Tutorial - How to use Purse Tongue Locks / Clasps

Well I dunno...what would you call them?

Thank heaps for your kind comment about the Quick & Crafty purses; I couldn't reply to them because I have deadlines coming out of my ears, sorry!

**If you want to see the bag in this tute completed click here.**

Purse tongue locks are the sprung locks that you often find on those lovely leather document cases or satchels.  They look so nice (and super-duper professional) on bags and clutches and as a design feature they really do add interest to your bags. I have just managed to get my mitts on some pretty looking and professional quality Silver Purse Tongue Locks for my shop so I thought this was a good time to post a tutorial on how to apply them to your bags and purses.  They are simple to use and they give brilliant results.

Tongue locks work best when your bags are made from several layers (e.g. your chosen fabric and a combo of interlinings), this is because tongue locks have a little weight to them and your purse needs to be able to support the weight without sagging.

Here's what each lock set includes: Tongue plate with screws (which goes on the purse flap) and receiving plate with washers (reverse side shown - which goes on the bag body). Burt's Bees is just there for scale - LOVE Burt's Bees.

1.   Make a mark for where you are going to apply the tongue plate - The tongue plate goes on your bag flap so you will need to make up your bag flap first.  I am using one tongue lock on my purse so I want to position my lock in the bottom centre of my bag flap.

Make a wee little mark for the tongue plate.

2.  Apply the Tongue Plate to your bag flap - See how the tongue plate has a groove on the top and screws on the back? Yep, we are going to stuff the bottom edge of our bag flap (at the mark we have just made) right into that groove, as deep as it will go and then we are going to screw it in.  

Real groovy - the groove that sits atop of the tongue plate.

Reverse view of the flap and tongue plate.  Wodge the bottom edge of your bag flap into the groove as far as it will go.  Take a small screwdriver and screw the plate into the bag flap.  There's no need to make any holes; the screws will bite into the fabric to make the plate nice and secure.

3.  Mark the Receiving Plate position onto your bag/purse/clutch body - I like to do this step after I have made the flap (with the tongue plate attached) and I have made the bag exterior.   This way I can baste the flap onto the bag exterior and experiment with where the tongue plate will fall on the bag body - I prefer to do this step towards the end of the bag construction because try as I might to measure these things, they usually don't work and I then end up turning the air rather blue.  I am going to show you the "do it at the towards the end method'.

Don't worry what I have just said will hopefully make sense in a minute after you have seen the pics for this step.   So, finish making your bag exterior (don't worry about the bag lining, it's not needed in this tutorial).  Pin or baste your bag flap (with tongue plate attached) in position on your bag exterior; slip the receiving plate onto the tongue plate and note where the prongs of the receiving plate flap falls onto the bag exterior front.

Here I have basted my bag flap onto my bag exterior and I have have also slipped the receiving plate onto the tongue plate.  See those prongs?  They are going to act as markers...

...here I am flashing my engagement ring (at your request, I might add, heh!) and pulling the bag flap down onto the bag to see where the lock falls onto the bag.  I am also pressing the whole tongue lock onto the bag exterior so I can later mark the prong indents with pen...

...like so.

4.  Get some reinforcements in for the Receiving Plate and apply - because this part of the lock will need to withstand a bit wear it's a good idea to strengthen the the bag before applying the receiving plate.  Use some layers of interfacing, wadding or whatever to strengthen the bag exterior area. Gently push the prongs through the marks (made in the previous step) and slip your reinforcements over the prongs before pushing the prongs down with your fingers (or a pair of pliers).

I have chosen to reinforce with some Thermolam and some Bag Bottom.

To save your nails you can use pliers to firmly press the prongs inwards, or you can use fingers.  Now you can sew you bag lining to the bag exterior and complete your smarty pants new bag!

Ta Dah!  One Tongue lock successfully added to your bag :)

**If you want to see the bag in this tute completed click here.**