Spencer Martin, craftsman at London Green Wood (LGW) a not-for-profit cooperative and community of green woodworkers based in Abney Park Cemetery, Hackney produces our hand made buttons.
London Green Wood’s aim is to encourage crafty-ness, creativity and self-reliance in everybody. All the wood used is sustainably sourced from windblown trees or from tree surgeons that would otherwise be woodchipped. Spencer is a long time member and keyholder at London Green Wood and creates our garment buttons which come in two sizes – 15mm buttons used for shirts and trouser flies, and 25mm buttons used for outerwear, and denim goods.
The techniques used at London Green Wood's outdoor workshop, require no electricity to create the cylindrical button blanks from the log. A mixture of ancient hand tools and foot powered machinery are used.
Our buttons are made from English Ash, (a quick growing native hardwood) processed into round spindles at LGW, then dried out to complete in Spencer’s workshop. As they dry the spindles become oval, so have to be re-turned on a lathe to size. The round cylinders are then cut into discs using a table saw and the button holes are drilled on a small pillar drill before sanding to finish by Spencer himself.