Hardware anyone? (Buttons, rivets, and zippers oh my.)

[zissou]

I really need to spend more time on this thread. Sansome, your photos are making me want to spend my vacations out in the Utah desert looking for bits of jeans

Speaking of hard rubber buttons, I have a bunch (about 30) of vintage 13 star pea coat buttons that are WWI-era. Almost all are stamped on the back with 'AHR Co' and 'HP', the marks of the American Hard Rubber Company out of Butler, New Jersey. I also have about 20 of the 5/8" anchor buttons that were used for fastening the throat latch, and possibly on USN broadfall trousers. There was a time when there was a glut of these buttons on Ebay, but now there are just a couple of guys trying to sell them for $10 a piece.

[ronbiggles]

Someone asked for huge pics? Tell me if they too big ^^

Flat Head f310

bonus macro, biiiig!

[ronbiggles]

cheaper albam wares.

[kiya]

Those Flat Head rivet backing photos make me wet.

[ronbiggles]

Old skull 5010xx texas (yer I know), not sure if the newer type use same wares.

soz, just realised I should have put them all in one post, my ocd tendencies showing....

[Sansome1877]

Cool buttons^! I was told that the state of Utah closed it's mines a few years back, the ghost towns should still be a good place to snoop around.I was walking around a rock cabin 6 months ago(not in Utah) and found some 1880's Levi shank buttons, laying on the surface. You should get a old book, on Utah Ghost towns and mining camps. BTW thanks for putting my book on your Christmas wish list, thanks for that!!!

[ronbiggles]

Evisu deluxe

[ronbiggles]

lol kiya, rivets make you horny baybee? (in Austin powers voice)

A guy I used to work with had a fear of buttons ('koumpounophobia' apparently) he hated having to put a shirt on every morning .

ps - please dont take the time to realise that yes, i did make that picture

[zissou]

Cool buttons^! I was told that the state of Utah closed it's mines a few years back, the ghost towns should still be a good place to snoop around.I was walking around a rock cabin 6 months ago(not in Utah) and found some 1880's Levi shank buttons, laying on the surface. You should get a old book, on Utah Ghost towns and mining camps. BTW thanks for putting my book on your Christmas wish list, thanks for that!!!

My pleasure, Mike. It looks like an amazing book that you put a lot of work into.

I just got a book about Utah's lost mines with GPS coordinates, but I think ghost towns would be a much safer bet! Even if I don't find anything, it would surely make a great place for taking photos. I will look for that book for sure!

[Sansome1877]

My pleasure, Mike. It looks like an amazing book that you put a lot of work into.

I just got a book about Utah's lost mines with GPS coordinates, but I think ghost towns would be a much safer bet! Even if I don't find anything, it would surely make a great place for taking photos. I will look for that book for sure!

I will send you a pm, and give you the names to some other really good books.

[ashkaun]

Here's a "macro" shot of the button on my flat head bsps.

and by "macro," i mean i held my lens backwards and took a photo.

[Joseph Hill]

Does anyone know about these?

Looks like they might be the sort used on rnrswitchs' Rising Sun ranch coat.

[tropicalbird]

Levi's top button

[.Legacy]

Here are a few macros from my Flat Head 310

and my personal favourite:

[Sansome1877]

The First two pictures, are the front and back side of a suspender button.

The last picture is the fly button.

[Sansome1877]

Note the old style box stitch... that holds the cinch buckle on.

[ronbiggles]

Wow.

Not quite as old, but I noticed this pretty cool button on my old (~15yrs) levis shorts.

[hollowsleather]

This isn't my photo, someone posted it on sufu a long time ago and I saved it, but it's a good one.

Zero donut buttons are my favorite by far.

[rnrswitch]

Holy fucking macro. Shit man.

[ronbiggles]

Heh thanks man! Not bad for a £80 camera eh

[lance]

This isn't my photo, someone posted it on sufu a long time ago and I saved it, but it's a good one.

Zero donut buttons are my favorite by far.

I agree, best stock buttons out there!

[Paul T]

[laxlife1234]

Bad lighting, but here is part of my Strike golds @ 6 days, and already rusting a bit..

Will try to take better pics tomorrow.

[Solix]

Edit: Nvm.

[ronbiggles]

Iron heart 634s-b donuts

The overdying tarnishes the buttons big time:

[hollowsleather]

This is the press stud on the belt case that I've been carrying around for about 3 years.

The interesting bit is that it's sold as "solid brass", which it is. Kind of.

They start with a cheap brass plate finish, which chips away to reveal a nickel plate finish, which chips away again to reveal the true brass piece underneath.

I can't explain why they do this (to quite a lot of hardware), but it must be cheaper to manufacture them this way for some reason.

Anyway, I was frustrated by this at first, since I really like brass and it's hard to find good hardware, but ultimately I came to really appreciate this layered wear that develops.

[ItsJustNC]

This is the press stud on the belt case that I've been carrying around for about 3 years.

The interesting bit is that it's sold as "solid brass", which it is. Kind of.

They start with a cheap brass plate finish, which chips away to reveal a nickel plate finish, which chips away again to reveal the true brass piece underneath.

I can't explain why they do this (to quite a lot of hardware), but it must be cheaper to manufacture them this way for some reason.

Anyway, I was frustrated by this at first, since I really like brass and it's hard to find good hardware, but ultimately I came to really appreciate this layered wear that develops.

My guess is that the nickel prevents the brass from corroding.. Because the additional process like electroplating to coat the brass with nickel actually increases the manufacturing cost.

What we call patina is actually the weakening of material to some. I guess not everyone appreciates Wabi Sabi huh.?

[ItsJustNC]

Does anyone know about these?

Ah those are Copper Split Rivets. If i am not mistaken, these are weaker than the Burr Rivets and the Rapid Rivets.

My guess is that this stuff is used on light-weight materials that doesn't take much abuse, or mainly for ornamental purposes.

[beautiful_FrEaK]

Hardware close-ups of the Samurai S500JX-LR

[Sansome1877]

Rivet and suspender and fly buttons from a late 1890-91 Levi #2, I say number 2 because the label still has no lot numbers on it. I recently saw a label from a spring bottom pant from around the same time period(it had no lot number on it) I don't think lot numbers were put on in 1890?