There are times where the button maker won't create buttons correctly, whether because the plastic crumples up, the plastic doesn't fit perfectly over the button, or its an outright failure. If this is consistent, lubricate the machine. Use Door-ease Lube Stick we have in the Innovation Lab, put a bit of the stick lube on your finger and rub it around the crimp die. Think of it more as massaging it in as to just smearing it across the surface. The purpose is to fill microscopic damage to the die making it smooth to allow the mylar to pass easily across the surface on the second press. That usually does the trick and in normal circumstances will be enough.
Sometimes, button machines jam. The most common way this occurs is through accidentally putting two of the top shells together in the button maker, but it can me too much of any type of material. Regardless, jams will occur sooner or later, and this section is dedicated to explaining some ways of fixing them.
You can try to shake the handle back and forth to see if it comes loose. You can also take a book or old magazines and top the bottom of the machine against it until they separate. Sometimes, these solutions will work, but if they do not, the most common way of fixing the jam is to take a piece of wood and a mallet with rubber ends and tap down on each side of the die (the metal plates where you put the button parts).
If you do not have access to any tools, there is another way to unjam the button maker. For this, find a surface that you're not worried about damaging (most likely the ground). Then, take the button maker by the handle, lift it up and them set it down hard (as shown in the video above). You might have to do this a few times to unjam the machine, but eventually they should separate. After, press the button into the die where you put the bottom part of the button to get the shell out. Either press again or examine the upper die to check if it is clear.
