Custom Buttons?

[Jon Foster]

Do you guys think there would be much interest in custom buttons for sewing projects?

My wife just finished a new pirate coat for me and we haven't found any buttons that we really like. The buttons that come close are big $$$. But I don't want to spend big money on buttons I really don't like all that much. So I was thinking about making a few custom buttons, making a mold and casting a bunch in colored resin...

That also got me to thinking about what kind of interest there might be out there from people that sew their own costumes and garb etc.

Jon.

[sealion]

I don't know about colored resin but I think there's a market for cast pewter buttons.

[Aunty Lou]

     Depends a great deal on the design of the buttons...  I have seen a few pewter companies online that do buttons for what seems a reasonable price. (notably Household Goods from Bill and Charlie, or Treasure Cast)  These seem geared towards the SCA eras, with some Tudor thrown in.  My favorites are a set of pewter shank buttons, about 5/8" flat round, with a pattern of vine leaves on a black oxidized background.  I move those around from top to top as the whim sets in...
     If resin is your choice, I'd bury a good loop of metal as a shank in the plastic, and go for the solid dark colors.  Or you could go for the fabric-covered buttons, covered with brocade or embroidered bits.  (At last! a use for those tiny bits of embroidery I'm too sentimental to throw out, and aren't big enough for anything!)

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

I came across some really cool metal buttons from Pillaged Village in a Skull and Cross Bone design that turned out to be perfect for Pirate coats. I ordered more for a coat that I will be making for a client next week.

[Jon Foster]

Hmm... There seems to be plenty of button makers out there. Maybe it's not a good idea to add another one.

Jon.

[Hoowil]

As someone who keeps trying to get around to making buttons and clasps, I say, if you like what you make, make what you like, and enjoy doing it, who cares how many others are making things. Make a bunch, show 'em around, and use them yourself. If people want some, you can help put off the price of playing with it for yourself. If not, who cares? Have fun!

[Jon Foster]

Honestly, I'm so lazy it's not worth making buttons for just one or two outfits. If I'm going to go through the trouble to make a set of molds I need to be able to make a bunch of them and sell them etc. 

Jon.

[Cobaltblu]

I think there must be so many types of buttons available currently that it wouldn't be financially viable for someone to make custom buttons themselves.

[Lady Renee Buchanan]

Was just at the Dubuque Renaissance Festival today.  Sheldon Pewter was there.  They do cast buttons.  They were selling beautiful Celtic circle buttons, six for $5.  So you might want to determine if that is the price you were expecting to get.  If it's not in the same ballpark as what they are charging, you'd have to guesstimate if you could either bring your cost down to compete or if you could find the clientele who would be willing to spend more.

[Jon Foster]

Ok, I'm revisiting the idea of casting buttons for our coats. One of the problems we're finding is button sizes. At $1.00 to $1.50 per button we are finding the selection very limiting. The buttons of choice are limited to one specific size in a lot of cases. So we can't have the same buttons on matching clothes unless they are the same size (which isn't the end of the world). The button sizes we are looking for are also on the large side. 1-1/8" for the adult coats and 7/8" for the women and children coats. We're also talking about 28 buttons per coat. So even a compromised button selection will cost us $140.00 to $210.00 plus shipping.

So now I'm trying to decide what would be the best material to use. We have all the tooling to cast in resin, pewter and several other mediums. The same mold can also be used for almost any material so it's really a matter of choice. Pewter is nice but resin can be colored to make a wide variety of offerings. Resin is also extremely tough and lightweight.

And of course I've procrastinated so long it might be too late to get enough buttons made for MIRF. 

Jon.

[Butch]

Check out No Ones Business http://www.noonesbusiness.com/ I used the 090 button on my mariner garb.  Very nice indeed!  Most buttons are within, or under the price range you listed.

Good customer service, too!