What are good grommets or eyelets?

What are good grommets?

Quality grommets have 100% brass as their base material and are then nickel-plated.
In this case, it takes many years before the eyelets could rust.
In other words: brass nickel-plated eyelets can safely be called rustproof or at least weatherproof.
Most grommets from DIY stores, for example, are made of iron and then coated with a 'layer' of brass - these can and will rust quickly. So those are less durable.

How to put or hammer grommets into fabric or canvas?

There is a very good video on YouTube called 'How to put grommets or eyelets into tent fabric or canvas'. In it, a step-by-step plan is explained:
1. Using the hollow pipe, punch the hole in the canvas. Make sure the base is reasonably hard, e.g. wood. Otherwise, you will punch the eyelet through the substrate.
2. Place the grommet with the collar ON the hammer punch.
3. Place the cloth OVER the collar ring
4. Place the flat ring OVER the collar ring
5. Smash the ring with the striking pipe. Do not do this too hard or you will break the detonator. Also flat, otherwise the ring will be damaged.
Extra tip: because there is often quite a lot of force exerted on the eyelets, it is advisable to reinforce the fabric with additional fabric so that the sail stocking has sufficient hold. There is reinforcement tape as reinforced PVC (truck tarpaulin material) for this as an accessory.

What else is important to know about grommets?

It is wise to buy so-called self-cutting eyelets (also called eyelets or nesting eyelets). This characteristic shows the hardness of the eyelets: the raised edge is so hard and sharp that the eyelet cuts through the fabric or material itself. In terms of extra reinforcement: if you punch in grommets yourself, it is important to realise that in windy conditions, large forces are exerted on the cloth. To avoid tearing of the guy ropes and eyelets or to increase the tensile force on the eyelets, we recommend placing a strong reinforcement tape behind the eyelets, so that the eyelets have enough grip and therefore remain firmly attached to the cloth.

Other, general information about eyelets

When eyelets, nesting rings or grommets are inserted into fabric, there is a metal 'eye' in the fabric. This allows the fabric to be hung or pulled on.
Nesting rings are generally the smallest grommets in terms of diameter, e.g. for shoes. In each case, we are talking about: brass rings, which are stamped into fabric or leather, for example, using a stamp/holstery tool or a large hand stamp (which is a special device).