Old Buttons for Inlay/Embellishment

[timcsaw]

As I noted in another thread, I've been digging through boxes from Grandma's attic... quite a treasure hunt. Along with a few old knives and straight razors, I've come across about 15 coffee cans full of old buttons (that's a whole lot of buttons!). Buttons of every shape, size and material... material which includes bone, wood, mother of pearl shell, abalone shell, Bakelite and who knows what-all. I have my eye on a few made of bone that I might use as spacers in a stag and leather skinner I'm renewing http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=557398

Now I'm sure I'm not the first person to think about how to use these for embellishing knife scales and handles am I? Pink mother of pearl (MOP)... blue to purple abalone, white MOP... red, yellow, green, blue bakelite... striking colors... various sizes from that of a silver dollar to smaller than a pea.

I've done a bit of inlay work before on other projects but nothing involving knives. Has anyone else ever used old buttons of the sort I've described?

Seems like a good idea to me (check those yard sales boys and girls... old buttons are out there!)

 

[rebeltf]

I love peering thru old goodies like that !

I've never inlayed a button but I would like to see some pics fo what you decide to do. :thumbup:

 

[timcsaw]

I love peering thru old goodies like that !

I've never inlayed a button but I would like to see some pics fo what you decide to do. :thumbup:

When I get a bit of ambition here, I'll take a couple of shots of a few of the various buttons and post them... my thought is to essentially use them as raw material... cut them into what ever shapes I can imagine for inlay... a small cross of rose MOP... triangle/squares of abalone... what ever comes to mind... I can see a set of Koa scales inlayed with 3 diamond shapes of blue abalone for example... we'll see.

 

[the possum]

I've used some big old mother of pearl buttons as raw material for the handle scales of miniature knives. Found some pieces with a lot of fine detail and fire. It's hard to find that kind look on a small enough scale, its seems.

I also had a customer who collects theater knives comission a miniature theater style dagger. He collected up old buttons made of various kinds of bakelite, lucite, etc., to use as the spacer material for the handle, so it would match his old knives.