Enamel pins are delicate metal ornaments that are inlaid with brightly colored enamel designs. There are various types of these pins, including soft enamel pins, hard enamel pins, epoxy resin enamel pins, 3D metal enamel pins, and openwork enamel pins, according to the process. They are usually made of high-quality precious metals, such as gold, platinum or silver, etc., and after fine craftsmanship, the surface is as smooth as a mirror, and the color is long-lasting.
The design of enamel pins is inspired by life, and they can be inlaid with a variety of exquisite patterns, such as flowers, animals, people, words and so on. These patterns can be used as decorative elements, but also express an emotion or symbolize a certain meaning. The production process of enamel pins is very complex and requires several processes, including metal production, pattern design, enamel firing and so on. Each step of the process requires exquisite skill and experience to produce a beautiful enamel pin.
Enamel pins are not only a decorative item, but also a collector’s item. Due to its complicated production and high price, it is usually regarded as a symbol of status and identity. At the same time, with its exquisite design and long-lasting quality, enamel pins have also become a gifting or gift option for family, friends or important clients. Whether in daily life or on special occasions, enamel pins can show their unique charm and make a lasting impression. Nowadays, the development of industry and technology has made the production of enamel pins easy and at the right price, so that the general public can also use these beautiful enamel pins, so what is the difference between these pins, and how do I pick these pins, let’s take a look.
1. Soft Enamel Pins
Custom soft enamel pins are the ones I most often recommend to my customers because they are the most versatile, simpler to produce and cheaper to produce than other types of enamel pins. Firstly, in terms of touch and appearance, your fingers can feel the dimpled texture of the metal surface, giving it an authentic feel. Secondly, soft enamel pins are produced by pouring a layer of paint or enamel onto an electroplated product embryo, heating and baking it, and then cooling it naturally so that the paint or enamel sits on the inside of the metal grooves. Because of the process limitations, soft enamel pins are moderately durable and the metal parts are prone to scratches, but they are the most versatile in terms of customer design and manufacturing process, and they allow for a wide range of different types of colors and designs, which is a very popular and used type of pin.
2. Hard Enamel Pins
The best thing about hard enamel pins is that they look more premium and the surface is smoother to the touch compared to soft enamel. Because the enamel is almost flush with the metal edge, the touch is almost completely flat from the center of the metal to the edge, so the overall look is smooth and flat. The production method of hard enamel pins is similar to that of soft enamel pins, but the difference is the use of enamel in this step of the process. Soft enamel is simply poured into the metal grooves and then dried, while hard enamel is poured into the metal grooves until the enamel overflows into the metal grooves, then dried, and then the enamel is polished to the same level as the metal edges, and then plated, which is the reason why hard enamel is not perfectly flush. why hard enamel is not perfectly flush. Compared with soft enamel pins, hard enamel pins will also be more expensive, but it is worth it, especially in important occasions to highlight the high class feeling of hard enamel, and for some cute designs, such as cartoon designs, anime designs, hard enamel will also be more suitable than soft enamel, because soft enamel has a stronger concave and convex, which will cut down on the rounded feeling of the cute elements, so you can be assured that hard enamel can be used boldly so you can feel free to use hard enamel to make your pins.
3. Epoxy Pins
Epoxy pins are clear and reflective, and they have a smooth surface in the shape of a dome, as if covered with a layer of glass. Epoxy resin can be used in combination with most of the pins, such as covering a thin layer of epoxy resin on top of the soft enamel and hard enamel, after the reflection of the light, the inner pattern will become more beautiful and bright, and the epoxy resin can also well protect the inner pattern from being scratched and damaged.
However, epoxy resin pins are mainly used in combination with digital printing and UV printing, for one thing, it can retain the color and all the details of the pattern changes, and for another, it can produce pins designs that have complex patterns but require small sizes, which is also the biggest advantage of epoxy resin pins over soft enamel pins and hard enamel pins. Meanwhile, its production cost is also relatively low like soft enamel pins, which is suitable for most of the guests with low budget.
4. 3D Metal Pins
3D metal pins are a new type of pins that are completely different from the three previously mentioned pins. It has a very strong three-dimensional effect that can portray an intricate look and you can also feel every detail of the design, 3D metal pins can be described as lifelike, which is definitely a very right choice if your design requires more than 2 layers of appearance while maintaining elegance, especially for making pins about people, objects and landscapes.
3D metal pins has high durability, basically it can be used for several years, but please be careful not to scratch the surface, because the metal covered by plating on the surface is not a hard stone, so please take good care of it when you use it.3D metal pins can also be used together with colors, the specific design needs to be based on your design drawings and requirements, you can talk to the supplier to put forward your requirements, ideas, and they will tell you the best They will tell you the best suggestion.
5. Cut out(Hollowed Out)Pins
Cut out(Hollowed Out)Pins are relatively a special kind of pinss, because there are more constraints to make this kind of pinss. The first is the design, not all designs are suitable for openwork pinss, such as images and complex curves, the most suitable design for this type of pins is text and simple curves. But the text is also required, this is the second limitation, the material, openwork pinss generally use stainless steel or iron to produce, which requires the design of the line can not be too thin, otherwise the use of the process will break. The third is the color, skeleton pinss generally can only use the color of the metal, pure gold, pure silver and so on. Of course, you can also use soft enamel or printing process, but whether you can use other colors need to be based on your design, the specific design and requirements can talk to the supplier.
6. Write in the end
No matter what type of pins, it depends on your design and requirements, because the process itself has differences and constraints, you can send your design to the supplier and then explain your requirements in detail, they will give you professional advice and reference.
In addition, color-wise gold, silver and black are the most commonly used metal colors, most of the custom enamel pins mentioned above use these three colors, of course if you need other colors you can also talk to the supplier. For accessories, the standard butterfly clutch or magnet is used to hold it in place, the butterfly clutch is solid, cheap and versatile, but it will leave holes in clothing and other objects to use, if you are worried about holes in your bag or fine long sleeve shirts, you can also use the magnetic accessory, but avoid strenuous exercise or he will slip away from your clothing, in addition to the other accessories available for you to choose from if you want to give it as a gift or sell it as a beautiful item, there are also various types of packaging, velvet boxes, wooden boxes, paper boxes, etc. The good news is that these boxes can also be customized with your logo, make your request and the supplier will show these to you for you to choose from.
After you have decided to customize your exclusive pins, what is the next step? Finding the right supplier! At HesanK, we have professional salespersons to provide you with reasonable advice, strong manufacturing capacity and supply ability to meet your customization requirements, various types of accessories and packaging to make your products more exquisite, ready to go, contact us today to discuss how we can customize for you or your company!