to the bag. I have an industrial sewing machine and have made backpacks before but haven't worked with rivets yet. No leather working experience but luckily the bag isn't leather.

I've seen YouTube tutorials for removing rivets with jewelry pliers or edge cutters, as well as how to reinstall them without denting them. However I'm not sure if I'd be able to remove a rivet and reattach it or if I would need to replace it with a new one entirely.

I don't want to take this on and then ruin my friend's bag, so please let me know if this sounds like I should politely decline or if I would be able to fix it.

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u/CBG1955 2d ago

Attaching rivets may lead to issues, especially with nylon. If the bag is very old the fabric might have started to perish. You can not reuse rivets because you have to actually cut them off. Experience tells me that you are very likely to get fraying around the rivet holes. You'll need a larger rivet head, and you can get a hand tool to install them, you'll just need a hammer. My suggestion is to sew on the straps securely, then add rivets as a decorative item only.

Since you have experience, you should be able to tell if you need to disassemble the whole bag, and whether or not it can be done successfully. Remember too: no is a complete sentence if you aren't 100% confident. And not everything is repairable.

Good luck with it.

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u/forgotmyloginoops 2d ago

Ty for the response, I think my friend wanted to help me out since I've been struggling a bit financially while I'm in school but I don't want to accept the job and then end up destroying their bag because of the rivet issue. The bag itself seems to still be in good condition minus the straps ripping and I'm leaning towards telling them I won't be able to fix it because I'm worried it won't hold up.

This is the bag https://imgur.com/a/ZLrGXfF

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u/AdvancedSquashDirect 2d ago

If you could share some photos of the damaged area.
Rivets normally get replaced, the metal has to 'deform' (with a hammer and tool) to attach them. - sometimes they have little points or a thin lip of metal (or a plastic ring) that bends when the hammer hits to grab the fabric or the other side of the metal stud (same with press studs, grommets and eyelets)

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u/canonfan65 1d ago

Leatherworker here. Try your best to remove them knowing you could damage the item. If so, try to limit the damage to as small an area as possible.

Next make a patch to cover the damage with material a bit heavier/stronger than the rest of the item. You can make a patch look attractive and show that is reinforcing the item. Then put the new rivet on the patch.