Very affordable alternative to professional equipment

I currently study at a university Illustration and Design and at our last annual exhibition, we had a table full of postcards for sale, next to a small box with buttons. Most people were pretty damn postcards, but as they have relied on the buttons! I knew that there is button machines, but such devices have to pay 500 Euro loose. But I really wanted to make my own buttons, after I realized how much fun people have it.

The colleague told me that she has made her buttons with a "kids-button machine". I wanted to first not quite believe it, because the buttons looked really very high. So I have made myself to the search for such a cheap machine and came across the Badge It. For less than 20 euros it seemed worth a try.

Today the unit has now arrived, and no sooner had I opened the box I was already on trial and error. The first attempt was a little off - I had the punch (or whatever you call it) is not turned fully down - but at the second attempt, there was a fairly loud pop, and I thought I would have broken the machine. But lo and behold: A beautiful little button! The sound is caused apparently by the two halves are pressed into each other with hard pressed.

The device comes with some template designs, but who thinks highly of itself is of course itself creatively. A conventional expression, a drawing, newspaper clippings and all of this lend themselves excellently (only the paper should not be too thick). With a stencil to draw the crop marks, and then cuts the motif, it puts into the device along with the metal blank and the pre-cut transparency. Then screwed the stamp of the unit down until it makes clack, lays on the other side a the back of the buttons screwed again vigorously, and zack the button is assembled.

I'm really amazed at how quickly and is easy to operate the device. The processing is great: In the photos it looks through the many plastic from something very cheap, but is very thick walls, reinforced with strong springs and screws, wobbles and rattles here nix. All in all I am very pleased and especially priced this unit is unbeatable. For about seven Euros there are then a 30-refill, which I think is a very fair price (often have refills just in the toy sector outrageously expensive).

Since buttons are ohnenhin currently again very portable, this device is definitely more than a simple toy. Ironically, I was once this has served as someone a professional button machine, and half of the blanks have become nothing. The more fascinated I am as simple as it works at such an affordable device. In our next issue, I will definitely compete with a lot of its own buttons for sale!