I did not have a proper brass button mould, so I made a gang mould out of clay. This was simply a sheet of clay with the shape of the buttons pressed into it with a shank at the bottom. The hole in the shank I drilled after the buttons were made.
In the 18th century they used brass button moulds and poured melted pewter into the mould just as we pour moulten lead into a ball mould to make ball for our Flintlock Muzzle-loading guns.
What a good project - reminds me of a person who used to build exact replicas of 18th Century instruments. He said to me, "The thing about the Eighteenth Century is that they found it extremely hard to make anything that wasn't beautiful."
ReplyDeleteI'm tempted to agree...
I agree, there are not many 18th century items that too me are not beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThe pewter button making project worked out very well, I was very pleased with the results from such a primitive method using the clay mould. I get a lot of satisfaction from these sorts of crafts.
I wish I could find a way to attract more people,especially young people, to 18th century Living History and all the skills and crafts it entails. It seems to me that a lot of young people (older too) are looking for excitement and adventure and in this day and age there is little to be had without breaking the law!
18th century Living History is the exception, you can be whoever you want to be and create your own adventures.
Regards, Keith/Le Loup.