Messenger bag seeks fun badges for mutually fulfilling relationship.
April 27, 2017 9:41 AM Subscribe
I see a lot of funky, fun pins around. Is there anywhere to get similar badges? Or is there any way to make it harder to lose pins? Clarification inside.
I have a canvas messenger bag and I like decorating it. The problem: regardless of how careful I am, any pin (butterfly back) that I put on it survives a month, tops, and then it gets caught somewhere without me noticing, pulled off, and lost. The last one I tried only lasted two weeks. This makes me sad.
Badges (safety pin style connection) survive just fine. But... everywhere sells pins, not badges. I can barely find any. Am I using the wrong search terms? Are badges just completely out of fashion and my search for messenger bag decoration will forever be frustrated?
For that matter, is there any way at all I can attach pins more securely to a canvas messenger bag while still being able to remove them without ruining the pin entirely? Some sort of back that's better than the butterfly back they come with?
I have a canvas messenger bag and I like decorating it. The problem: regardless of how careful I am, any pin (butterfly back) that I put on it survives a month, tops, and then it gets caught somewhere without me noticing, pulled off, and lost. The last one I tried only lasted two weeks. This makes me sad.
Badges (safety pin style connection) survive just fine. But... everywhere sells pins, not badges. I can barely find any. Am I using the wrong search terms? Are badges just completely out of fashion and my search for messenger bag decoration will forever be frustrated?
For that matter, is there any way at all I can attach pins more securely to a canvas messenger bag while still being able to remove them without ruining the pin entirely? Some sort of back that's better than the butterfly back they come with?
I've sewn safety pin style buttons onto my messenger bag. I am not a good sewer (?) but I make sure to get the thread through the loopy part of the pin. It's not perfect, but it keeps them on better.
posted by Aquifer at 9:46 AM on April 27, 2017
posted by Aquifer at 9:46 AM on April 27, 2017
In the olden days, the way to keep a pin or earring on more firmly was to use a pencil eraser on the back instead of the butterfly back. Probably now, with epoxies and Sugru and similar, there's probably a number of clever ways to hold them on firmly.
posted by Lyn Never at 9:52 AM on April 27, 2017
posted by Lyn Never at 9:52 AM on April 27, 2017
Best answer: There are pin backs that lock with an allen wrench.
posted by xo at 9:55 AM on April 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by xo at 9:55 AM on April 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Best answer: Yep, as xo mentions, you can get locking pin backs, which tighten and loosen with an Allen wrench. The only things to watch out for with these: 1. don't overtighten them and 2. hang on to the Allen wrench.
I would recommend those over military pin backs, which include a spring mechanism that can break in cheaper ones (and there's no good way to tell if a batch of pin backs includes the cheaper version), ruining your pin and/or what it's stuck on. I bought a bad batch of those off eBay at one point and ruined one of my favorite pins when the spring snapped and the pin back wasn't removable. So beware.
A middle option, if you anticipate changing up pins on your pack fairly often, is just hard rubber pin backs. They work pretty well but sometimes don't hold the pin on quite securely enough, so you have to check them fairly regularly. They're more secure than the butterfly pin backs for sure, though. This is my usual option.
posted by limeonaire at 9:57 AM on April 27, 2017
I would recommend those over military pin backs, which include a spring mechanism that can break in cheaper ones (and there's no good way to tell if a batch of pin backs includes the cheaper version), ruining your pin and/or what it's stuck on. I bought a bad batch of those off eBay at one point and ruined one of my favorite pins when the spring snapped and the pin back wasn't removable. So beware.
A middle option, if you anticipate changing up pins on your pack fairly often, is just hard rubber pin backs. They work pretty well but sometimes don't hold the pin on quite securely enough, so you have to check them fairly regularly. They're more secure than the butterfly pin backs for sure, though. This is my usual option.
posted by limeonaire at 9:57 AM on April 27, 2017
I read too quickly and thought you wanted to move away from anything involving a pokey metal piece that could be ripped out and to that end I came to recommend searching for "patch" or "patches" on etsy to find some embroidered things you could stitch onto your bag.
posted by WeekendJen at 10:59 AM on April 27, 2017
posted by WeekendJen at 10:59 AM on April 27, 2017
Glue? Either glue the pin shut or glue badges directly onto the bag.
posted by BoscosMom at 11:56 AM on April 27, 2017
posted by BoscosMom at 11:56 AM on April 27, 2017
limeonaire is right.
I wear a couple dozen pins (and one button!) on my work ID lanyard, and I replaced all the crummy stock pinbacks with ones that have a tighter grip. They are "military" style, and the ones bought randomly off of Amazon are still WAY better than the "butterfly" backs that were on the pins when I got them.
Several of my pins are Disney pins; they give you a hard plastic block shaped like a Mickey head as a pinback, and it holds very poorly.
I buy pins as I go: at Disney World, at museums & places that I visit, or from the web sites of museums & places that I have visited. I have more than I can wear at once, and every few months I rotate one out. They're fun, and they attract far more attention (and start more conversations) than I would have expected. (Though I am a big, dumb dude, and I don't mind people staring at my neck/chest; YMMV, and I support your choice of decorating your courier bag.)
posted by wenestvedt at 1:26 PM on April 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
I wear a couple dozen pins (and one button!) on my work ID lanyard, and I replaced all the crummy stock pinbacks with ones that have a tighter grip. They are "military" style, and the ones bought randomly off of Amazon are still WAY better than the "butterfly" backs that were on the pins when I got them.
Several of my pins are Disney pins; they give you a hard plastic block shaped like a Mickey head as a pinback, and it holds very poorly.
I buy pins as I go: at Disney World, at museums & places that I visit, or from the web sites of museums & places that I have visited. I have more than I can wear at once, and every few months I rotate one out. They're fun, and they attract far more attention (and start more conversations) than I would have expected. (Though I am a big, dumb dude, and I don't mind people staring at my neck/chest; YMMV, and I support your choice of decorating your courier bag.)
posted by wenestvedt at 1:26 PM on April 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Search Instagram for #pingame and #patchgame, there's tons of stuff out there and bound to be some to your liking! Associated tags like #enamelpin will also yield a ton of results.
posted by ITheCosmos at 1:47 PM on April 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by ITheCosmos at 1:47 PM on April 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Have you considerd iron-on patches? (Do either of these options apeal?)
But yeah "button" is your search term.
posted by sazerac at 2:48 PM on April 27, 2017
But yeah "button" is your search term.
posted by sazerac at 2:48 PM on April 27, 2017
I buy pins at Hero Complex Gallery. They are done by various pop artists so there's some game stuff and movie stuff and tv stuff etc. I "think" they're mostly butterfly back but am not positive. You can always ask them. So far, I have Lady Snowblood and have just ordered Catbus w/glow in dark eyes, and also got some limited ed. playing cards with art by 52 different artists. Pretty cool stuff.
posted by MovableBookLady at 5:34 PM on April 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by MovableBookLady at 5:34 PM on April 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
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posted by redsparkler at 9:42 AM on April 27, 2017