Grommet
For the animation character, see Wallace and Gromit. |
Some rubber grommets. |
Grommets and
eyelets are
metal,
plastic, or
rubber rings that are inserted into a hole made through another material. They may be used to reinforce the hole, to shield something from the sharp edges of the hole, or both.
 |
Metal eyelets and eyelet setting tool. |
Grommets are used to reinforce holes in
leather,
clothing,
shoes, and other
fabrics. They can be made of
metal or
plastic, and are easily used in common projects, requiring only the grommet itself, a grommet-setting
tool (a metal rod with a
convex tip which usually comes with the grommets when you buy them in a store), and a
hammer. Fancier grommet presses (as shown in the picture) exist but generally a hammer and the grommet-setting tool works at least as well for setting just a few grommets. Their most common usage is to strengthen the holes for bootlacing but are also good for making
corsets and other laced clothing, plus curtains and other household items that require hanging from hooks. The grommet prevents the cord from tearing through the hole, thereby providing structural integrity. Small grommets are also called
eyelets, especially when used in clothing.
If metal or another hard material has a hole made in it, the hole may have sharp edges.
Electrical wires,
cord,
rope, lacings, or other soft material passing through the hole can become
abraded, resulting in failure. Instead, a rubber or plastic grommet can be inserted into the hole and the wire (etc.) passed through the grommet. The soft texture of the grommet shields the wire from damage. This is very commonly done wherever wires pass through punched
sheet metal and rubber grommets are manufactured in a wide variety of sizes expressly for this purpose.
A grommet can also be a small
teflon tube inserted into the
eardrum to allow air to pass through it into the
middle ear to alleviate the hearing loss and pain that can occur with repeated
ear infections, a condition sometimes known as
glue ear. This is also a correcting measure for a patulous
eustachian tube, when air moves to and from the middle ear with each breath making the eardrum flap.
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