Shell buttons Manufacturing

processing

We shall take as example the manufacture of the classic button par excellence, that for shirt, hosiery shop, pyjamas.

Shells are first of all sorted out in the hand according to their size or their thickness.

The division of  blanks is made by means of a tube the diameter of which corresponds to the size wishing and turning at  8000 t / minute. This tube contains any tooth, any cutting it, are the speed of rotation which uses the shell and provokes the cut of the blank. For that reason, this tube is warmed in the red. It is so cooled in the water.

The return on a cutter is about from 9 to 12 gross per hour, that is to say 1300 to 1700 pcs.

These blanks are then cleaned in the acid muriatique to eliminate the most possible the limestone, then sanded in the water and in the big pounce bag, to round off the lively arteries and to complete work in the acid.

After drying, they are spent to the sorter who will group them according to their thickness. It will be then the grinding that will be done either in the grindstone with hand, or with the lapidary with ribbon. The bottom of the blank will become flat and appropriate and one will be able to get ready at this moment to give to the face, the wished relief.

This relief is obtained either by shaping, or by grinding. The shaping gives a shape of bevel or of washbasin. Grinding gives a shape of bulged out. This last operation will be always made for the hand whereas the shaping everything as the drilling in two or four holes can be done in the hand or in the automatic machine in certain cases. Drilling intervenes then, it will be so two or four holes. The button will have taken so its definitive shape, but sometimes it will return to the grindstone with hand to round off slightly bottom, it will be the reparage, or to the lapidary with ribbon to thin him(it).

Trochus Buttons present a called complexion "natural" which is beige sand-coloured colour. They are so cleared in passing a whole night in the bath  in a diluting hydrogen peroxide.

Removed from this bath, they are sanded in the water, but this time with the fine pounce bag this to erase scores provoked by the lock or by the grindstone, and to ease the set of buttons to prepare polishing. This polishing will give the brilliant and definitive aspect, it will be made in two operations. A first polishing in the acid, or buttons will turn about ten minutes in a barrel of boiling water and an acid mixture muriatique and vitriol, that is concentrated sulphuric acid. A second polishing barrel, where they will turn with the fine sawdust and the some dough from 8 to 12 hours to polish, will finish the diamond(shine) of the button and will end work in a workshop. But the classic button very often leaves the place with the button whim for blouses, dresses and coats. In the work that we have just seen, it will be necessary to add some engraves which will be able to be made for a machine for a regular work:

A pastille of mother-of-pearl will be able to grow rich of a metal circle, of a gold-coloured motive, a cap metal will be able to him, to grow rich of a pastille of mother-of-pearl. Holes will be able to be abandoned. It will be the tail "pin" in the mass or a plastic brought back tail or in metal that will congeal the button on the garment.

Being ended manufacture, all the buttons will pass in the shop to undergo there the sorting of choices, derision, the insert, or the ensachage. Of more in the demand, they will be able to be dyed in the sample, according to the complexion of the customer.

So of the raw shell in the ended button and ready of being sent, it will have been necessary to make 15 in 20 main operations, without counting secondary and intercalary operations arising in the course of manufacture such as controls quantities, rinsings, wipings, sievings.