Mohawks Rock
D.I.Y. CLOTHING
a group for people who D.I.Y. clothes and jackets and like to see how extreme you can get!
BUTTONS!!!
alright so i like buttons. i like buttons ALOT. im hopeing to put them all over my vest. problem. i cant find enough buttons that i like. i only have about 5. so heres where my ingenious plan comes in. i want to make my own buttons. has anyone ever done that before? howd ya do or how would you do it. ( i've considered just taking buttons i dont like and taping images on there that i want, but im hopeing for somthing better ).
Ruadhan J McElroy
To make your own buttons, you really need a press, a circle-cutter of some variety (it's faster and more precise than just using scissors), and parts. I have a press, found it on eBay with a starter pack of a cheap circle cutter and 250 parts for about $200, but most of the time I see these things, they're around $350 or so. A better circle cutter than what I've got (mine probably was a major contributing factor to getting carpal tunnel syndrome) will probably run at least $25, but then I'm not really all that sure. Parts are easily $40 for 1000 sets. I just print out the designs off my computer and use a template I found on-line, and align it all up in PhotoShop to make sure the designs will fit the buttons. Badge-A-Minit presses start out a bit cheaper, but the parts end up costing more per set, but most Badge-A-Minit presses come with a fair amount of parts to start with.
The good side to dropping all this money is that you can easily make it all back by selling buttons at shows, consignment at local shops, or on-line (and you'll never be out of awesome buttons for your own use) -- the downside is that you might not have that kind of money to start with. I'd offer to make you some for my normal price, but like I said, carpal tunnel syndrome, and it's been bothering me a lot lately. I have some stuff on Etsy right now, all left-over from various weekenders and stuff, and I upload new stuff on Tuesdays.
Nov 9, 2011
Calvin Chaos
buttons FTW. I'm an adict too. the button press Ruadhan mentioned is worth it if it's in your budget. I have a professional one, but you would probably be happy for your personal use with a less expensive one. If you think you're an addict now, you would be bouncing off the walls with a paper cutter and a press. you can make a button out of a magazine clipping or whatever in less than a minute each with these, and they're the same as store bought buttons. I sound like an ad.
Nov 9, 2011
Emmmallee
holy hell thats some awesome shit! lucky for me i have a large collection of pop can tabs, safety pins, AND bottle caps. i would have never thought of that...
Feb 10, 2012