Buttons

[Steel Horse Bailey]

I have a new shirt that has plastic buttons.  They don't look plastic, but they are.  It is an Indian Wars era campaign shirt.  What kind of buttons would be authentic?  2 hole or 4?  Other pertinent facts are welcome.

Thanks - SHB

[St. George]

Buttons of the time were made of Horn, Jet, Metal, Mother-of-Pearl, 'Composition' and Hard Rubber.
There are folks who collect the things and there are a myriad of varieties.

Your 'plastic' buttons most likely look like what the 'composition' buttons did.

They'll work - just dull their finish if you can with a bit of steel wool.

If you're looking to replace them - look for something in the 'Hard Rubber' range - and Black Plastic will suffice, once dulled a bit.

Both varieties of button holes were used at the time.

Scouts Out!

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Thanks for the suggestion, St. George!

You just saved this fumble-fingered, non-sewer  a fair amount of time and a bit of expense!

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[St. George]

I'll make it even easier.

If you can find one - use an old-fashioned 'ink' eraser - like the ones we'd had in grade school.

The abrasiveness will do the job and you won't be weakening the thread as long as you're careful.

Good Luck.

Scouts Out!

[Delmonico]

I see these from time to time in the school supplies in grocery stores.  I look for odd items like this when I'm at differnt stores and from time to time in my regular ones. Grocery stores seem to have some of these hard to find items.  This is the only place I can find those thick, soft lead first-grade pencils.  I chop them into pieces about 2 inches long and they fit right handy in my watch pocket, hold a point well and sharpen with my pocket knife if needed. 

Also I find those now rare accountants pencils from time to time. These are colored pencils that are blue on one end and red on the other, I like them in my brief case and use them in my note taking.  Besides that my grandpa also used them for notes to himself and they remind me of him.

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Thanks, fellers!

[Silver Creek Slim]

Great info. I've wondered about this myself. Thanks.

Slim

[Standpat Steve]

In one reply, it was written that buttons were made of "jet". I looked this up in a dictionary as the term meant nothing to me. It seems it might mean "coal", but this seems to be a poor choice to make a button out of, as it could also mark or dirty the clothing item. What does "jet" mean in this context?

Thanks . . . 

[Delmonico]

It is a very hard coal that takes a fine polish and is often today used in jewery.  It is as hard as the modern plastics used in buttons.  It is black, jet black to be exact.

[Standpat Steve]

"Jet Black "

Yessir, It's all clear to me now, Thanks

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Standpat Steve, you took the question right out of my mouth!

Jet Black.

Cool

Again, thanks for the answers.  SHB