New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-03-25
Making Co11ar-Buttons

u
ductions," said the manufacture. but since
they are at every mans fuger-ends every day
IN his life they must certainly be included
among articles IN general use Vow, here
the button we manufacture, he went on
holding up card Of his wares I've made
ten Of these buttons for every man, woman
and child IN tine United State
How many a wear
About three hundred and sixty million
he replied, and We are only drop IN the
bucket There are collar-buttons OF wood,
C0llar-buttons OF bone. pearl CellulD1d, compo-
sition agate and various metals, including gold
and silver which aggregate AN industry amount
ing 70 five million dollars yearly and our part
Of the business alone the manufacture oil com
position buttons retailing at five cents a card,
means an income of many thousands of dollars
annually The wonder D. where they all 60
Probably under the bureau, ! suggested
Yes, and that calls 10 mind a deplorable
fact in connection with the cpiar-Dutton-
Perhaps there is no other article pf man $ dress
that is responsible for more profanity. Haven
YOU seen the aggravating little things Slip from
the fingers and roll suddenly out Of sight
Who wouldn't wax profane over their per
versitys Some of the inventors who have
c0ntrived buttons that VIII not break. rumpIe
the linen, OF slip from the hutt0nh1le ought %
set their wits To work 20 produce one that
would be warranted not 20 produce profanity.
Indeed the story of the collar-hutt1n from Its
origin up % its present hourishing condition
would make an extended history. full at do
nestle scenes as well as thrilling tales Of mcr-
camille venture
Aside from the wood agate and inferior tin
buttons used principally in lau0lr-e=, the
composition or mud button. as 10 Is called
by competitors In other lines ot the collar
button industry, ranks. according % the IN
foruant. as the cheapest button on the mar
ket. IL is made OF q preparation Of clay and
shellac which is run into dies and cooled under
extreme pressure The process Is simple and
the number turned out bv single factory s.
five OF SIX hundred thousand daily. These
mud buttons. when perfect. are carded and
sold at "a fair price, while those having Imper-
fcCtI0ns are disposed of as seconds or
thirds by the great gross IN boxes, and are
almost given away
1t Is a common belief that In the manufsc-
ture of this apr -cuauCc Of dress the material
Is fed into a machine at one end and perfected
Collar-buttous drop out 40 the other end. but
such Is not the case, the processes that each
button passes through IN the better class Of
goods are numerous and surprising.
Take, for example, the Oue-riece collar
button that Is being made by several manu-
flgturer~ throughout the East. The machine
into which the metal gold OF goId-plateI is
first fed Is also used IN making Cvclets and
other similar articles. As the strip Of metal D.
run into the machine II Is cut I'm the form Of 90
disc about the size of a tWeutv-tive-cert piece
This disc then passes on and Is stamped int.
IT'S first upright form. Thus It moves tu an
other and another stamp until 1t has been
through SIX of these processes and resembles
d1miuutIve hIgh-Crowucd hat.
Another machine, accomplishing twice as
many processes, and requiring the attention
Of one person for watching and feeding. Is now
supplied with the " hats and by gradual steps
hammers the crown into the head and post Of
a collar-button. This immature button Is
then fed Individually into machine that
turns up the lower edges while another pro-
cess rolls them over and attaches the back lin
ing Gin the case of plated article, and still a
third presses the head into a tatter and more
convenient shape But after an these operations
are performed the button D. not finished. for
1t must be FURNISHED, and 1t passes through
several hands, one person polishing the head
another the post and inner surface of the back
and another the outer back. II Is then Carded
or not as the case may bc, and Is ready for the
market at a retail price of fifteen 90 twenty
five cents for a plated button, and a dollar
and "a half for a Sohd-goli one.
The manufacturer of buttons of more than
one piece viii have different story TO tell
about making his productions While IN the
one instance machines do all but the feeding
In the other there Is much haudwork to be
done The lever buttons. for example. have
several parts To- be adjusted and Soldcred OF
pressed and rivetcd together. There are over
four million of them produced annually. The
actual cost of each button Is one and three