Re-attach a Button to Your Pants in Your Server Room With CAT6 UTP

Don't you just hate it when you're minding your own business, trying to go to the bathroom when your pants button decides to make a break for it? I still haven't figured out why no clothing company has figured out a way to affix buttons to the pants permanently. It's really a pain.

Well if you work in IT and you need a quick fix, look no further than that giant spool of CAT6 UTP laying in the corner of the server room!

(as is customary....sorry for the crappy pictures but they were taken on my phone while standing in my server room trying to fiddle my button back on to my pants....i'm so glad that i've got a lock on the door and no windows haha)

Step 1: Supplies

Obviously you'll need some newly buttonless pants
A button (hopefully THE button)
Some CAT6 UTP (or any solid core wire of a small guage)
Some pliers (or a way to cut your wire)
A paperclip

Step 2: Poke a Hole

Take your paperclip and open it up enough to make a make shift awl. Then poke a guide hole into your pants in the region where the original button was. You should probably go ahead and poke at least one more (4 if you want to be fancy or if you're hoping for a permanent fix).

I found that poking the hole through the pants RIGHT before you thread the UTP strand through the hole is better since the threads have a habit of closing back up as you try to monkey with your pants (while wearing them).

Step 3: Prep Your UTP

Now pull out one pair out of your UTP cable and untwist it. you only need one of the wires from the pair.

i also found it to be a good idea to strip a small bit off the end of the strand

Step 4: Thread Your UTP

now thread your strand through the hole you made with the paper clip.
I started threading from the outside to the inside, then passed the wire back through from the inside to the outside, but you can do whatever you want

Step 5: Add THE Button

Now thread your button onto the strand
i just did the two hole method since i was getting annoyed with my paperclip

Once the button is on your strand give the strand a few twists on top of the button to lock it down.

If you're using the two hole method, after twisting the strand pass the extra lengths of wire back through the two remaining holes in your button and wrap a bit of the excess around beneath the button. then cut off any excess and re-button your pants!

i've found this method to be SO much better than the old stapler method...i can never get a staple big enough to actually hold my button on.