Hand-painting Vintage glass buttons.
Have you ever come across beautifully moulded glass buttons from the first half of the 20th century that either were never painted or they were but the paint has come loose and only bits are left? In my Etsy shop CarolasChoices I often sell (mixed) lots of glass buttons mostly from the 1940’s that I put together in certain colours or transparent with a design moulded or cut into them. These are bought by people who love crafting and using them to make all kinds of projects with. You can find them in my shop under mixed lots of glass buttons. This method is not suitable for other materials as they will melt in the oven.
I looked into how I could paint these buttons. I have since discovered that for me as a seller the process takes too much time for me to actually charge the value of the time taken to paint them, in spite of the fact that the buttons are really beautiful when finished. It is extremely fine and intense work- as an artist and creative this is what I love, slow art, making something special by hand- but as a seller it makes no sense financially.
I have decided to share this process so you can enjoy doing this, to maybe match colours for a knitting project or an outfit. A lot of trial and error went into developing this method, and it is quite specific as to what to use so here goes explaining it and have lots of FUN! ( note: I don’t use social media so this is the only place I will post this as one creative to another)
You will need to have the following to work with;
Artistro Acrylic Pens with a fine tip 1 mm.( Mine have lasted for years and can be used on other surfaces as well, the fine tip is perfect as often the details on a small button are really small and fine. You can buy these on line in lovely colours and also silver and gold)
Note here, I tried many types of pens before opting for them, they are not expensive and they work.As I personally haven’t been on FB or do any other social media (since 2016) I only have pinterest and post things I like, so have never shared my method before and have no idea if anyone else has stumbled on this. This is my method that I discovered through trial and error.
Household vinegar ( the oone you use to clean with) and washing up liquid
Small bowl (any will do)
Plastic or silicone mat to work on
Sponges ( you can use household sponges )
Microfibre cloth
Optional: Table magnifying glass can be useful especially with a light so you can see clearly what you are doing, especially with very small buttons will be useful.
Oven with baking tray and greaseproof paper.
Old toothbrush
Now designate a space to work in and set it up so you can work for a few hours on your project.
Step 1: Ensure your buttons are clean by taking 2 tablespoons of household white vinegar and adding some warm water and a drop of washing up liquid. Put your buttons in and let them soak. This is safe to do and removes dirt and grease and any old paint that may still be on the buttons and ensures your paint will stick to the surface. For stubborn paint you can leave overnight and brush with a soft toothbrush to remove stubborn flakes, if there is no paint you can just wash them clean with this mixture. Leave to dry on a microfibre cloth.
Step 2: Now you can use your sponges to sit the buttons on that you are painting. Whatever works for you, needs to be a stable surface preferably a bit higher than the work surface.
Step 3: Double check that the buttons you want to work on are clean and dry. Set up a little conveyor belt type set up for yourself.
Example:
-Cloth with buttons ready to work on
-Sponge to raise the button up on to
– Light focussed on it ( if needed)
– Coloured pens chosen to work with
– Paint the button
-Then place on a baking tray or cloth to dry for 24 hours-
Step 4: Now the fun part, painting the buttons. With Artistro pens you need to shake them first so the paint is evenly distributed and then pump the tip on a piece of paper to get the paint flowing. Then it is just a matter of honing your skills. Remember you can always remove the paint if unsuccessful by soaking in vinegar and soap. Pick out the details on the buttons and highlight with the colours you have chosen. Then place them on the baking tray to dry.
Step 5: After 24 hours place your baking tray with buttons into an unheated oven. Heat the oven to 155-180 C ( 310-355 F) and bake for 1 hour. Let the buttons dry in the oven. This fixes the paint so the buttons can be hand washed in warm water safely.
Please note if the button turns out not to be glass it can melt in the oven releasing fumes, so do check that you are doing this on glass or ceramic items or buttons.
Then admire your hand-painted buttons and do share with me what you make.
Have fun creating
Carola
