How to put a button on clothes at home without a special tool?

We will help you understand the structure of the most famous types of rivets and describe in detail how you can install them yourself without a press or other special tools.

General principle

Buttons are a useful invention. They were first used in France in 1885 for leather goods: shoes, gloves, bags. Today, buttons are inserted into jackets, overalls, children's bodysuits, pockets and even underwear. They securely hold the edges of the fabric and at the same time can be completely invisible.

What you need to know about the buttons:

"Mom and Dad". This is what people call the upper and lower parts of the button (which can also consist of several parts). The “male” has a protruding pin that fits into the “male” - a metal part with a recess and a beautiful “face”. They are located on opposite sides of the fabric. The “mother” is always installed on the upper part of the product, and the “father” is placed on the bottom. As planned, the pin should fit in and out of the recess.
If the rivets are not sewn, they consist of several parts. Usually “mother” and “father” have 2 parts each. They are collected during the installation process. There is no need to do this in advance.
Insert non-sew buttons into the holes. They should be narrow and the fabric should be dense. If there are already holes, but they are torn or frayed, they are strengthened with silicone glue, non-woven fabric or sewn with thread.If there are no holes, use a special punch or awl. As a last resort, you can punch a hole with a thin nail. You can’t cut it with scissors: sooner or later the fabric will come apart and the button will start to fall out.
The button is assembled after installation on the fabric. The metal parts are inserted into the hole, checking for the correct location, and then pressed tightly against each other. Ideally, a press and special attachments are used to connect parts, which allow you to flare (flatten) the required parts of the button. After flattening, one piece fits tightly onto the other.

Installing buttons and rivets without a press

If you are smart, you can do without a press and special tools. To install the button, you will need a hammer, a bat (bolt) or even a simple needle and thread. It all depends on the type of fittings.

Sew on buttons

Does not require the use of special tools. The easiest way to attach sew-on snaps to clothing is. All you need is a sewing needle, thread to match the fabric and the buttons themselves. The more holes they have, the better.

Instructions:

Place the metal piece with the bolt on the smooth side against the face of the bottom of the product. Sew on.
Place the metal part with the recess on the wrong side of the top of the product. Use a needle and thread.

Make sure that the 2 parts of the button are located opposite each other, and the fabric does not form wrinkles. If in doubt, install the bottom part with the bolt first, coat the protruding part with chalk and stamp on the opposite side.

Ring

Perhaps the most common type of button. They are used in tailoring clothes, including jackets, as well as in the manufacture of wallets and bags.They come in different sizes and colors and are mostly made of metal.

The ring button consists of 4 parts and looks like this:

It is connected by inserting a small ring into a large one. Hence the name.

How to install a ring button without a press?

From the inside of the bottom of the fabric, insert a metal piece with a leg (more inconspicuous in appearance).
Place a wooden block or something hard under it.
Cover with a piece with a narrow ring.
Armed with a bat and hammer, carefully flatten the protruding leg. You can use a suitable size bolt.
Take the remaining part with the leg (it is usually prettier and better built) and insert it from the front side of the top of the product.
From the wrong side, place the part with the ring on the leg. Place it on the beam and flare it again. Ready!

In a similar way, you can install plastic ring buttons without special pliers. Only instead of flattening the legs, they should be melted. At home, a soldering iron or a hot nail is used for this.

Alpha buttons

No less popular buttons. They have a spring mechanism and a convex pin. You can see the difference between the ring (2) and “alpha” buttons (1) in the photo:

Inserting them into a jacket or other product with your own hands is more difficult. The reason for this is the pin, which can become wrinkled when flared. To prevent this from happening, you should drill a recess in a wooden block for the convex part of the button.

What to do next:

Install the part onto the bottom of the product. To do this, take a simple rivet with a leg and thread it from the inside out. Attach the part with the bolt on the front side. Turn it over and place the convex side into the hole drilled in the block. Tap lightly with a hammer on the top (from the inside).
Next you need to assemble the front part of the button. Insert the rivet with the leg into the hole. Install the part with the recess from the inside out. Armed with a bat (bolt, blunt nail), flatten the leg from the wrong side.

If you often have to install rivets and buttons, then it is worth purchasing at least a minimum of tools: a washer, a standard size bit and one with a recess for the button bolt. The buttons are placed on the washer with the front side so that they do not wrinkle, and with a special bat you can rivet the product in literally 1 minute.

Rivets

Along with functional buttons, decorative rivets are often used in clothes: figured, with pebbles, spikes. They usually have sharp protrusions on the reverse side.

Inserting them is as easy as shelling pears:

Pierce the fabric with the teeth.
Press something hard against the rivet. The fabric should be taut and the rivet should fit snugly against it.
Fold the teeth from the inside out. The easiest way to do this is with a flat screwdriver.

There are also rivets used to secure fabric stitching. Holnitens are often used in products made from denim and leather. This is what they look like:

Installation of this type of rivets is quite simple. The main thing is that the length of the leg matches the thickness of the fabric.

Insert the part with the leg into the hole from the wrong side.
Cover with a cap and place face down on a wooden surface.
Lightly tap the rivet from the inside out with a hammer.

The buttons are inserted into jeans in the same way. The only difficulty is preserving the front part. To prevent it from being wrinkled or scratched, the rivet is hammered in from the inside out, and a rubber or leather gasket is placed under the front side.

Now you know how to install buttons yourself. Home renovations will save you time and money.If you doubt your abilities, try practicing on an unnecessary piece of fabric. You will succeed!