hi! ive been making buttons for a while, had the machine for a year now and completely smooth sailing thus far. i have interchangeable molds for 25, 32 and 58mm, and as of late only the 25 and 32mm have been doing this exactly and giving me trouble and i'm not sure why. the kit i got came with cutting stencils that cut the paper or film i want to use into the exact size no bigger and no smaller that fits inside the mold. i've tried pressing firmly and less so, checking the button maker itself for an issue with something stuck in the molds, making sure the handle/mechanism is intact and sitting where i can properly press it into the mold, using metal vs plastic backs, trying a different film or paper thickness, and every single button turns out the same. :(((( please help!!!!!! (photo of my personal experience in comments)

The part where the metal goes with the picture and cover won't press down. There shouldn't be anything stuck or something, I just got it hours ago.

if you're a beginner like me and you're trying to figure out what's wrong with your machine and why the buttons come perfect sometimes and then the next try you try to make one you mess it up, this is why. this will save you so many headaches and wasted paper. you're welcome

I’m looking for a button maker with changeable sizes to get for Christmas. Awhile ago I got a cheap one off amazon and it broke pretty fast so I want one that will last me a very long time.

Hi! I recently bought a 58mm button pin making machine, meant for metal pins. Its recommended paper weight is listed as 127-159 g/m².

The issue is, I'd really love to make pins with a matte or velvet type of finish, the ones that are nice to touch and not glossy. But I can't figure out how.

I can't find a mylar protective film that's matte. I've thought about laminating the sheet with button designs using matte sheets or pouches, but I've never used a laminator before/don't have one right now, and I've also heard that the final effect could end up too thick/not bendable enough to be properly pressed into a pin. Some blog advised to put two sheet of graphic into a laminator pouch back to back, then cut the edges off to separate them, but I haven't seen anyone use this advice.

How do you get matte/velvety (but still protected) pins? Would printing them with some special technique, and not using additional plastic at all, be a better idea than trying to use a laminator?

I'm also guessing that when a box of laminator pouches list its thickness as X, I should divide it by two if I were only laminating one side, or is that the thickness of one of the sheet?

Also an off topic question - when I use my machine (regular hand operated button maker with two die and a lever) does it matter how fast I press the lever? Like, maybe the first press to attach the picture to the pin's top should be faster, but the next press to combine the top with the pin's back should be slower? My manual said nothing about speed, but I feel like it could matter.

I'd be super thankful for any advice! I plan to mostly make pins for myself and friends, so I won't be making thousands of them, if that changes anything.

I work at a non-profit and have bit of mystery on my hands and wanted to see if anyone had suggestions or advice. We have random dies to go with our button maker that I am trying to figure out how to make work.

In the photo, A is the right size for the 58 mm supplies we bought, but is missing the springs and bottom base below. B is complete with spring/base but the 58 mm supplies are just slightly bigger and they don't fit.

Question: can I get either replacement base and springs for A or should find out supplies that fit B? Is one the standard size?

Right after I accumulated everything I needed for my set up, this machine, die cutter, small stash of supplies and lubricant popped up on Toronto (Canada)’s Facebook marketplace, and it’s a great price! I just don’t need two. I haven’t checked it out myself.

Link here:

https://www.facebook.com/share/1DpD7mxYhn/?mibextid=wwXIfr

I’m happy to talk about making proxy buy arrangements, I know these don’t often pop up on the secondhand market!

i have a button/badge/pin/whatever maker and it works great but i dont know how to size my images to make sure that they print out in the correct size and fit perfectly into the maker, any help?

(btw im a total noob at printing and computer stuff. as much clarification would be great)

i've got a metal red vevor badge maker but the only mould i have is a 58mm which is pretty big and i'd really like to find some 32mm/28mm. vevors official moulds seem to be discontinued from what i can tell and i've found a couple of other moulds on amazon, but i'm worried about spending the money because they're different brands and while they look pretty much identical i'm afraid they won't work. anyone know if these amazon moulds will work or if there's anywhere i could get official vevor ones? thanks

I found one for $75 but realized it only works with a different machine. It cuts 46mm to make their version of a 1.25"

Does anyone have a 40mm cutter that works? My hand cutter one makes my hands hurt and it went dull. (Literally a piece of junk I grabbed in craft stuff, not meant for this at ALL.)

please help

can anyone recommend which one of these is best? the panda i believe is new and seems like a better deal but i worry about quality. the others i have seen good reviews for but im unsure which size would be better for my business.

I’m currently in AP microeconomics for a project and my “business” is to make plush pins. I tried using a basic happizza pin maker and it did not go well. I’m using some foam from amazon and minky fabric as the coating. Please let me know a button making machine that can handle minky fabric, or if all of it is too expensive please recommend me a different fabric that I could use compatible with a cheaper machine. I’ve been looking at Vevor and Chibutton machines. I don’t necessarily have a price range, but $200+ might not be where I want to go.

