I have designed a bracelet that is solid and uses a double notched tongue and box system. I used a solid figure safety (not one made of just wire), which is good until the yellow gold wears away and it loses its locking. the tongue is always made with white gold to keep its clicking and wear retention (no problems with that set up) used a white gold hidden flat wire spring under the depressing tab and that is working great. I changed the figure 8 setup to an under locking safety that then pins into the underside of the tongue. This works great and adds to the over all feature. My question is about the location of the hinge of the two part bracelet. I have it at just above 180 degree mark (9’oclock) it is an oval shaped bracelet. Is there a right and wrong for this? I chose that location because it made it more symmetrical for the whole piece from view at the top due to the clasping area. I do not see issues. Just curious. Thank you.
More likely to get replies if you add some pics… 
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You are right. New on this thread. I didn’t see where to post pics. I’ll figure it out.
I think some clients are abusing these clasps as well. My bracelets click in twice and have strong click for the under safety clasp, plus it has a pin in it to lock the tongue in when closed. thoughts?
oh part of my question is hinge position, I placed it right above center. I made it even with the opening. That was my logic behind that engineering.
thank you Janetb for showing me that icon.
hi,
beautiful design!
curious, where/ what exactly is failing…?
would you attach a pic with the clasp in the open position?? i “think” i understand the mechanism, but i am not sure…
it looks like: (?)
there is a sort of “seesaw” hinged latch, that opens and closes via a “light switch-like” operation
when the light switch is depressed on one side, the other side lifts up and its teeth lift up, releasing the fixed catch below…ie, your tongue is not spring tension, but rather it is solid/ rigid and “hook- like”…clever!!
there us a safety latch on the underside, but i am not sure what it is latchinh onto, since the upper latch lifts up snd down as opposed to sliding in and out…
clever
curious
julie
look at the wire view. Hard to see but yes it is spring that I put in under the back of the tab and soldered back underneath. yes See-saw like as you put it. this is just a screen shot and then I pin in the tab and it interlocks with the E-tongue as I call it. so there is two snaps when the tongue is inserted. Its fail proof, lol
hi,
sorry, i misunderstood…i thought you where having issues with client -caused failure.
julie
I was making sure that it is nothing on my end. I think it is a sound clasp and bracelet, it is a solid hinge as well, no side to side looseness, it is tight. you have validated all that I have said and how I made this bracelet. Thank you. Next was just about design and that was about me not putting the hinge location exactly at 9 and 3. But when you have clients saying that theirs has fallen off, the finger gets pointed at us jewelers. Your feedback has been greatly appreciated.
Why didn’t you make the hinge and lock at 9 and 3? Wouldn’t that have been easier on the tongue?
Janet