I’m putting together an order off of Trendware’s basic hardware menu that others are welcome to join. Trendware are a Danvers, Massachusetts, USA-based eyelet and hardware mill. They supply many made-in-USA shoe companies.
Trendware’s minimums for “basic hardware” are 1,000 pieces per item and $100 before shipping. AA eyelets are currently going for about $40 per thousand.
Items
In particular, I am thinking about:
| Quantity | Product | Finish | Setting |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | AA Long Brass Eyelets | Lacquered | Unscored |
| 1,000 | AA Long Brass Eyelets | Nickel Plated | Unscored |
| 1,000 | AA Long Brass Eyelets | Black | Unscored |
AA eyelets are the go-to size for many work and “heritage” boot companies. It’s an old USMC “trade size”. Trendware’s dimensions are:
| Dimension | Millimeters | Inch |
|---|---|---|
| Flange Diameter | 9.80 mm | 0.386″ |
| Barrel ID | 5.28 mm | 0.208″ |
| Barrel OD | 5.80 mm | 0.228″ |
| Total Height | 6.50 mm | 0.256″ |
| Barrel Length Under Flange | 5.50 mm | 0.217″ |
I’ve personally had good results setting AAs with Italian press tooling for Moro 051-series eyelets. I’m told repair shops with Universal setting presses—the ones with rotating turrets of top and bottom dies—have no trouble with them, either.
I could also be convinced to go in on OO (wider) or #1 (narrower) eyelets.
Trendware also make the extra wide Junior Klondike eyelets and the #205 1/4" lace hooks seen on Pacific Northwest logging and packer boots. The hooks are machined, and therefore much more expensive than eyelets: pushing $200 for a bag of a thousand. If there’s interest, I would be happy to add either JKs or 205s to the order and distribute. I myself currently have plenty, thanks to the hardware bins at O. Baltor & Sons in South San Francisco.
How to Join In
Feel free to reply here on the forum—accounts are free—or e-mail me at kyle@kemitchell.com.
Ordering, Handling, Shipping, Payment
I will order the hardware shipped from Trendware to me in Oakland, California. I’ll then split things up and mail out via USPS, UPS, or FedEx—your choice. Please be prepared to pay me via PayPal, Cash App, or Venmo. I will charge:
- the items you receive, at cost
- part of the shipping from Trendware to me, in proportion to the value of your items over the total value
- shipping from me to you
Please understand that I will be divvying up the hardware items by weight, not counting them out individually. So if you go in for half a bag of a thousand eyelets, I’m going to weigh all the eyelets in the bag, divide the weight in two, then remove eyelets until those remaining equal that number. You may end up with a few more or less than five hundred pieces.