In
the photo above you see the "dies" of the Model 100.
The dies are what form your one-inch button. (Unlike inexpensive
button machines whose dies are made of plastic or aluminum, the
dies of Model 100 are made of solid-steel).
The
die indicated by the #1 (the one with the groove in it) is where
you place the shell (sharp-edge down with your artwork face-up)
and on top of the artwork, a single mylar disc.
The
die indicated by the #2 is where the collet is placed (sharp-edge
up).
The
dies for the Model 100 are situated on a rotating die table,
so to position the dies under the pressing handle you simply
rotate the die table.
Ok,
now we're ready to make a one-inch button.
Start
by placing a single shell into the die that has the groove in
it. Place the shell into the die so that the sharp edge faces
down and slips into the groove.
The
photo above shows the shell as it looks when the shell has been
placed into the die #1 (the one with the groove in it).
The
photo above shows a collet about to be placed into die #2. You
place the collet into the die so the sharp edge faces up.
Now
you're ready to place your button design and mylar disc on top
of the shell. The artwork goes in first (face-up), followed by
a single mylar disc.
Next, rotate the dies so your artwork is positioned directly
under the "upper die". When it is, pull the handle
down. Pull the handle up again and rotate the die table so the
collet is positioned directly under the upper die.
At
this point your design should disappear.
Both
the button design and the shell have been transferred to the
upper die, ready to be pressed into the collet to form your one-inch
button.
With
the die holding the collet positioned under the upper die, pull
the handle down, pull it up again and your one-inch button will
have been made.
Now
you can remove your one-inch button from the machine.
The
final step in making a one-inch button is to insert the pin into
the collet.
What
you want to do is take the one-inch button, hold it in your hand
as shown above, hold the pin in your other hand, slip the edge
of the pin into the ridge at the edge of the collet, and snap
the pin into place.
The
photo above shows what the back of your finished pin should look
like.
While
this process might seem a bit complicated, once you have used
the machine a few times, you'll be able to make a one-inch button
in about 15-20 seconds.
