Seam Ripper from a cheap plastic handled one?

[Jesse Tutterrow]

I know Craft Supply, Penn State, Woodcraft, Rockler, etc. have seam ripper kits for somewhere in the $6 to 9 range + shipping. Total cost for a single kit would be $16 to 18. If you are selling them for $20 to $25 there is not much profit.

Has anyone gotten a cheap one from a fabric store, or online (eBay lists 4 for $1 with free shipping it just takes two months to get here from China), removed the plastic handle and turned a handle with lid? I envision using something like a turned toothpick box.

 

[hockenbery]

My wife did a bunch that way amount 8-10 years ago as gifts to her sewing classmates.
She epoxied them into a hole

 

[GRJensen]

I have done several of batches made with inexpensive seam rippers. They sell pretty well at craft shows, and I have a quilt shop that stocks them.

Removed the plastic handle, turned a wooden handle, and made a ferrule out of 7mm brass pen tube. The ferrule (about 1/2" long) is a perfect fit for the plastic cap that comes with the seam rippers.

 

[Mike Adams]

I know Craft Supply, Penn State, Woodcraft, Rockler, etc. have seam ripper kits for somewhere in the $6 to 9 range + shipping. Total cost for a single kit would be $16 to 18. If you are selling them for $20 to $25 there is not much profit.

Has anyone gotten a cheap one from a fabric store, or online (eBay lists 4 for $1 with free shipping it just takes two months to get here from China), removed the plastic handle and turned a handle with lid? I envision using something like a turned toothpick box.

I think it may be more prudent to wait on that order to China until things return to normal. Coronavirus isn't airborne, so it's probably transmitted by contact.

 

[Pete Staehling]

I think it may be more prudent to wait on that order to China until things return to normal. Coronavirus isn't airborne, so it's probably transmitted by contact.

It sounded pretty safe when I googled that topic. If products shipped from Chine carried the virus we'd already be in pretty deep trouble with the volume of stuff coming from there every day. Still, perhaps illogically, I'd avoid ordering animal products like leather.

"Am I at risk of catching the new coronavirus from a package I receive from China?" According to the CDC quoted in an NPR article:

"Almost certainly no, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Because of poor survivability of these coronaviruses on surfaces, there is likely very low risk of spread from products or packaging that are shipped over a period of days or weeks at ambient temperatures," the CDC concludes in its Q&A.

Infectious disease specialists we spoke with were even more definitive.

'It's not going to be transported on a box,' says Dr. Michael Ison of Northwestern University, who studies viral infections among transplant patients, who have weakened immune systems."

https://www.npr.org/sections/health...w-coronavirus-via-packages-or-mail-from-china

 

[Roger Wiegand]

Would you invest a lot of time and energy in making a beautiful handle for a busted off file you want to use as a scraper? Or a bent nail you want to repurpose into an awl? Some folks do, of course, and that's fine for something you use yourself. For a product you're going to try to sell to a customer for 100X the price of the ebay cheapies though I think you owe them a bit more.

I actually know almost nothing about seam rippers and the possible quality levels available, nor of the difference, if any, between the quality of the cheap plastic one and what comes in the kits. Most tools though, come at a variety of price points and quality. I'd inquire of some serious sewing folks whether there is a preferred product and then attempt to source that. You're producing a premium product to sell at a premium price relative to the four for a dollar ones, I'd want to be sure that both the hardware and the handle are suitable to the premium level pricing, and that the tool is both beautiful and functional when you're done.

Certainly if you discover that they are all the same, and all come out of the same factory then there's no reason not to pursue the less expensive source. Though my grandfather was a tailor, I've only done a little sewing, but in that little bit I did find that there were seam rippers that worked well and those that didn't, so at least at some point in history there were distinctions.

Too often I see really nice wood and workmanship wasted on POS hardware (pepper mills that can't grind pepper or break almost instantly are the worst offenders, but I've also seen plenty of beautiful pens that don't write worth a darn). If you're making a tool, make one you'd be pleased to own and use. I think anything else is false economy.

 

[Pete Staehling]

Would you invest a lot of time and energy in making a beautiful handle for a busted off file you want to use as a scraper? Or a bent nail you want to repurpose into an awl? Some folks do, of course, and that's fine for something you use yourself. For a product you're going to try to sell to a customer for 100X the price of the ebay cheapies though I think you owe them a bit more.

The file may be excellent steel and make a great scraper. The nail not so much.

You do have a point on the quality of the rippers. Unfortunately buying the kits may or may not yield a better product. If from a good company hopefully it guarantees some level of quality which the Chinese cheapies definitely do not guarantee. It does help that reviews and online communities can provide some help in evaluating products. Unfortunately you need to be able to read between the lines and evaluate the reviewers to some extent. The kits definitely will be sold at a premium price targeted at hobbyists making them for enjoyment and probably not someone doing production for a profit.

I have bought some inexpensive Chinese knock off stuff in the form of lutherie supplies and it is hit or miss. If it is something that you can see, feel, and test the quality it is okay since they are often inexpensive enough that the risk is minimal and throwing away a batch is acceptable as long as you get a great savings on some real gems frequently enough.

Sometimes you get a bag of unusable garbage and sometimes you get $200 worth of stuff (at US prices) for $2. I don't tend to rely on getting parts that are too critical that way, but there are some items where I have gotten what I was amazed at the deals and very pleased with the quality of the items.

 

[Pete Staehling]

Since I know next to nothing about seam rippers and was curious I looked at seam rippers at the sewing stores online. With just a quick search I didn't see any that cost close to as much as the Penn State or Rockler kits. I would presume that the sewing stores would be selling functional rippers and doubt that the kits had a more functional ripper head. The kit probably is nice and may be well worth it for the other parts, but I don't think you are in putting a lovely handle on a bent nail territory if you use a $3 ripper instead of a $9 kit as a starting point.

Whether a Chinese one that you can get 4 for $0.66 (and free shipping) from ali-express is as good I have no idea, but if you can evaluate the quality the risk is low.

 

[Roger Wiegand]

You are certainly right in most fo what you say. Chinese manufacturing at this point can make anything from the absolute best to the absolute worst in quality, it all depends on what the buyer is willing to specify and pay for and then implement in terms of quality control. (the old trust, but verify thing)

I had actually been thinking about making some seam rippers since they are highly useful and functional objects where the quilters and sewers I know would appreciate a good and beautiful product, so this discussion is very much on point for me. I had planned to consult with users to see if they had opinions (and, I hope, some consensus), but I haven't done so yet. I don't know if they'd be susceptible to paying $100 for a ripper made from PM-V11 steel, cryo treated, and honed on a 12000 grit glass stone. I suspect not.

 

[John Torchick]

FWIW, my brother-in-law makes quilts and has worn out several seam rippers over the years. I made one from the Woodcraft kit. He says it is the sharpest he has ever used.