Hardware Heaven: Turn Locks

Hardware Heaven: Turn Locks - Andrie Designs

Last week we touched a little on the bread and butter of the handbag hardware world, the magnetic snap (read more about them here). If magnetic snaps are the bread and butter, then turn locks (also known as twist locks) are the Toblerone cheesecake. They may not be a necessity, but life sure would be boring without them.

If you’ve been following me for a while you will know that I’m quite the fan of turn locks. They add extra security to your bag and look fabulous to boot.

The two most common turn locks are the prong back and the screw in. Let’s take a closer look at each:

Prong Back Turn Locks

The female component of the prong back turn lock has prongs on the back. Surprise!!! I should be a detective with these amazing powers of observation.

Prong back turn locks are ever-so-slightly easier to install than the screw in variety and are a great starting point if you have never used one.

The following images are a quick reference guide to installing a prong back turn lock. For a more in depth tutorial, please visit my detailed post Installing a Prong Back Turn Lock.

Installing A Prong Back Turn Lock - Andrie Designs

Installing the female component of the prong back turn lock

Installing the male component of the prong back turn lock

Not so scary now, are they?

Screw In Turn Locks

Time to again dazzle you with my awe-inspiring observation skills. The female component of the screw in turn lock has…you guessed it…screws in the back.

While they are slightly more fiddly to install, I do find the screw in turn locks to be a little more secure, and give your bag a more professional finish (in my opinion).

The following images are a quick reference guide to installing a screw in turn lock. For a more in depth tutorial, please visit my detailed post Installing a Screw In Turn Lock.

Installing A Screw In Turn Lock - Andrie Designs

Installing the female component of the screw in turn lock

Installing the male component of the screw in turn lock

And you thought it would be difficult.

Where to buy

Turn locks may be a little less common than magnetic snaps, but they are still reasonably easy to come by. Many local quilting, sewing and craft stores will stock them, particularly stores that specialise in bag making. Some fabulous online suppliers include:

Betty Box Pleat – Queensland, Australia.

Sew Creative Supplies – Western Australia, Australia.

Voodoo Rabbit Fabric – Queensland, Australia.

Emmaline Bags – Canada.

Bobbin Girl – United Kingdom.

Who’s ready to turn it up a notch?

Happy locking!

Lisa x

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