Period clothing buttons

[Deadeye Don]

Yum.  Burned finger nails.   Thanks for the link to Dixie gun  works.  I never even thought of trying them.

['Monterrey' Jack Brass]

D.D.

I normally go to antique stores to get the buttond I need though JoAnne Fabric sells abalone/mother of pearl button on the card - helpful for getting a bunch that match for shirts & etc w/o all the antique store searching. Also Blockade Runner sells repo hard rubber buttons, sew-through and decorative shank type (these have the '1851' patent info on the back. They also have some other buttons as you'll see though mostly military. Google them and they'll show up.

OCD...? I call it dedication but what's in a word. Either way, attention to detail is good. For your future antique store searches I copied/pasted the info below for reference. Hopefully can be of use (though the accompanying pictures did not come out).

YMH&OS,

Monterrey J. Brass


The following, unless noted otherwise, is taken from "The Collector's Encyclopedia of Buttons", 4th Edition 1999 by S. C. Luscomb.


Pg 1, ABALONE: Abalone buttons have been made for almost two hundred years. It is often difficult to date them. However, those with smooth backs are considered to have been made since 1900. Probably all the carved-cameo style and the more finely carved buttons were made before 1880.
                  
Pg 25, BONE: That used for buttons usually came from cattle. It was boiled, cleaned, and cut into lengthwise slabs from which disks were cut in varying sizes. Many bone buttons were strictly utilitarian, such as underwear and trouser buttons; however, there were beautifully carved and inlaid examples. Most of the utilitarian and sew-throughs with two, three, four or five holes were made during the past three centuries.
                           
Pg 31, CALICO: These are china buttons with decorative patterns that are similar to, sometimes identical with, those on cotton fabric called calico. Calico cloth became very popular in America, and by the 1840s small china buttons were being made to match the fabrics. The designs on both fabric and buttons were either in a single color or a combination of colors. Nearly all the buttons had the colored design transferred onto a white body button, though a very few had white designs on a colored body. The original cards of calico buttons that have been found indicate that the buttons were made abroad in both France and England. In America, Charles Cartledge & Co, of Greenpoint, Long Island, New York, first made calico buttons in July, 1848.
                              
Pg 36, CELLULOID: A material used in a variety of ways to make buttons. Some buttons are made entirely of celluloid; others have a thin covering of celluloid over metal molds, and in some cases it is used in a combination with other materials. Celluloid was discovered by John Wesley Hyatt in 1869. Its first use was to imitate tusk ivory, and buttons made at this early date are sometimes confused with those made of real ivory. To test this material, apply a low degree of heat, and the celluloid will produce a carbolic acid odor, this odor can sometimes be induced by rubbing the buttons until they are warm. A more definite test can be made by gently applying a hot needle.
                       
Pg 50 & 51, CRAPE STONE: A trade name for a kind of glass that was used in making buttons. This glass imitated crapestones, usually onyx, which was cut and grooved to imitate crape fabric. The material, whether stone or glass, was used for mourning buttons and jewelry; both white and black glass were used. This design in glass first appeared in the 1880s (patented 1883). The buttons had metal shanks or metal shank plates.
                             
Pg 51, CROCHET: A type of needlework made with a hook, sometimes used to cover buttons. At first it was made by hand, later by machine. 'Caps' were crocheted, then placed over wooden molds that had first been covered with fine silk threads. The threads were sewed on the back to hold them in place. Crocheted buttons first became fashionable in the 1880s. Sometimes beads were put on the thread as the cap was being crocheted, the beads usually being the same color as the thread. Crocheted covered buttons again became popular in the early 1900s. These buttons are found with cardboard molds, or in the case of ball-shaped buttons, stuffed with cotton.
                     
Pg 52, CUT STEEL: A small piece of steel cut with many little facets and used to trim steel and brass buttons, as well as buttons of other materials, such as horn, tortoiseshell, bone, ivory, and pearl shell. The term 'cut steel' has been used to refer to a metal button completely covered with these little faceted pieces. Cut steel pieces have been riveted onto metal disks since the early 18th century, when the invention of faceting steel was credited to Matthew Boulton. Not until 1850 did buttons trimmed with cut steel come into [men's] style again; it was then that cut steel was applied to brass buttons, along with other materials, for women's wear. Cut steel was sometimes dyed red, blue or green and often several colors were used to decorate one button.
                             
