The Button Blog - American Button Machines — Button Machines

What is a metal flatback? What is a plastic medallion button? How are they different and what can you use them for? It is confusing, why do you offer both styles?  What is a crimp die adapter used for? We get these questions quite frequently so we thought we would put together a quick history and tutorial for our followers. How can you tell a metal fatback button from a medallion? Metal flatbacks have a smooth, nicely finished metal back. Plastic medallions have a plastic back with a small ridge where the shell crimps around it. For comparison purposes, a collet...

Where can I find one button machine that makes different size buttons? That’s a questions we get asked almost on a daily basis; sometimes twice in one day. So why don’t we just make one? There are actually a few very good reasons. Allow me to share with you some quality insider information.   First, all machines that incorporate the ability to change dies are manufactured in China and do not conform to industry standard sized buttons found in the USA. Second, the die is the most expensive part of any button machine. So if your goal is to save...

Last week I offered several suggestions for putting your Metal Craft Punch to good use. This nifty little gadget is so versatile that I couldn’t fit all of my ideas in one post. So I’m back again this week with a couple more ideas. Much like threading decorative ribbon through a Christmas ornament, you can again use one of the smaller bits to make a hole for threading a short beaded chain. Some of you are probably asking, what on earth for… so it can be hung as a monogrammed rear view mirror charm. Please, enough of the genius talk; you’re...

You have questions and we have answers. One of the most commonly asked questions we get revolves around the different types of button machines and supplies & whether or not they are interchangeable. Short and Sweet: Any 2.25" and 3"  Industry Standard Button Supplies will not work in a Badge-a-Minit (AKA BAM) button maker. However we do offer BAM-sized pinback buttons for our customers who own a Badgeaminit sized button machines. Basically, you’ll find three kinds of button machines: Industry standard, proprietary and those made outside the USA. Industry standard button supplies fit 99.9% of all standard-sized button machines. These...

Hey Button Makers! The big day is finally here so please congratulate fellow button maker Bill Manning - the winner of our first ever Free Button Machine give-away. We can’t thank you enough for helping to promote our FaceBook page and all the wonderful website & Google+ reviews. We’ve had so much fun with this contest that we’d like to do it again but we need your insights to keep it fresh. Please share with us your ideas for future contests and tell us what you’d like the criteria to be and which product(s) you’d like to win. We’re all ears!...