How do I use eyelets? Help, please!

I am a new scrapper, and I've been trying to figure out eyelets for a while now. I bought a kit, with all the instruments needed for scrapbooking in it, and I managed to destroy the instrument that is put inside the eyelet, while hammering, the first time I used it..It broke! And the eyelet didn't flatten one bit! I just can't get the eyelets to flatten...What am I doing wrong? I end up with a broken instrument, and the eyelets fall right through. Thank you!

Depending on the size eyelet you are wanting to set, you need two tools. One, the anywhere hole punch in the same size as the eyelet, and the universal setting tool. You should be working on a hard surface, I use a 1/4 inch piece of acrylic. You use the hole punch where you want to put the eyelet, by setting the punch where it should be, and tapping with the hammer to press it through the paper, making your hole. Here is where I set a little different than anyone else I've ever watched--I turn the layout over, and put the eyelet face down on the pounding mat, and line the paper up over the eyelet, and lay it down on top of the eyelet. Then you put the universal setting tool, which has a cone shaped end, into the hole of the eyelet, and give a couple of good whacks. Then remove the tool and pound once or twice more to completely flatten the back of the eyelet. Turn the layout over, and Viola! You should have eyelets!

Nancy

I asked a question about eyelets just yest. I got some good responses if you wanna take a look at CraftQueen and then eyelets. There is a link there that will take you to a good place. Unfortunatly I think it takes practice because although I just got into them myself they still frustrate me cause its like you have to pound REALLY Hard and I feel like I'm gonna bust something.

I've gone through three eyelet kits and had terrible results. I'd about given up when someone mentioned Memory Makers eyelet kit. IT WORKS!!! and they sell it here. I've thrown all the others away. MM has the best.

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Mona

I used the cheapest eyelett setting tools, I could not afford the MM ones when I first started and they worked great for me, you do need a little marvy self healing mat too, it is think 1/4 inch I think and you need to make sure you are working on a hard surface, you need a regular hammer from your hubbies garage, not a rubber one wont work. You use the eyelet hole maker that is the one with the hole, like a leather punch and you put your piece of paper you want the eyelet in on your self healing mat position your hole maker and give it a good bang on the back, keep it at a 90 degree angle, the harder you hit the bigger the hole, so if you want to set the regular size just give it a medium to hard hit, if the larger ones you can do the same and then just push and wiggle the hole maker a little in the hole to stretch not tear the paper a little and the bigger ones will fit with a little push, then turn you page upside down and place your eyelet setter in the back, that is the tool with the point, position it into the back of the eyelet where the metal is sticking up, hit it with medium strength at a 90 degree angle it should start flatterning pretty easily, if it doesn't it is a brass eyelet and you may have to bang it a couple of times, moving your setter around kind of tilting it a little so that it makes the lip of the metal bend over, it does not have to go all the way down with the setter, as long as it is going down most of the way you can neaten up the eyelet and flattern it well by just removing the setter and bang a little straight onto the back of the eyelet and flattern the metal down. I hope my instructions are making sense, I can see it all happening in my head, I'm not sure if my directions are matching up though LOL, feel free to email me if you would like more intstuctions, I could even do a demo and scan it I suppose so you could see the eyelet at different stages if my instuctions are not making any sense LOL!!!