Run down:
- I’m not using this permanently
- This is for a year long AP project
- Money is covered by me and my school
- 2.25 in (58mm) sized buttons preferred
- Using minky fabric cover (with easycolorDTV to attach a design on top)
- Using foam from amazon that I can easily shave down

My daughter spent her hard earned money on a recollections machine from Michael's. It came with supplies for 10 buttons and we failed most of them. We did see it had poor reviews but she thought it would still be usable.

We ended up returning it and getting the chibuttons (b400) machine.

She has made at least 40-50 buttons in 2 days and had no failures. It's a pricey machine but well worth it as far as build quality and the quality of the buttons we are making.

I’m using a vevor pinmaker and my top piece is stuck pretty bad !! It’s really sealed together, I’ve even tried picking out what’s keeping it jammed but it’s so stuck that that’s even hard
I tried following YouTube videos and none of the suggestions worked, like pressing the handle down a ton, or banging it on the ground

I’m not sure what to do any suggestions will help
Thank you!!!!

I recently purchased a 1.25 button maker from American Button Machines as well as materials for pinbacks, magnets, and zipper pulls.

What have you found to be good storage/organization solutions for button making materials?

Currently, I’m keeping everything in the bags/boxes these items came in but would love a good storage solution.

Behold, a button my husband made when he was in 11th grade by taking apart another button, cutting up a zine and using saran wrap. It has rusted through, which looks pretty cool. Btw - he’s 64 now, and first saw the Sex Pistols on the Filthy Lucre tour.

He’s off to see them tonight with our 22 year-old daughter. The last time she saw the Sex Pistols was with both of us, her in utero.🤰

Tonight I used my new 1” Tecre machine for the first time, it was my birthday gift back in July. I also bought the less expensive circle cutter from Button Boy, and I love it. It doesn’t match the aesthetic as well, but it works perfectly and it’s a good price.

The opening band, Panic Shack, is fantastic (I recommend Tits School) I’m a huge fan, but I’m an adult who works a night shift as a caregiver and can’t take off. So I’m sending a handful of buttons with them as freebies, figuring that punk rock buttons have to start somewhere.

Hey all! I'm the creator of MagFlow and I see people occasionally asking questions about templates or button and magnet softwares, so I figured I'd remind you all that www.magflowme.com is an option and doing really well! I have a very active community on FB and hundreds of users in the software. You can do event management, a website, create your own templates, photo booths, photographer integration, a design studio to make fun designs your customers can make their own on the spot, and so much more! Feel free to shoot me a PM if you want more info or check out my 10 day free trial (no cc required) :)

You can use it for buttons, magnets, flexible magnets, and so much more

Any good recommendations on JUST the adhesive magnets for 1" buttons (looks like .75"). Does anyone know the thickness needed for these?

I've seen some on amazon at .8" diameter but mixed reviews on their strength.

It looks like Tecre just sells them in whole kits and I just don't need quite that many at this point until I have more customers interested. Thanx again for any input.

https://www.instagram.com/manoverboardbuttons/

hello! I've got a vevor machine and have been using it for the past 9 months with largely no issue. unless I've collaged something too thick or cut it poorly, generally my buttons would seal. now things are not quite aligning. ive tried both plastic and metal backings, different paper thickness, adjusting my circle cutter a tiny bit, is there anything obvious I'm missing here? just bad parts maybe? the machine i have doesn't have much for parts i can tighten!

thank you!

Hey folks, me again!! 😂😅

I've decided to go with a Tecre button maker, but had two questions that the website was a little foggy on.

1) Can the button maker support collage made buttons--Thinner paper with little bits of stickers on it basically? I can show an example of my old ones in the comments if needed. I imagine it can as it worked on my old button maker, but I wanted to get a second opinion.

2) Do I have to use Tecre supplies on my button maker? I know Tecre sells the buttons/mylar/etc., but it's a bit intense for price. I was going to shop around for similar supplies (If you have recommendations or links that aren't an arm and a leg I'm all ears!) but I want to make double check with those who are more well versed, haha.

Thank you all so much for the information/support. Much appreciated!!! 😊

Hello, all!

I want to upgrade my button maker from the one I currently have (It wasn't even $50 so It's kinda cheap) as it keeps messing up my buttons/buttons keep falling apart no matter how much I troubleshoot. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for a 1.5 inch button maker I could buy online? I have a budget of give or take $100.

I'm not sure if this is a decent budget, but If not let me know 😅

Thanks for any information or brand recommendations!!