1 inch magnets REVISED

How to make a 1 inch magnet
(You can skip to the bottom of this post for the actual tutorial.)

But first lots of superfluous information:

Okay, so here is the whole story about 1 inch magnets. It used to be that you had to make a medallion button using a crimp adapter in your model 100 and then stick on a little 1/2 inch adhesive magnet to the back. They were cheap, but not too easy to do. Also the little 1/2 inch magnets weren't very strong. One day I got a call from one of my favorite customers over at Amoeba Music asking if there was any way to get better looking and stronger 1 inch magnets.

This got me to experimenting. I was looking at the magnets used for 1-1/4 inch magnets, and on a whim tried to cram one into the back of a 1 inch button (made with a collet like a standard button, not made as a medallion). And so the "1 inch Deluxe" magnet was born.

But people started complaining that it was too hard to insert the magnet into the collet after the fact, as I had originally posted in my instructions. Then I got the call that changed everything! I forget the customer name, but she, smarter than I, figured out that you just put the magnet in the collet IN THE MACHINE and then press the button. I had a serious DUH! moment because this is the same procedure one would use to make a mirror. This is why I haven't answered any of the questions on the original 1 inch magnet post. I am about to remove it and replace with this one.

The Tutorial Starts Here

First, get every thing you need together. For 1 inch magnets you need:

• A Model 100, 1 inch Button Maker
  
• 1 inch magnet sets (which includes, shells, collets, mylar, and a magnet)
• A graphic cut into a circle

Step 1: Insert the shell, smooth side up, into the take up die (the one thats on the left when the die table is perpendicular to the base plate.)

Step 2: Insert the graphic on top of the shell

Step 3: Insert the mylar on top of the graphic.

Step 4: Rotate the die table around.

Step 5: Insert the collet, sharp side up, into the crimp die.

Step 6: Insert the magnet, magnetic side down, into the center of the collet in the crimp die. You do not need to remove the back or expose the adhesive. The adhesive part of this magnet is only used for 1-1/4 inch magnets. In the 1 inch machine, the collet holds the magnet in place, it does not need to be adhesive.

Make sure to center the magnet very carefully. It's easy to do since it's a magnet and it sticks to the metal die. But you should still pay attention because if it's off center, your magnet won't crimp.

Step 7: Press your magnet as usual. Pull the handle all the way down toward you, rotate the die table around and pull the handle all the way down toward you a second time. Just like normal.

Step 8: Remove your finished magnet from the machine and marvel at how smooth and professional it looks and how easy it was to make. :)

More fun with fabric buttons

More Fun with Fabric!

But first.... awesome button board stuff:

Since we opened an actual brick and mortar store (in Seattle's historic Georgetown neighborhood!) I've had to think of ways to decorate it. I had to come up with a way of displaying buttons. I quickly learned that old photo frame + foamcore + canvas = AWESOME Button Board!

I just covered a piece of foamcore with canvas. Then I used the canvas covered foamcore to replace the glass in a crappy old frame. I just bent the pin on the back of the buttons to a 90 degree angle and stuck it in.

Okay... on to the fun with fabric. Please see this post first, if you are not familiar with fabric buttons.

I went to Pacific Fabric Outlet and bought a bunch of fat quarters, which are basically just small squares of fabric. On Friday it's buy three get one free :) So I picked up a bunch of cute prints and I got out 5 different button machines to make this board. I used 1, 1-1/2, 2-1/4, 3 and 3-1/2 inch machines. If these sizes seem familiar it's because those are the sizes that are preset on the Adjustable Rotary Cutter, which I have decided is the ONLY WAY TO CUT CIRCLES FOR MAKING FABRIC BUTTONS. Alright, it's not the only way, you could use scissors also (I do not recommend the graphic punch, see this post if you're thinking about trying it.)

I started noticing this time that the more perfect my circles were, the better my buttons turned out. When my fabric circles were a little off, I had a much higher failure rate and more escaped edges (keep reading for a description of escaped edges).

For all of the fabric pictured here, fuzzy leopard print excluded, I had to use 2 layers of fabric to get the buttons to crimp properly. The fuzzy leopard print was thick enough to work flawlessly every time. I had about a 10% failure rate with all the other fabrics, even with the multiple layers. By failure, I mean that the fabric didn't crimp at all or tore in the machine.

A lot of the times with the double layer standard cotton fabrics, I had small area of fabric that was pinched in between the shell and the backing, but folded backwards, and didn't crimp all the way under the backing. I refer to this problem as escaped edges. I did not consider buttons with escaped edges as failures. I just trimmed them down and called it good. It's such a tiny little piece that is hardly noticeable at all on the back of the button. If escaped edges is a big problem for you, I would recommend having your machine adjusted for fabric. Sometimes if you cut the escaped edge too close to the button, it becomes un-pinched and therefore ruins the button. So be careful when trimming escaped edges!


I pressed out 58 buttons in all, had 5 that were completely unusable, 12 with escaped edges that I trimmed off and used anyway, and 41 totally perfect fabric buttons. I noticed that my model 225 had a better success rate than my other machines. It didn't seem to matter if I used a fabric or a paper base layer. It really depends on the fabric you're using and how smooth the inside of the dies on your particular machine are. Sometimes, like with the fuzzy leopard print, you just find the magical combination and it works every time. Other times, like with the cotton pink skull fabric, it just doesn't work as consistently and you have to keep trying.

Good luck with your projects and please feel free to comment here with any advice or new ideas!