Hi all, I have a customer for whom I made a pair of clip earrings.
She can’t keep them on her ears. She sent them back, I tightened
the clips but she says that they still slip off. I’m not sure what
else to do. They do have some weight to them but I have made others
of equal weight and not had the same problem. Any suggestions?
Deb- Snowed in in Illinois
Hi Deb; If these are the “omega” type backs and assuming you have as
much tension on them as the customer finds comfortable, here’s a
trick I’ve used. Make and attach a couple of “traction pads”.
Make 2 small disks, about 3/16" to 1/4" in diameter and dap (dome)
them slightly. Now, using a jewelers saw, cut parallel lines into
them, about 1/16" apart. Using a small triangular file, file down
into the cuts until you have created a corrugated surface on the
convex side of each disk. Soften this corrugated surface slightly by
polishing. Solder those onto the earrings in position so that the
clip backs press the ear lobe against the serrated disks.
David L. Huffman
made a pair of clip earrings. She can't keep them on her ears. She sent them back, I tightened the clips but she says that they still slip off
Deb, Check with findings suppliers. Often, you can buy plastic or
rubber pads that slip over the clip loop like a sleeve or snap into
them to creating a pad. They add gripping quality and comfort.
Another option might be to alter the pad on the earring. Maybe it
needs to be larger or raised higher. Some people have such thin lobes
that the usual tension settings don’t work.
HTH,
Donna
Hi Deb, Try soldering a small dome or lump to the earring back at
the point where the clip or fanback–the hinged element meets it.
This shouldgive you a friction point.
Good luck, Andy Cooperman
Does your customer have trouble keeping her other earrings on?
As someone once said, “there are ears, and then, there are ears!” I
can fasten my clips to the point of pain, and they still slide off.
Perhaps you might try using a different kind of clip, or – as I do
– use the screw fasteners instead of the others; the pads are
smaller, usually, and so they can get a better “bite” (ouch!).
margaret
Hi all, I have a customer for whom I made a pair of clip earrings. She can't keep them on her ears. She sent them back, I tightened the clips but she says that they still slip off. I'm not sure what else to do.
She probably just has unusually thin ear lobes. Look for a product
that is a round silica pad, having a ‘button’ on one side. The
‘button’ is inserted into the tab portion of the clip. It gives a
little more thickness, and gives a cushion against the ear. RGA has
them on p.450 of their 2001-2002 catalog, several different sizes and
configurations. Omega clips use the large donut.
I made a pair of clip earrings. She can't keep them on her ears.
Hi Deb, I occasionally get requests for the dreaded clip-on
earrings… usually from my Mom or Mother-In-Law, so I can’t say,
“No.” I have to again figure out the setup every time.
The first time I did a pair, my Mom sent them back for the same
reason: not enough tension to hold, and the spring tab was as tight
as I could get it. As it turns out, I had assembled them incorrectly
by soldering the hinge part to the back of the earring wrong. The
hinge part is an “L” shaped piece, and you need to make sure the
orientation is correct. The paddle can be mounted even if the hinge
is soldered in correctly. This may be an over-obvious suggestion, but
I did it and it took me some time to figure out my error.
I have since discovered the Rio Grande catalog has a very helpful
tip (instructions) in their findings catalog, on the page that shows
the clip on findings. If you have the catalog, you might want to do a
quick cross-check!
All the best,
Dave
Dave Sebaste
Sebaste Studio and
Carolina Artisans’ Gallery
Charlotte, NC (USA)
dave@sebaste.com
http://www.CarolinaArtisans.com
Sounds to me like the problem is not with the earrings, but with the
ears. Not much you can do about that except maybe make lighter
earrings. Jerry in Kodiak
Different clips.Add pads to the clips to help keep them from
slipping.I believe Rio Grande sells them. Regards JMO
Have the earrings of equal weight been hung on those same ears?
Some lobes are thin and slippery, so that person can only tolerate
light weight earringa.
Your client obviously has thin ears. Tell her to plump up a bit! Buy
her donuts and rock candy, chocolates and cookies and tell her to
return when she has nice thick juicy earlobes!
Tony
I hate this problem , I had a customer who said that the clips were
different tightnesses and fell off only ONE of her ears … Even if
she switched ears with the same pair of earrings ! If she says it
doesn’t hurt tighten them until you can’t any more, then pray.
Sam Patania, Tucson
Aloha Donna, I have had problems with clips before because every
person has unique ear lobes. Some are thicker than others, longer,
or shorter. In the past, I took my round nose plier’s cover is with
a piece of cloth or a rubber band and gently reshaped the clip to
make it tighter or looser. It works. You just have to know how much
to adjust before the earrings feel like it’s pinching the lobe or
how much you can bend it before it loses its tension. Once you know
the the adjustment is 1/32, smaller, or larger, you can adjust it to
fit comfortably. Hope this helps. Aloha Oe, Barbara