The
Model 225 button press
The
Model 225 is a manually operated 2-1/4" button machine.
Made of solid-steel, it can produce up to 5 professional-quality
buttons in a single minute.
Operating
the Model 225
Making
buttons with the Model 225 is easy enough that most eight
year old's can safely operate it with just a little bit of supervision.
Following
are the steps you take to make buttons with the Model 225:
Place
a shell (the front part of the button), your button design, and
the plastic covering into one side of the machine, and a pinned
button back into the other.
Rotate
the die assembly (the lower part of the machine) so the artwork
is under the upper die and push down on the handle. Pull up on
the handle, rotate the die assembly again, and push down on the
handle to complete your button.
That's
all there is to it!
The
Model 225 has a short handle that makes it easy to operate
the machine by standing over it and utilize your upper body weight
to push down on the handle and press the button parts together.
Longer
handled machines, such as the Badge-A-Matic 1, require
you to stand in front of the machine and keep your right arm
raised nearly chest high. Doing so you are required to use more
upper body strength to press the button parts together.
Because
of this, women and children find the Model 225 much easier
to operate.
What
is actually taking place when making a button
Consider
for a moment what actually takes place when you are making a
button.
Quite
simply, you are transferring mechanical energy from your arm
(or the button machine's motor, in the case of an electric machine)
into the dies / assembly rings. The button design and plastic
covering are pulled taut over the face of the button, and the
excess is tucked up underneath the button, in much the same way
that making a bed tucks the excess portion of the sheets and
blankets up under the mattress.
The
button back is also pressed into the front, and the edge of the
button is crimped to hold the button together.
Due
to their mass, steel dies (like those used on the Model 225)
facilitate this transference of energy far better than plastic
or aluminum dies / assembly rings can. Which is why carpenters
use hammers made of steel, not plastic or aluminum!
And
because of those steel dies, buttons made by the Model 225
don't suffer the quality issues that are common with buttons
made by the inexpensive BAM machines.
Buttons
made with the Model 225 will have smooth, tightly crimped
edges and they won't have paper or plastic sticking out the sides.
Therefore
buttons made by the Model 225 are well particularly well
suited for resale.
Comparing
the Model 225's speed to that of the BAM machines
Of
the five button machines compared, the Model 225 is the
fastest!
It
can reach speeds nearly 5 times as fast as a BAM hand press
or BAM bench press system.
It's
also faster than the Badge-A-Matic 1 and the Badge-A-Matic
II (BAM's electric machine), which are both considerably
more expensive than the Model 225.
One
feature that comes standard with the Model 225, that 's
lacking on all the manually operated Badge-A-Minit machines,
is an easy way to secure the button machine to a work surface.
The Model 225's baseplate has pre-drilled, countersunk
bolt holes that allow you to easily secure it to a work bench
or mounting board.
Button
machines that are mounted to a work surface will provide better
leverage and can reach higher output speeds, since they won't
rock or tip during button production.
Making
photo buttons with the Model 225
If
making photo buttons is of interest, you should know that one
of the biggest differences between the Model 225 and ANY
of the Badge-A-Minit button machines is that the Model 225
can make professional-quality photo buttons, using photographic
prints, such as those you get from a photo lab.
Since
Badge-A-Minit machines don't work well with thicker paper or
photographic prints, to even be able to use them you must cut
the image to the face of the button, which then will leave the
silver sides of the button showing. And if your photo isn't "trapped"
in the middle, your image will sit off-center on the face of
the button.
To
make photo buttons with the Model 225, you simply cut
your photograph, just as you would any other type of button artwork,
insert it into machine, along with the button parts, push down
on the handle just a bit harder than you normally would, and
the result will be a perfectly formed photo button, with smooth,
tightly crimped edges.
The
AC-1 circle cutter
Since
cutting the artwork for your buttons is an integral part of button-making,
a discussion of the circle cutter that is included is important
for a better understanding of the entire button-making process.
The
AC-1 circle cutter, that is included with all of the Model
225 button-making kits, is constructed of black anodized
aircraft aluminum. It does the cutting by means of a circular
cutting blade that is safely housed inside the cutter.
The
blade sits at the end of a movable arm that makes the AC-1 fully
adjustable.
This
adjustable feature allows the AC-1 to make the cuts for any size
button from a one-inch button, all the way up to buttons that
measures 3-1/2" in diameter.
To
adjust the AC-1, simply loosen the thumbscrew, move the cutting
arm in or out as necessary, and re-tighten the thumbscrew.
The
AC-1's cutting blade will stay sharper longer than BAM cutting
blades, because the AC-1's cutting blade is circular and offers
more cutting surface than the straight-edged blades used in the
Badge-A-Minit cutters.
The
AC-1's blade can also be re-sharpened. To re-sharpen it, you
simply remove it from the cutting arm and run the edge over a
whet stone, just as if you were sharpening a knife.
For
customers who prefer not to resharpen their blades, replacements
are available for $5.00 each.
Return
policy
The
Model 225 comes with a 30-DAY, NO-RISK MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE,
so if for any reason you aren't completely satisfied, you
are free to return it for a full and immediate refund.
And
unlike Badge-A-Minit, who will charge you 10% of the purchase
price as a restocking fee should you decide to return one of
their machines, at Dr. Don's Buttons we have no re-stocking fees.
And
we don't need to, since we so rarely have a customer who wants
to return one.
