The Button Blog - American Button Machines — Button Making Questions

What is a crimp die adapter?  If you have a 1" button maker from ABM, you most certainly got one with it and this may very well answer all of your questions about that flat, round, nickel sized mystery disk you found inside the box. So now you have a name for it, but what are you supposed to do with it?  The first thing to know about it is to remember you only want to use it when you are making plastic backed medallions.  That leads us to a quick side note, what do you do with medallions?  They...

How do I find out what size button machine I have? Many of our customers inherit a button machine at work, they found a “bargain” at a garage sale or a friend gives it to them but nobody knows for sure exactly what size it is.  That leaves them asking the question of how to tell what size it is.  One of the biggest mistakes is guessing what size you have.  We do returns frequently for people that guessed at the size of their button makers and got it wrong.  The biggest thing to remember is the button supplies must...

Do I really need a graphic cutter to make buttons?  Why can't I just use scissors?  These are some of the first questions we hear when someone new is considering making buttons and this week, Team ABM is here to answer! First, do you really need a cutter to make buttons?  The answer is yes!  Button graphics have to be cut to very specific sizes in order for your button to crimp together properly and for the graphic to stay straight on the face of the button.  If it's too big, the button won't stay together and if it's too small,...

What size paper cutter do I need to make my buttons?  This is a simple, yet tricky question that every new button maker will ask.  You want to make a 2.25" button so you can get any old 2.25" paper punch from the local craft store, right?  Wrong.  Although the button may be 2.25" the graphic needs to be a little bit larger so it wraps around the front shell meaning your circle needs to actually be 2.625".  Who knew?   This means you need a paper cutter that is designed specifically for the purpose of button making.  Just getting a...

Why does my button have rust on it?  This question comes up more often as the weather begins to warm up and humidity begins to rise.  You remember you have a great stash of super cute buttons that you put away at the end of last Summer and you run to get them out of the back of the closet only to find those perfect tropical beach designs have a few unexpected polka dots.  Although it's a little too late for that group, you can absolutely prevent it from happening to the rest! Moisture, any kind of moisture, is the mortal...