Diaper Pin Advice

[5bugles]

OK, ladies and gentlemen, this might be a peculiar question, but does anyone know of a good way to sharpen diaper pins? The best and sharpest I've found are the all-steel ones from the WalMart sewing section, but the metal heads tend to tear my plastic pants. I've tried several brands of plastic headed pins from eBay and Amazon, but they just aren't as sharp which makes them difficult to use, especially when my hands are cramping at night. One brand even bent when I tried pushing them through. The good news is the plastic heads don't tear my plastic pants, so I don't want to quit using them. I've tried running the tips over sandpaper as well as the tried and true method of pushing the tips into a bar of soap. So far, I'm not having much luck, though.

Thanks for any advice!

[Steve M.]

I quit using pins several years ago after I discovered Snappi fasteners. They hold everything together well and are much easier to use than pins. I buy the size two from CTDC.
[url]https://www.changingtimesdiaperco.com/collections/diaper-fasteners/products/snappi-size-2-toddler-double-pack[/url]
They start out a bit short but after a few uses stretch out to 9inches or so.

You might find them at a Target or Walmart store...but I haven't looked.

I also checked out the Boingo fasteners....it takes two and they are as awkward to use as pins. They don't hold as well as Snappi's and the teeth on them broke.

A good while ago I tried every thing I could think of to sharpen pins when they became difficult to push through material. Best I could do for sharpening was very fine wet/dry sand paper. Sticking them in a soap bar did a good job lubricating them, which helped.

[Ellyn]

All diaper pins, or pins used for diapering are definitely not made the same. Qualities differ greatly.
Small pins, like the ones used for babies and young children, with plastic heads, are a little shorter than 2 inches long and made from a stiff wire that holds it’s shape and sharpness.
Adult diaper pins are usually longer 2-1/2 to 3 inches long and use thicker wire. Some have metal heads, some plastic. The longer pins are ideal for double diapering. The smaller (baby) pins are fine for single adult diapering.
Over the years, I have tried MANY pins. Most bend easily. These pins also lose their sharpness or the point of the pin bends, rendering it difficult to pass through the cloth.
The one recent find that I can recommend is the large pins with plastic heads from Rearz!!! These pins are great for double diapering and made from a stainless steel that won’t bend or lose it’s sharpness. The plastic heads keep the pin fastened so you don’t wake with a pin unfastened, tearing pants or sticking you...!!
Rearz.com. Look under diapers section.

[Rope_Wrench]

You may think this is silly but trust me, this will deal with your pin problem. Take your pins and poke them into a bar or soap. Twist a little but what it does is lubricates them and then they slide right through the diaper. Give it a try. Let us know how it works.

Rope

[Padded53]

5Bugles... I hope I not preaching to the choir here but when you try to sharpen something with sandpaper you need to use a very very fine paper to get a really sharp point. You shouldn't start with anything rougher than 320-400, then move to 1000 and even finer if you can. Harbor Freight is a good source for inexpensive super fine sandpaper. I think they have a sample pack that even goes to 2000 grit. If that doesn't work you might want to try to sand the tip of the diaper pin on just one side and make a hypodermic needle type point. I'm not sure if that type of tip will help but it's worth a try.

[5bugles]

I quit using pins several years ago after I discovered Snappi fasteners. They hold everything together well and are much easier to use than pins. I buy the size two from CTDC.
https://www.changingtimesdiaperco.com/collections/diaper-fasteners/products/snappi-size-2-toddler-double-pack
They start out a bit short but after a few uses stretch out to 9inches or so.

You might find them at a Target or Walmart store...but I haven't looked.

I also checked out the Boingo fasteners....it takes two and they are as awkward to use as pins. They don't hold as well as Snappi's and the teeth on them broke.

A good while ago I tried every thing I could think of to sharpen pins when they became difficult to push through material. Best I could do for sharpening was very fine wet/dry sand paper. Sticking them in a soap bar did a good job lubricating them, which helped.

I tried a Snappi in the past, but it didn't work well for me. Maybe I will try it again now, knowing that they do stretch some over time. Thanks!

[5bugles]

All diaper pins, or pins used for diapering are definitely not made the same. Qualities differ greatly.
Small pins, like the ones used for babies and young children, with plastic heads, are a little shorter than 2 inches long and made from a stiff wire that holds it’s shape and sharpness.
Adult diaper pins are usually longer 2-1/2 to 3 inches long and use thicker wire. Some have metal heads, some plastic. The longer pins are ideal for double diapering. The smaller (baby) pins are fine for single adult diapering.
Over the years, I have tried MANY pins. Most bend easily. These pins also lose their sharpness or the point of the pin bends, rendering it difficult to pass through the cloth.
The one recent find that I can recommend is the large pins with plastic heads from Rearz!!! These pins are great for double diapering and made from a stainless steel that won’t bend or lose it’s sharpness. The plastic heads keep the pin fastened so you don’t wake with a pin unfastened, tearing pants or sticking you...!!
Rearz.com. Look under diapers section.

Thanks, Ellyn! Will definitely check them out. I've tried their Inspire diapers and liked them.

[5bugles]

You may think this is silly but trust me, this will deal with your pin problem. Take your pins and poke them into a bar or soap. Twist a little but what it does is lubricates them and then they slide right through the diaper. Give it a try. Let us know how it works.

Rope

Glad to see you back online, Rope! I've tried the soap trick and it does help some. Hope all is well with you!

[5bugles]

5Bugles... I hope I not preaching to the choir here but when you try to sharpen something with sandpaper you need to use a very very fine paper to get a really sharp point. You shouldn't start with anything rougher than 320-400, then move to 1000 and even finer if you can. Harbor Freight is a good source for inexpensive super fine sandpaper. I think they have a sample pack that even goes to 2000 grit. If that doesn't work you might want to try to sand the tip of the diaper pin on just one side and make a hypodermic needle type point. I'm not sure if that type of tip will help but it's worth a try.

Wow! I tried some 400, but didn't know Harbor Freight carried such fine grit paper! I'm also wondering, now, if I could use the honing stones from my Lansky knife sharpening kit...completely forgot about it until I started thinking about 1000+ grit sandpaper.

[dp66]

I second the use of bar soap to keep pins sharp. It works great.