The Button Blog - American Button Machines

We are officially headed into fall and with that comes one festive celebration after the next but 2020 will be a year like no other when it comes to the holidays.  Fun is always the objective but safety has to come first in a Covid world. Halloween is the first challenge the season brings and quite possibly, the hardest to find fun, creative and safe solutions for.  Trick or Treating is a right of passage that both parents and kids look forward to.  Dressing your little ghouls and goblins in that super cute costume for the first time is one of...

What is an ejector rod, how does it work and do I really need one?  These are super popular questions for new button makers and ABM is here with the answers! First things first, what is an ejector rod?  It's a super cool, amazingly handy little aluminum cylinder that fits over the bar in your graphic punch cutter to help you lift the cut graphic out of the punch.  If you order any of the smaller sizes of 1" - 1.75" from ABM, they come already equipped with this modern marvel and are available as an accessory for the 2.25" Graphic Punch and...

There was a time, not so long ago, when people waved, smiled and often greeted each other as they passed but in our hurried society, that practice has sadly become a casualty of the times.  Now with the addition of most people wearing masks, you can't even see the quick flash of a smile anymore.  ABM has been fortunate enough to make a new friend in New York named Claire that is working hard to change things in of all places the NYC subway, one button, one conversation and one smile at a time.  We asked Claire to share her inspirational...

The Pinback Button Making Community has been full of excitement with our popular series of summer contests.  The best of the best came to play and what an amazing ride it has been! During the summer, Team ABM hosted 12 different contests with a total of 196 entries from 92 individual participants where we gave away 12 ABM Gift Cards and awarded over 12,000 ABM Bonus Reward Points - so far.  Of course, we aren't stopping there!  It's time for a bonus round and that comes with bonus prizes so here's the official winner's list in our Summer of Contests Bonus Round! Over all 12 contests, there...

Wearing a mask is unfortunately unavoidable these days in most public settings.  One of the biggest obstacles to overcome is how we communicate with each other without being able to express ourselves through all important facial expressions.  It is just in my nature, as it is for many, to smile as I pass someone, even if it's a stranger.  That smile could change the tone of the day for someone you meet but if they can't see your face, how will they ever know you are trying to share that sensational smile?  Someone told me that one of the saddest...