Button-down shirts are great and versatile. However, if you are not wearing a tie and there are no buttons on the collars, you can often look like you are going to fly away with airplane wings around your neck.
This is a simple, inexpensive and quick way to use magnets to create collar stays that will keep the collars on your shirt from looking like you are "cleared for take-off".
There are some folks selling magnetic collar stays for a small fortune ( http://www.wurkinstiffs.com/power-stays/6-2-5-power-stays.html ). You can achieve the same objective with stuff lying around the house for free. I did.
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Begin with a pair of metal snips, a piece of feromagnetic metal, two small disc magnets, your original plastic collar stays and a marker. If you don't own metal snips, you can probably use good scissors. A rotary tool like a Dremel with a cut-off wheel, or even a saw would likely work too.
I did not buy anything. I took two disc magnets from the back of some old refrigerator magnets. The piece of metal was in a box of junk in the garage. Thin steel or other feromagnetic sheet metal is widely salvageable from old toasters and other items that are commonly thrown away. You can also buy a small metal sheet at hardware stores, craft stores or on ebay. At Home Depot, just walk down the galvanized vent aisle. You will find something cheap that will likely be large enough for collar stays for the whole neighborhood. If you do not have neodymium magnets lying around, these are cheap and widely available at hardware stores, ebay and other sites. You only need two. I quickly found a set of 20, 8mm disc magnets for $3.49 on http://accstation.com/mothremgnt01.html
I did not buy anything. I took two disc magnets from the back of some old refrigerator magnets. The piece of metal was in a box of junk in the garage. Thin steel or other feromagnetic sheet metal is widely salvageable from old toasters and other items that are commonly thrown away. You can also buy a small metal sheet at hardware stores, craft stores or on ebay. At Home Depot, just walk down the galvanized vent aisle. You will find something cheap that will likely be large enough for collar stays for the whole neighborhood. If you do not have neodymium magnets lying around, these are cheap and widely available at hardware stores, ebay and other sites. You only need two. I quickly found a set of 20, 8mm disc magnets for $3.49 on http://accstation.com/mothremgnt01.html
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You should always remove collar stays before washing a shirt, whether they are metal or plastic.
Magnetic stays are a great idea. They give the unbuttoned dress shirt look that you see on people like George Clooney. A button down collar is not the same thing, it is much less formal. There are shirts with hidden collar buttons, but they are hard to find.
For the people who suggest adding buttons: Make sure you are proficient enough to sew good looking button holes through stiff collar material. I know I am not, so I will be assembling myself some of these.
Better yet, why not just sew on a button. for a penny.
Or buy shirts with button down collars exclusively.
I know, I know, you have lots of shirts. I just don't think this idea was thought through to the end.
Look, I meant absolutely no harm in my posting of my thought s about your Instructable at the moment I was typing it.
I certainly did not set out to be a "thread crapper". I\ve never even heard the expression before. I thought in a forum of ideas being exchanged there was room for voices from all sides.
I can see your point, and after all this time consuming nonsense, especially with the guy who's apparant sole purpose in life is to make sure complete strangers know he wears dress shirts to work. So much so that he has commercially made versions of this collar stay which are engraved no less. Haha, who sees that?
I'm not normally drawn into such nonsense, but since I started it with a simple opinion, I tried to defend my right to that opinion which was that a good idea on the surface may not have been the easiest or simplest way to achieve a particular result. Thats it.
Not an attack, Not saying it's a bad idea, not saying, "Hey don't do this"
I should have said nothing like you suggested. I NEVER meant any harm to anyone. Perhaps it's typing instead of talking, and the loss in translation that sometimes conveys. It's America after all, we can still say what we want to, can't we? Just because some overly sensitive teenagers over react does not change my opinion, nor hopefully could my comment ever make anyone else change their own opinion. But maybe it can! Maybe thats what the insecure young people have reduced America to? Where you can't disagree, or constructively critisique, or voice a different viewpoint. We must agree or say nothing. Zig Heil!! Or maybe THIS isn't the place for it.
Anyway, when I reply to something like this, it's to the author. Not to the whole world. I felt ok about it, as long as my illusion was that you took it the way I intended it, and weren't bothered by it. Your chiming in now makes it clear that my words offended you, albeit unintentionally. For that, I apologize.
I do understand that it takes a fair amount of work to post an instructible, and a certain amount of caring to even want to. I think it's admirable to share an idea, and from that viewpoint it's clearer to me how one might be offended by an offhand comment like mine whether it was well intentioned or not. I have seen a great many wonderful things on this site, and have commented on them. I've been a member here since the very beginning, and have never had an issue like this spread like a cancer before this comment. If there were a way to strike the whole series of comments resulting from my post, I would support a moderator doing that. Thank you for posting, for putting in the effort. I hope you will not ever consider not doing one because of any offense taken from my words. "Observation" really. I get that this has wasted peoples time, and bandwidth, and would take it back if I could.
I'll be honest and say it's not an 'ible I would pursue, but I have no doubt ( and never have had) that many would. Had I know anything like this would result I would never have posted.
I assure you I will never make a comment, positive or negative again. Just keep posting your ideas for the others and for me.Somewhere, somehow, every "ible out there helps someone, or inspires someone else. Kindly accept my sincere apology and explanation and attempted retraction.
Not to GrillMouster though. My thoughts on his pink shirts and monogrammed metal collar stays remain. I think he's both a liar and a wannabe. Probably doesn't even have a job at all.
My opinion is mine. Yours is yours.
Don't get overly sensitive, Mary.
The author wasn't offended... why should you be?
Not all persons agree with each other. Not all ideas or ibles are for everyone. I wasn't rude, or hurtful, I can say what I want without your permission.
You go expoxy, or plasticote or seal your metal strips, and magnets. I'm going to use a 1 cent button. Best of luck.
In some businesses a button down collar is too informal. It would be more economical to use magnetic collar stays on my dress shirts rather than buy an additional set of button collar shirts for casual times in addition to my dress shirts for business.
Top shelf.
Hope you don`t fly to those important fashion meetings. Because your suitcases might get held up in customs, while you are being strip searched by airport security.
Last post. No one want to hear this disagreement but us.
I'm just pointing out that for me a reusable magnetic collar stays is more economical than buying more shirts with button down collars. It's also less hassle than sewing buttons on all my shirts.
I'm not suggesting that this idea is for everyone, just giving a different perspective after you dismissed it. I do see your point about how it could be a problem if you forgot to remove the metal stays before your mommy does your laundry.
I'm curious to see if the bottom of steel beverage cans could yield a pair or two.
You don't have to buy a small metal sheet at hardware stores, craft stores or on ebay. I cut up a soup can for my stays, and I ordered the neodymium magnets from ebay.
These are really great. Go make some.