Page 11 - May1954

IIay, 1954 NATIONAL BUTTON BULLETIN
201
il'ory. Ilany molds are pierced through the center, while a few have metar
shanks. Any material used to "stuff"i textire button i. a inoia.
"orr".
Ring molds differ from the solid molds just described in both shape
and application. They are shaped rike finger rings and give stability to the
button by providing a framework which can be nltea in wiin tn"'i"*tit"
"o""".
By "fastening devices" is meant the rneans provided for sewing buttons
on. that is, the different kinds of contrivances foihording- the threaa.
A drop fastening is a ioop or short length of any textire which, r-hen
served to a garment, rvir lea'e its button hingins p"na""t. Drop buttons
have been used ornamentaliy in great numbers and are often found in acorn
and olive shapes, as well as balls.
The most usuar fastening device on metal shell buttons is u,hat the
trade calls a flexibre shank. It consists of a tuft of strong fabric protruding
th-rough an opening in the rnetal back. Frexibre shanks to""a on buttons
"ri
rvith encased backs as well as on ones with bare racts ana occasronauy
one finds an encased back with the flexible shank concealed, iL being as
though the button were flrst made up comDretery with a rars bact< and then
encased.
Iletal shanks are of several kinds, chiefly loop and cone.
A considerable number of textile covers provide no means for holding
the sewing threa,d except the cover itself. Nearly all homemade covered
buttons are of this sort; so, too, are many crochet covers and most thread
covers.
some encased covers are without shanks of any kind, the back sherl
with a center perforation as though for a flexible.trn"k n"i"s'."llori covered.
The_ name "overlap" has been gil-en to all buttons which must be sewn on
by their co'ers. The name derives from the fact that i" ao *.rn_" aases these
covers are single pieces laid on the front laliped o.r,er the back bf the mold.
The term serv-thru applies only to those buttons in lvhich tire thread
passes through the body of the button and appears on the front.
Thread backs ar"e typicar in the textire group, three different kinds
being rvorthy of special classes. one is the corded type in which the back
of the mold is covered with a iacing of cord. prouatlty
the r-rrost common
is the disked tvpe, v'hich is the patented thread-back cbmmonly-tnou,n oi.
that na're. The construction of such a thread-back is this: . di.k of thi.,
materi:rl (usuall)- metal or cardboard) is first swa.ilred in thread and then
clamped into place to for'r the back of the button. The third kind of thread
back is one in which the same threacr that is used to hoid the cover in place
is applied in such a \ray that it forms the fastening device. rn these
b'ttons the co'er comes only part way over the back ind is held by long
stitches going from side to side to form a quite firrn mass.
rt is impossible to describe construction without also talking about
colerr, and so we have aiready alluded to the trl,o basic kinds of
those made of thread and those made of fabric.
Bead covers incrude those in which the mold is completely enveloped
in beads and also those in which beads are used arong with othei materiars.
One might, if he chose, mount these two kinds separitely.
Brochette covers are rnade of thread, cord and metailic thread. T.l'o
separate kinds of brochette buttons, bobbins and .wheels,
are described on
pages 214 and 215. Alr of these buttons are made with the same iriece of
equipment and a description of it will also be a description of the buttons.