buttons

[William]

I'm in need of some buttons that will be going on a 1820-ish vest that Bulldog Lady is making for me.  I'll need 6 of them and they need to be between 5/8 and 3/4 in diameter, I'm thinking that they need to be made of copper, antler or horn. 

Thanks!

[Hammerhead]

i have a bunch let me see what size they are and ill get back to you tomorrow

[William]

i have a bunch let me see what size they are and ill get back to you tomorrow

That would be great, thank you very much.

[ErikPrice1@msn.com]

 Hey william if hammerhead aint got the right size let me know and I'll cut you some. I gotta ton of antler.

[William]

i have a bunch let me see what size they are and ill get back to you tomorrow

It looks like I will need 9 buttons, could you find that many?

[DandJofAZ]

Just gifted with about 300 cured manzanita wood slices, about 1/8inch thick ...very strong and make good buttons,,sand to size it not quite right.

[William]

Just gifted with about 300 cured manzanita wood slices, about 1/8inch thick ...very strong and make good buttons,,sand to size it not quite right.

Sure, I'll give them a try.  I'll send you a PM with my mailing address.

[DandJofAZ]

several on the way...hope they are something you can use...they work well on my shirt sleave cuffs....

Doug

[William]

Several on the way...hope they are something you can use...they work well on my shirt sleave cuffs....
Doug
Just FYI that I received these buttons yesterday in the mail and did some research on Manzanita wood, which literally means "small apple";
The wood is notoriously hard to cure, mostly due to cracking against the grain, giving it few uses as timber. The slow growth rate and many branchings further decrease the sizes available. Some furniture and art employ whole round branches, which reduces cracking and preserves the deep red color.
The dead wood decays slowly and can last for many years, on and off the plant. Sunlight smooths and bleaches manzanita to light grey or white, rendering it superficially akin to animal bones. Because of this and the stunted growth of many species, manzanita is often collected in its more unusual shapes, giving it the nickname mountain driftwood.  Manzanita wood is also used as perches for parrots and other large pet birds. The branches of the larger species are extremely long-lasting for this purpose.Some aquarium keepers use sandblasted manzanita as driftwood in planted aquaria because of its attractive forked growth and its chemical neutrality.  If properly cleaned and cured, it holds up well over extended periods of submersion. The wood is also resistant to the leaching of tannins into the water column, a problem often found with other aquarium driftwoods. When used as driftwood, manzanita must often be either weighted down for several weeks or soaked first to counteract the wood's natural buoyancy.  Manzanita wood, when dry, is excellent for burning in a campfire, barbecue, fireplace, or stove. It is dense and burns at a high temperature for long periods. However, caution should be exercised, because the high temperatures can damage thin-walled barbecues, and even crack cast iron stoves or cause chimney fires.   Some manzanita species are among the rarest plants in the world. The endemic Arctostaphylos hookeri ravenii (Presidio manzanita) is the most endangered and restricted plant in the mainland United States. In 1987 only one specimen remained, at a secret location in the Presidio of San Francisco National Historic Landmark District in San Francisco, California. This plant has since been successfully cloned.[3] Arctostaphylos franciscana (Franciscan Manzanita), a species native to San Francisco, had not been seen growing wild since 1947 until it was spotted growing in the Presidio of San Francisco in October, 2009.[1] Caltrans transplanted this specimen on January 23, 2010, to make way for the Doyle Drive Replacement Project.[4]
Wikipedia-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manzanita

[Rocky]

Nice write up on Manzanita William. That brings back some great memories from my younger days hunting in California for Black Tail deer in the Sierras. I can remember being told not to try and go through a Manzanita thicket because it was so tough, and they were right. It could poke you and rip clothes and tear skin if you were not very careful. At night you didn't want to add to much of it to camp fires because it burned to hot. But on cold nights it was great. I remember it was hard to get it burning, but once you did it was very hot and lasted quite awhile.