Do not rush to throw out the old case or suitcase. A trick that will help you quickly and easily fix the latch with a cork

In today's article I will talk about how you can repair a plastic tool case with your own hands. The essence of our homemade product is the restoration of latch locks on plastic suitcases, which are very unreliable and quickly come off.

Method 1. Bottle cap latches

To work, you need a couple of corks from plastic bottles. And for each lock a pair of bolts with a diameter of 5-6 mm. It is advisable to take the bolts with a turnkey faceted head by 10.

We drill a hole in each cork, but not in the center, but closer to the edge, indented a couple of millimeters from the side. The diameter of the hole must match the diameter of the bead.

On the opposite side of the hole, we cut the side to the size of the bolt head - about 10-11 mm.

The height of the side should not be too high. 1 cm is enough. We put a bolt on the cork and insert it into the latch hole on the case cover.

From the inside we put on the washer and tighten the nut. We also insert a nut with a washer previously put on it into the lower hole. When turning the cork - the notched edge goes beyond the head of the bolt and keeps the case closed. Corks should be chosen harder. You can choose them in the color of the suitcase, and then everything will look neat and aesthetically pleasing. The corks last quite a long time, and as they wear out, they can be replaced.

Method 2. Velcro locks

This method is slightly more expensive than the first. You will have to spend money on buying Velcro tape. To work, you need 40 centimeters of such a tape. Usually they sell the tape glued, it must be divided into two halves. The part that serves as the base is softer. It is laid out along the entire length of the case.

It can be fixed on plastic in several ways:

• Rivets, if there is a riveter;
• Small bolts with washers.

For bolts or rivets, it is necessary to drill 4 holes for one side and the same number for the other.

It will be useful before you fasten the tape with rivets, coat it on the reverse side with glue. The second tape is attached in the same way.

On the second half of the case, a rigid part of the tape is attached, which is closed. It is superimposed in such a way that a free end remains. This end will overlap the first tape and prevent the case from opening.

Velcro close the case better than native locks and last much longer than plastic latches.

Method 3. Clips from Aliexpress.

This method will require little effort. On Aliexpress, you need to order latches for cases. There are several size options available.

I chose these latches. I will screw them on:

First, I attach the latch loop to the attachment point, where the previous plastic latches used to be, and with a thin awl I mark a hole for self-tapping screws. If the plastic is hard. The self-tapping screw will be difficult to fix. To fasten the latches, you can use small bolts with a diameter of 2.5-3 mm. With nuts.

The latches themselves are also screwed with self-tapping screws:

Then everything is repeated on the reverse side.

Such latches are durable, do not break, look attractive and neat.

I showed you how to repair tool cases so that nothing falls out or opens. Which way to choose is, of course, up to you.