How to: cover poppers

Poppers work great with latex and come in a variety of sizes, but only a couple of colours: silver and smoky black.

This entry describe how to cover a popper to match the garment, which can look much nicer.

I used Prym 12mm 'Anorak' poppers (Prym 390330 - see supplies).

Step 1

Print the pattern for the popper cover tops and bottoms onto clear sticky film (XXX product).

You can download this pattern in the original iDraw format or as a PDF.

Step 2

Stick the film onto the shiny side of the latex.

For the popper backs (circles) clean and apply latex glue to the matt side.

For the popper tops (cogs) clean but do not glue.

Step 3

Cut out the shapes.  (This would have been so much easier with a laser cutter.)

Remove the film from both the popper tops and popper backs.

Step 4

Apply super glue (e.g. Loctite Super Glue Easy Brush) to the underside of the metal popper top.  Then stick the popper backs, shiny side down.  (So that the matt latex glued surface is facing up.)

This is the only use of super glue, so any other references in this post refer to normal latex glue.

Step 5

Apply latex glue to the matt side of the spokes of the cog.

Cover the popper with the popper tops.

You need to pull the spokes of the cog around the popper with tweezers and press down onto the circle.

Then do the ones that are 90deg separated.

You will now need to apply glue to the top of the spokes that you've folded in, and fold in the next set.

Apply glue to those, and fold in the last pair.

To give latex covered poppers.