clothesmaking question

[arethinn]

For anyone out there who has ever made a pair of pants with a fly-button (as opposed to elastic waist), or in fact anything that has that kind of button on it:

I have a pair of jeans where the fly-button has come apart somehow into two component pieces (male and female). I guess something came uncrimped or wore out in the female part. I assume it is possible to buy a new button and set it in the jeans, but do I need any kind of special tool or equipment to do this (like one needs a rivet setter for rivets), or can it be done by hand?

Comments

[eldriwolf.livejournal.com]

Unless they are some wierd Kind of button. Nope. Just sew them on, just under the button hole (when the garment is closed) I tend to sew four hole button in parallel stitches =, some people use x pattern, it doesn't matter---just use lots of strong thread.

[arethinn]

Er... I am talking about this sort of thing, which is the normal sort of button used on jeans, no "sewing on" like with a shirt button:



The "thumbtack" looking piece is the "male" part I am referring to, and it somehow snaps into and is held by the "female" part, piercing through the fabric of the jeans in the process (there is of course an existing hole in this case). What I don't know is if the two pieces are meant to snap together with just hand pressure, or if there is some tool like a rivet setter required?

[eldriwolf.livejournal.com]

Sorry! I was thinking 'buttons'

Those things look like they 'want' a rivet-set, or something like that.
But you might *Try* using a big ball-peen hammer--the ball was used to flatten the end of old fashioned copper(one piece) rivets. Make sure to have a hard(cement or metal) surface to hammer on.

[arethinn]

We have a vise in the garage that has a kind of "anvil" area on it. I could probably use that. Thanks for the advice!