Pg 62, EMBEDDED: This term refers to molded buttons with escutcheons applied by inserting the metal decoration while the molded material was soft. Glass buttons were decorated in this way as early as 1860.

Pg 69-70, FABRIC COVERED BUTTONS: Early in the nineteenth century machinery began to be used for making fabric covered buttons. With this change, iron shells took the place of wooden molds. B. Saunders (sometimes spelled Sanders) established a small factory in Birmingham, England, where he introduced a fabric covered button with a metal shank. A few years later, in 1825, his son invented the canvas, or flexible, shank for covered buttons. About the same time, the Willistons in America were beginning to manufacture fabric buttons in Easthampton, Massachusetts. Late in the nineteenth century, clerks in fabric shops began to use small hand machines to over buttons for customers. In fact, shops were set up for the sole purpose of covering buttons.
                           
Pg 74, FLECKS: A term used for composition buttons described as having an 'ornamental coating for the exterior of the button, composed of tinsel, foil, goldsand, or other finely subdivided material combined with shellac.' A patent was issued for this coating on June 29, 1880. The buttons were made in bright colors as well as subdued tones. Many of the buttons were of the sew-through type, though some have self shanks.
         
Pg 80-81, GLASS BUTTONS: Despite its fragility glass was used to make a great many buttons. It is believed that the manufacture of glass buttons flourished from the 1840s although a few earlier ones have been found. 'Clear' is the term for transparent glass with no color; many buttons were made of clear glass. Colored glass includes transparent, translucent, and opaque, each with colors from almost colorless to deep shades of blue, brown, green, orange, purple, red, clambroth, camphor, and imitation tortoiseshell.

Pg 97-98, HORN BUTTONS: The horns of animals were often used to make buttons. Horn lent itself to manufacture by reason of its natural characteristics. It could be split into thin sheets, welded together, or the fragments could be molded into various forms. All these processes required a combination of moisture, heat, and pressure. Most collectors divide horn buttons into two groups, Natural and Processed. Natural horn buttons are those that were cut from the solid parts of the horn, shaped, and polished; sometimes they had self-shanks, sometimes wire loop shanks, or holes. Those in the Processed groups were made in various ways out of the hollow portion. Horn was used for making buttons in the eighteenth century, but most buttons of this material that are found in old button boxes were made in Europe and in the United States in the nineteenth century. Some natural horn buttons were cut by hand, others shaped by machinery. Designs were carved, or the buttons decorated with inlay of metal or pearl shell. Because of the natural coloration of the cattle horn, no two buttons were alike. Processed horn buttons are much more plentiful than those made of natural horn, perhaps because there are larger amounts of the hollow part than the horn. Such terms as 'plastic' and 'molded' are occasionally used. 'Plastic' correctly refers only to those buttons made up of ground horn, which was mixed with adhesive materials. 'Molded' is not always correct, since buttons made from the hollow pieces of the horn usually had designs stamped by dies. 'Processed' seems to be a more accurate term for all horn buttons that were not made of the solid ends of horn. Some processed buttons have fine designs, others in high relief; but horn buttons always show fine workmanship. Horn was processed for buttons in several ways. The hollow ends of the horn were cut open and flattened under steam and pressure. The slabs made in this way could be welded to other slabs for thickness, or sliced for thin layers. The slabs were usually dyed before disks were cut out. Very often a design was stamped several times onto one slab, the shanks being inserted before the buttons were cut away. If the dye had not penetrated through the horn, the natural edges were touched up with color to match. Most dyed horn buttons were black; dark colors such as red, green, brown, or imitation tortoiseshell were rare.
 
Pg 109, JAPANNING: A process developed as a substitute for expensive Oriental lacquering, about 1800, in England, France, and Holland. The 'synthetic lacquering' known as japanning was simply a high grade of varnishing – with each coat being dried by heat before the next one was applied. Five or six coats were necessary to give sufficient body to prevent the japan from being rubbed-through in polishing. Japanned buttons were further ornamented with gold leaf, transfer printing, stenciling, or other decorations. Japanning has been on papier-mache, pewter, wood, brass, and tin buttons. Black japan was the most commonly used, but occasionally colored japan is found.

Pg 143, PAPIER-MACHE BUTTONS: The making of papier-mache was an ancient art of the orient. However, the buttons of this material found by collectors today were no doubt made nearer the nineteenth century. Papier-mache – literally, 'chewed paper' – was made from paper boiled into a pulp, or pressed into thin sheets, then mixed with adhesives. This mixture could be molded or pressed into the desired shape. In 1851 a patent was taken out in England for a button 'board' of papier-mache with the indentation for the wire shank. The whole button was covered with the black japan, the loop shank being pressed into the indentation while the japan was soft. Very few papier-mache buttons were made with holes.

