How Czech Glass Buttons are made

STEP 1 – MATERIALS

These are the negatives used to make the molds for the buttons. These negatives are valuable, and one of a kind, as they are the first step in the process of making the Czech Glass Buttons.

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The negatives seen above make the molds. These hand-presses, with the molds inside, are what actually create the buttons.

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Glass rods of different colors first get melted in the oven.

STEP 2: PRESSING

The shank of the button gets placed inside of the mold

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Then he takes the molten glass, and presses it into the mold

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He carefully cuts the extra glass away with a pair of scissors.

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Open the press….

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And behold! A new Czech Glass button is born! (its still a bit crude, though).

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Step 3: FINISHING

The czech glass button you just saw gets its edges smoothed along a machine

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And the final touches include either hand painting…

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Or more often, a particular chemical coating that then gets fired in the oven.

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Recognize these buttons? True craftsmanship, born out of hundreds of years of experience.

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