Hard Enamel Lapel Pins
Hard enamel lapel pins, also known Cloisonne pins or epola pins, are some of our highest quality and most popular lapel pins. Made with modernized techniques base on ancient Chinese artistry, hard enaneml lapel pins have an impressive appearance and a durable construction. For herd enamel pins, not only is the enamel added over several times rasing the enamel higher, its is heated at a very high temperature to harden and cure the enamel. It is then polished smooth. so it can be at the same level as the metal die lines. If you rub your thumb over a hard enamel lapel pins it will feel smooth and you will not feel the metal borders/ridges.
Soft enamel Pins
When creating a soft enamel pins, the enamel is laid in the recessed areas and put through ovens to bake the enamel hard. The enamel is only added once in this process which means when dry, the enamel clings to the edges and recessed below the metal die line (that stops the enamels from mixing). This creates a dimensional look, meaning the paint is at a lower level than the metal borders surrounding each color. If you rub your thumb over soft enamel pin you will feel the metal ridges.
Plating is the costume of products
We also offers many different plating options for you to choose from. If you have questions about which types of plating can be used with certain types of pins, please contact us and we will be happy to help you decide which plating and finish is right for your metal medals.
After zinc alloy hot chamber die casting, deburring polishing, raw model cleaning to make the surface smooth, it comes to the plating process with firstly a copper base and then nickel, and finally plating other colors with oil sealed to prevent oxidization.
Sandblasting procedure is available for 2D design only not suitable for 3D cubic designs.These are commonly used finishing for reference and communication. Different designs(especially 3D cubic with antique finishing) will not be always identical to this plating chart. There are other kinds of special finishing such as two-tone effects available.
Most race medals are made of zinc alloy. When the mold is made and metals are pressed, they are unfinished and would need to be polished and electroplated. The picture below shows how race medals initially look like:
Plating chart
Choosing a finish, also known as a plating color, can dramatically affect the final look of your piece.
All of these plating finishes are available with our “Standard” line of buckles, but can also be used with our “Premium Pewter” line of buckles.
Generally, with Premium Pewter, most people take the natural pewter finish, which is similar to the silver look – but even whiter in appearance – naturally brilliant.
For an additional charge, we can produce some of your order in any mix of plating colors – this can be quite useful to make distinctive buckles as collector’s items, or to recognize different levels of achievement or awards.
