Skyhawk
Well-Known Member
I have been on the hunt for standard dark brown coat buttons made from primitive plastic for over 10 years.
A little background:
There were only a few types of plastics around in the mid 1920's to the 1930's period.
A-1 jackets did have some manufacturers using Horn buttons on the originals, like Gordon & Ferguson. Others used plastic though. The 37J1 jackets all had plastic buttons. There was one example with corozo nut buttons but literally all others I have seen had plastic. Most likely casein.
I have been able to find small amounts here and there of casein buttons over the years. This recent purchase was for a huge lot. And finally in a dark brown and in the style and size I have been searching for:
37J1 button close up:
The discovery of these buttons was a lucky thing. The fabric supply store I got them from bought these buttons 30 years ago from an apparel supply company in NY, that was going out of business. They did not know they were casein. They were selling them as plastic. When I inquired about them, they told me the story and showed me the box. They are from Portugal. Made by a company that used to make casein buttons. I bought some and tested them. When I determined that they were casein, I bought out all the supplies they had. Now I have a ton in stock to put on the 37J1 jackets.
Horn buttons were period correct but not historically accurate. Now we have both the accuracy and the correct materials for our buttons. Add that to the new custom wool knits and the stitching and construction insights from the recently obtained Military Specs, and we will have a 37J1 that is as close as you can get to an original issued jacket.
A little background:
There were only a few types of plastics around in the mid 1920's to the 1930's period.
- Celluloid
- Bakelite
- Lucite
- Casein
A-1 jackets did have some manufacturers using Horn buttons on the originals, like Gordon & Ferguson. Others used plastic though. The 37J1 jackets all had plastic buttons. There was one example with corozo nut buttons but literally all others I have seen had plastic. Most likely casein.
I have been able to find small amounts here and there of casein buttons over the years. This recent purchase was for a huge lot. And finally in a dark brown and in the style and size I have been searching for:
37J1 button close up:
The discovery of these buttons was a lucky thing. The fabric supply store I got them from bought these buttons 30 years ago from an apparel supply company in NY, that was going out of business. They did not know they were casein. They were selling them as plastic. When I inquired about them, they told me the story and showed me the box. They are from Portugal. Made by a company that used to make casein buttons. I bought some and tested them. When I determined that they were casein, I bought out all the supplies they had. Now I have a ton in stock to put on the 37J1 jackets.
Horn buttons were period correct but not historically accurate. Now we have both the accuracy and the correct materials for our buttons. Add that to the new custom wool knits and the stitching and construction insights from the recently obtained Military Specs, and we will have a 37J1 that is as close as you can get to an original issued jacket.