Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-05-14
BUTTONS AND THEIR MAKING.
What They Have Done FOR Costume
Method. of Manufacture.


Buttons have played a grea, part IN the
world. said scientific man o. n star writer.
They were invented only century and half
ago. and vet they have rcvolu,ionised clothes.
Until modern times people delighted in loose
and flowing robos. which were flung around the
body. In days 81 old the tailors and Dress
makers paid attention to fit" having re-
gard merely for the graceful adjustment a
drapery. Al this was changed bv buttons.
They were not worn originally Ton any useful
purpose. but merely for ornament Thus N
You look up their history. YOU viii ind that the
earliest patterns Of them were splendid and
costly. However, II wns not long before their
utility for fastening garments came Go 4,
realized. They rendered 1t possible 20 make
clothing NJ closely to the BODY. and 80 they
brought about complete alteration i'm the
theory Of costume.
buttons have become necessary to ciyiliza-
ton. IL IL difficult Co see how mankind could
get along without them now. Only sxva,,ss and
the INDECENT peoples of the orient dispense with
them. They arr made 81 every conceivable ma
terial almost. including all the metals from cold
10 peNser. pearl, IVORY, tortoise shell boue.
horn. HAIR. india rubber wood amber let
glass. porcelain, clay. leather. PAPER mach,,,
vegetable ivory. precious STONES and all sorts a
stuns and cloths. Metal buttons are either
stamped with dies or cast One firm in
the United States turns ont $4,000 600 iron
backs Tor covered buttons every wear Glass
buttons are made by pine hing the hnlf-.oft ma
trrial IN hot piuocrs. The piucers are Furnished
WITH die, n it IL desired 90 impress a design ON
TIE buttons. Wooden button molds come largely
from the south Of France. where plenty q
wood suitable for the purpose grows.
Common shirt buttons are made hv mixing
hnely powdered soapstone with siicate a
soda. otherwise known ne water glass The
mixture is dried and repuiNerized and the DOW
ger Is pressed into molds by machinery. The
IRE SHY nodded buttons baked in furnace.
dipped In water glass and again baked When
cool, they Rre polished b, being placed in a
rotating barrel Of water. FINALLY they are dried
ana given an additional polish an a rotating bar
rel Win soal'stone powder. Porcelain buttons
are manufactured like siaan ornamental arti-
clee oi enrthen ware. The moistened clay 10
pressed INTO plaster Of paris molds and the
buttons thus nodded. after being dried ON
boards. are given first driug aud baking in
the biscuit oven Al this stage the baked but
tons are called biscuits Then they are glazed
ulrectly, or as preliminary. are adorned with
coiors, which are fixed by further baking in the
enamel kiln The colors are nut ON liz hand
painting or by transfer printing By the lat
ter process the design L. printed from a coppe-
plate with a peculiar ink on tissue paper, which
| Is placed while the impression Is moist on the
biscuit ware. After the ink has had time 20 lry
the paper Is removed, leaving the design on the
buttons
''Mother-of-pearl buttons are cut bv hand
with small revolving circular saw. The WORK
requires great skill. an important object being
20 get as many buttons ~ possible out Of each
shell III the mother-of-pearl IL thick enough
II Is sometimes split into two LAYERS. Finest ~
all pearl buttons are those made from the white
edged Macassar shells brought from the East
India seas. These shells are worth $50 ton
IN the crude. The waste mother-of-pearl is
ground 20 a line powder. which is mixed with
gum to form a paste and nodded into buttons
OF an inferior quality"