Using Fire Department Buttons

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Fireengines

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Jan 22, 2012
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Most fire departments use department specific buttons on the dress uniforms. How hard would it be to incorporate these uniform buttons from http://www.waterburybutton.com/cart/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=18 in a pen?

For the most part, the buttons are concave and would be hard, if not impossible, to flatten to use. However, they do have some flat buttons that I may be able to sand down and use. Any ideas how I can do this.

Most are 5/8 inch buttons.
 
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joefrog

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Mar 14, 2012
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Wow, that's a good idea. My first thought would be not to flatten it, but to curve it around the barrel of a pen and epoxy it to the finished piece, like the badges you see on a wooden hiking staff. Just my 2¢!
 

SteveG

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I have not done this, but think it might work. Many of the larger size component pens have a lot of hollow "air space" inside, and a very thin skin of whatever material is selected by the penturner. If the right spot is selected (avoid the thread inserts and coupling), you may be able to cut away an area of the tube and inset a bulky item, gluing it in place. This would obviously call for careful consideration of clearance issues, and need to be done carefully. Just a thought...probably already been done.
Steve
 

Fireengines

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I agree the button would fit on the top of a larger pen. There would be little, if any modification, needed.

Steve:

Your idea make work better on the top of the pen. This way you advoid any mechnical parts.

At first I thought it would be as simple as drilling a 5/8 hole, sanding the "flat" button down, bending it, and inserting it in tht 5/8 hole. However, that 5/8 hole is now to big because the original button has been bent. I is now much smaller.

Take a penny for example, it is about .75 inches across. However, when I bend it is now .57 inch edge to edge. In fact, the circle is no longer a circle. Something I would have to experiment with.

Anyway, I've emailed my contact at the factory to see if they could send me some overruns.
 
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corian king

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Dec 14, 2009
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chesapeake va
I think Joel has the right idea.Do them like a watch pen blank.bend them to match the tube.Glue them to the tube and then cast.Should work very nice.
 
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