Pg 156, PORCELAIN BUTTONS: These white-bodied buttons were made of clay, and usually heavily glazed with transfer or painted designs. Fine porcelains had been made for several centuries, but records indicate it was not until nearly the nineteenth century that even the older potteries made buttons for the trade. Although each potter strove to keep his formulas and methods a secret, by 1859 porcelain buttons were being made in practically every country. In the seventy years between 1850 and 1920, they had several periods of being fashionable.

Pg 170, RUBBER BUTTONS: In the last half of the nineteenth century many buttons were made of rubber. Those recognized as rubber buttons have the name Goodyear on the back. Others may seem to have rubber content, but collectors consider and treat them as composition buttons. Buttons bearing the name Goodyear may also have other words, such as the button manufacturer's name, and 'Pat.' or 'Patent, 1851'. The date 1851 has no bearing on the date the button was manufactured. It was the year Nelson Goodyear secured his patent for an improvement in the manufacture of hard rubber. Buttons with the combination date '1849-51' can also be found.
                   
Pg 155: Rubber Comb Company sample card (ca.1880-90) for hard rubber buttons.
                                                 
Pg 56-57, DICKINSON HARD RUBBER COMPANY: This company, incorporated in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1878, advertised their hard rubber buttons with the claim: 'Great beauty and design, this button resembles horn.' These buttons very often had 'D.H.R. Co' as a back mark. Although the company used the phrase 'great beauty and design' the designs found are very simple, and of a dull black color. The buttons had two holes or self-shanks.

Pg 93, GUTTA-PERCHA: The many articles, including buttons, which were made of a mixture of gutta-percha latex and rubber was also called 'gutta-percha', although gutta-percha latex alone was never used. Buttons that appear to have some gutta-percha in their composition resemble hard rubber buttons.

Pg 183, SMALL CHINAS: A term used by button collectors for a group of small china buttons most of which were made in the 1860s. This group consists mostly of buttons ranging from 3/8" to 3/4 " in size, decorated with transfer designs. Among the buttons in this group are calicoes, birdcages, bulls-eyes, hobnails, igloos, piecrust buttons, ringers, sawtooth buttons, and whistles. Most have a white body, but bodies of all colors can be found, including black.

Pg 195, TIN: Tin was used to cover the fronts and backs of buttons in the nineteenth century and these buttons are often referred to as 'tinned'. The very thin plating of these buttons is frequently found nearly worn off. This [tinning] was done mostly to prevent rust.

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

http://www.dixiegunworks.com/advanced_search_result.php?search_in_description=1&s=1&keywords=bone+button
Hello Don

              Will I guess if you want to take the easy way out try this link, only these buttons are kind of thin, but if you don't have time to make your own they should do, Have fun Pard


                                            Ten Wolves

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Good tip.  Thanks!

[Deadeye Don]

Thanks much for all the replies.  Only in NCOWS could we have such interest in such a small item as buttons!!  Got to love it.  This thread will be a great resource for others asking a similar question down the road.  Regards.  Deadeye.

[Professor Marvel]

Greetings Button Enthusiasts -

When one plans to engage in the manufacture of items form horn, antler, or bone, I always like to advise the
use of both adequate ventilation *and* excellent face masks to filter ones breathing air. The fines from antler
especially, are boiled in water to make an excellent glue. Consider that gelatenous glue firming up in your lungs ....
If you can smell the antler while working it, your filter mask probably isn't quite good enough.

I like to use brown tripoli on a loose muslin wheel to buff antler articles to a high sheen. One polished they can
be mistaken for plastic ... go figure...

your humble servant
Prof Marvel

Howdy Steel Horse & Don

making bone buttons from antlers is not hard to do , one thing to remember is when you make the button holes , make sure you bevel the hole edges, these edges are real sharp and if you don't bevel or round them over, they will cut your thread, the dremmel tool makes short work of this, useing a angle pointed grinding tip, or you can use a small pointed rasp file, you can also sand and polish them to your likeing, these buttons really look period , and they are fun to make. maybe you can get some antlers from Del?


                                                  Ten Wolves

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Howdy!

Another good tip.  Thanks, Perfessor!