Introduction: Simple DIY Button

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I went to a costume ball with a few friends at the end of the summer. I decided to have a costume of Parzival from the Ready Player One movie, from the chapter when he went dance with Art3mis to the Distracted Globe (See Parzival and Art3mis in Distracted Globe club on Youtube). In that chapter, Parzival had a costume, Buckaroo Banzai costume. Who is Buckaroo Banzai? See The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension movie!

Part of the costume is a pinback button Team Banzai. I decided to make the button myself because I didn't have access to a button machine at all.

My friend told me about the button: "This is good, it looks great, and it's creative." After that, I told myself maybe I could write an instructable ☺. It's very simple, but maybe somebody else could find it interesting too.

Step 1: Tools, Material

Tools

  • cyanoacrylate glue (aka "crazy glue" or "super glue")
  • wide clearly transparent tape
  • hot glue gun
  • scissors
  • printer. But not an ink-based printer, because glue in the tape could blur the ink after some time.
  • 3D printer (optionally)

Material

  • safety pin

Step 2: Base

I decided to 3D print the button base. But it's not necessary. You can use for example a flat plastic sheet or glue together a few layers of hard paper and cut it to the right shape.

Some most popular button sizes:

  • 1.25 " = 3.17 cm
  • 1.5 " = 3.81 cm
  • 2.25 " = 5.72 cm

I chose the 1.25 " size for my button.

But the advantage of this method is you can have any shape and size and text you want. (Even untrendy or provocative or ungreen things! 😉)

STL file is in attachment and here: https://www.tinkercad.com/things/cr8zpAVrWJd. I recommend PETG as print material.

Attachments

Step 3: Pictograph

Prepare a pictograph using your favorite graphical editor. Make the image about a half mm smaller than the actual size of the button base. Then print it.

For a glassy look, stick transparent tape on the top of the image. A good way how to do it is:

  1. stick the tape to an edge of a table.
  2. hold unwinded tape stretched.
  3. stick the paper with the image on the bottom side of the tape.

See the picture above.

Finally, precisely cut out the image using scissors.

Attachments

Step 4: Front

Use cyanoacrylate glue to attach the image to the base. Spread a thin layer of glue to the base, then put precisely the image. Act quickly.

Be also careful, because cyanoacrylate glue glues perfectly human skin (as you probably know), therefore consider wearing protective gloves.

Step 5: Safety Pin

To attach the safety pin use hot glue. If you used my 3D model, put the glue in the groove. That's all.

"Remember, no matter where you go, there you are"
— Buckaroo Banzai