Jujutsu Kaisen Craft Project – Magnetic Frames for Pinback Buttons Using Dollar Store Products

The other day I was arranging my collection of Jujutsu Kaisen merch and found I had more pinback buttons (called ‘can badge’ in Japan) than I realised. Looking at all the cute faces of these characters I love, I thought it was a pity to just keep them inside a dark box, like Gojo trapped right now inside the Prison Realm. 

(English continued below) 気が付いたら呪術廻戦の缶バッジコレクションが増え、箱の中に入れっぱなしだともったいないし、壁に飾るところがないのでほかにディスプレイ方法がないかしら、と考えた結果、このフレームセットを工作。確かに100均のアクリル缶バッジスタンドがありますが、大切に集めていた商品にはちょっともの足りないと感じました。が、高級フレームなどを購入する余裕もなく、作るしかない、と。結局、ほぼ100円ショップで買ったパーツを使用し好みの缶バッジ専用フレームを完成。ミニマグネットを活用したので、バッジの微調整及び入れ替えが簡単に行えて便利です。よかったら写真をご覧ください↓

At the dollar store there are clear, acrylic pinback button stands with partitions, like ice cube trays but especially made for pinback buttons, where you can simply put your buttons inside, snap the cover close and voila, a quick way to display your collection without them getting dusty. But it really didn’t fit my aesthetic, so I decided to make my own magnet frames using products from the dollar store.

Materials used:

• A – Frames from the dollar store, as shown above. These actually cost 2 dollars each, though xD With a deep frame and clear acrylic cover to keep out dust, these were easy to modify as box-like frames for buttons. Any picture frame will do as long as there is depth to the frame. 
• B – Milk paint or chalk paint, and metallic paint. I used Turner’s Milk Paint in Midnight Blue, dark green natural milk paint from the Daiso dollar store (inset pic), and Pharaoh’s Gold metallic paint by Modern Masters. Similar paints are available at the dollar store so you don’t have to spend much on any of them. Paint brushes, plastic bowls for pouring paint.
• C – Strips of wood 900 x 5 x 10mm and 900 x 5 x 15mm. I got mine from the DIY store, and they cost around a dollar each. Pic below. These are needed to add space between the buttons and the clear acrylic cover. Make sure the frame is deep enough to hold an additional 5mm of wood strip.
• D – Mini magnets (6mm and 13mm) from the dollar store. Pics below.

How I made the frames:

1 – Take apart the frame and back panels. 

2 – Paint with your favourite colours. Let dry. I used two coats of paint: image on the left is the first coat and the one on the right is after the second coat. If the panels have too rough a surface they should be sanded down first.

3 – Cut the strips of wood to fit the top and bottom of the frame stand, then sand the edges that will appear inside the frame.

4 – I painted three sets: gold, green, blue. I really love how the gold shines under the light! Yeah, I’m what you call 派手 hadé in Japanese, meaning flashy xD

5 – Using wood glue I attached the wood strips to the back panels. I used the 10mm strips for the top and the 15mm strips for the bottom section. To make them look like part of a set I didn’t use one colour per frame but mixed-and-matched so that each of them would have all three colours. 

6 – Strong double-sided tape is what I used to attach the magnets to the board. You can just use multi-purpose glue if you like. To measure out the placement of each magnet, I folded the paper containing sample pictures that comes with the frame and cut out holes to trace, for eight 57mm buttons per frame.

7 – Mini magnets at 6mm are too weak for buttons that have a deeply-curving back. I had the option to use a bigger 13mm magnet instead, but decided to use the 6mm ones and then add a 13mm magnet at the back for a stronger hold. 

Upsides and Downsides

So there we have it, a super easy weekend project that’s usable for years to come. The longest part was waiting for the paint to dry. Otherwise, the only effort needed was measuring out the wood strips, cutting and sanding them. 

What I like about these frames is that it’s very simple to swap buttons because the magnet method lets you take them out and put them in without any fuss. Also, the acrylic covers protect the buttons from dust so no need to worry about them losing their shininess. There’s no need to glue the buttons themselves to the board, so when the Jujutsu Kaisen manga and anime end and I get into a new fandom, I can always remove the buttons easily and replace them with whatever new characters I fall in love with.

The downside to these frames is that because they use magnets, I might make the mistake of putting an electronic device right next to them and ruining it. But they’re displayed on my shelf like this:

As long as I don’t put my iPhone right next to them then things should be fine.

See the frame on the right? They’re the FamilyMart can badges I wrote about here and here. These buttons have a very flat back so it was easy to hold them in place with the mini magnets. 

The Beginning of a Crafts Series?

Hope you enjoyed this look at one of my little projects during Golden Week. Due to the pandemic traveling is still restricted, and Japan’s vaccination program is unfolding so slowly I feel it will take years before my age group will finally get the vaccine. Tokyo is still under a state of emergency so I couldn’t go anywhere, but there are always projects like this to undertake. I had fun and am pleased with the end result. Here’s to more crafting projects with Jujutsu Kaisen!

How to Buy from Overseas 

If you live outside Japan, you can buy Jujutsu Kaisen pinback buttons by proxy and have them shipped to you. Check out my Buyer’s Guide.

Search key phrase:

呪術廻戦　缶バッジ

Different stores have varied pricing and product availability, and they have thousands in stock. Surugaya sells very affordable sets as well as individual buttons. Lashinbang offers thousands individually, so you can pick and choose. AmiAmi sells by the set. If you want a particular pinback from my pics above, let me know and I’ll tell you exactly what it’s called!

Thank you so much for reading! Please take a moment to share a thought or two in the comment section below. Your comments give me life and are a real source of encouragement. xoxo – hana

Leaving a comment is the best way to help this blog grow. If you’d much rather tip than comment, please use the jar below. Any kind of support is very much appreciated!

---