How Do I Find Out What Size Button Machine I Have? Button Making Questions, Ask ABM

How do I find out what size button machine I have?

Many of our customers inherit a button machine at work, they found a “bargain” at a garage sale or a friend gives it to them but nobody knows for sure exactly what size it is.  That leaves them asking the question of how to tell what size it is.  One of the biggest mistakes is guessing what size you have.  We do returns frequently for people that guessed at the size of their button makers and got it wrong.  The biggest thing to remember is the button supplies must be the right size for your machine or they simply will not work. So knowing that, how do you find out for sure the size machine you have?

Team ABM is always more than happy to help you find all of the answers in your quest for button mastery. The first thing we will ask is do you have one of our machines? Does it look like this:

If the answer is yes, congratulations!  You now own the finest button making machine available.  If not, that’s okay.  We are still happy to help. 

The next step is to check if you have any of the mylar (the clear round plastic circles) or shells (the front pieces) that fit your machine? If you do, finding the size is pretty easy. If not, that's okay, we still have a few more tricks!  Go to our "Free Button Making Templates" on our website and print the page to actual size.  Once you print the page, lay your mylar on top of the circle that matches.  You are trying to match to the cut line, or solid black line, shown on the template.  Just remember, it has to match exactly.  Even a millimeter can make the difference here.  The size shown in bold in the center of the matching template is your size.  If you don't have any mylar but do have some of the shells, do the same thing but this time, the shell should reach to just barely the inside of the picture line, or the inner dotted line.

If you don't have shells or mylar, cut out the circles that look closest to the size of the machine and lay them on the side with the shallowest well. The circle you cut out should fit inside the upper circle.

If after doing all of this you still aren't 100% sure or if you just don't want to chance it, ABM makes it easy and economical to order a sample pack to test in your machine.  Once you know your size a whole world of button-y fun will open it's doors.  Get inspiration, tips and tricks from the over 1600+ button making friends in The Pinback Button Making Community.  We hope to see you there soon but until then, happy button making!

By Brighid Brown, Director of Blogging and All Things Cool at ABM