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Rhinestones

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Hi Stuart. I bought a package of assorted sizes that are self stick at Walmart, in the crafts section, but I think you can get them in most craft hobby shops in various colors. Ive seen them on Amazon too. Girls use them all over phones, clothes, nails, and notebooks so they are readily available. Think I settled on the 9mm size. I chose the self stick ones to test them first then super glued them on. Conventional wisdom dictates putting them on every fourth button from C however, not being one of convention, I put mine on the conventional E and the non conventional Eb. I find that Eb works best for me. Even though my buttons are black, I chose the red gems to match the color of the accordion.
 
StargazerTony post_id=59736 time=1528061218 user_id=2434 said:
Hi Stuart. I bought a package of assorted sizes that are self stick at Walmart, in the crafts section, but I think you can get them in most craft hobby shops in various colors. Ive seen them on Amazon too. Girls use them all over phones, clothes, nails, and notebooks so they are readily available.
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Arent those plastic? I thought the typical svarovsky or whatever are instead heavy glass. One difference is that you can attach them (quite permanently of course) by heating them and then letting them sink in. Plastic wouldnt stand for that. Another difference will be the refractive index, making for different glittering.
 
Yes, they are plastic. I'm not sure if putting crystal gems on accordion buttons is a good idea. They might chip and cut your finger. Plastic won't normally do that, but I guess you can. Crystal would be a bit more expensive though.

The point of putting a gem on buttons is to create a bump on a known button allowing you to know where your finger is in relation to other buttons. Sinking them in would defeat that purpose, and if one would eventually want to remove the gem, a glued one could be ground off with little or no damage to the button.

Gems are not merely decorations but functional, so all that glittering is of no value to the player for the player can't see them while playing and I'm not sure an audience would see them well either. I think that some do use highly reflective gems on more visible parts of an accordion making various design. Many are attractive.
 
Thanks for all the comments. I have found some glass rhinestones on ebay and at only £1.65 per 100. I'll give them a try.

Stuart26
 
Stuart,

I was worried that you may have been about to embark on an expensive and risky venture, but it seems you had it all worked out. Just be sure to support any bass buttons you intend drilling or filing in case you bend the control rods/wires.

FWIW my French boxes just have dimples cut in the mushroom type buttons. Only the C button is so marked on two of them, and on one of the others they just "hash" marked the E and Ab buttons with criss cross scores.

On the most expensive instrument all they did was to fit identical dimpled buttons to the E, C, and Ab buttons, with not a rhinestone or diamante in sight. Mind you in France you don't get bellows straps, back pads, or any other "non-essential" stuff like the 5th row (on CBA) we Brits insist on.

Good luck with your wee project.
 
I couldn't get accustomed to my C rhinestone (it was too far sunken in) so I switched it with my dimpled Ab. So I'm more of a dimple-man.

NB. this is not a useful reply :mrgreen:
 
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