Custom Enamel Pins

The colored filling for soft enamel pins is high at the edges where it meets the metal frame but then dips inward. Soft enamel pins are bumpy to the touch because of these dips.

Process

In the production of soft enamel pins the design is stamped into the metal and cut to the designated size. After plating, the enamel is added into the recessed areas and baked until hardened, at a lower temp than hard enamel. When cured, the enamel fill becomes elevated along the edges where is meets the plating/metal borders.​

Soft enamel​ is a good choice for simple designs and people that want affordable pins.
You can tell a ​soft enamel pin​ by the way the paint pools against the metal.

• Textured Look
• Affordable
• Vibrant Colors

Benefits over hard enamel

• Less expensive since the process for creating them is faster
• Can show clearer detail in designs due to lack of polishing

Hard enamel essentially means that the enamel filling is level with the metal frame/border. These are smooth across the pin to the touch​. Hard enamel​ is created using the same process as soft enamel, but finished with a buffed sheen that evens out paint and metal to create a flat surface.

Process

Enamel is added and polished flat, flush against the outline of the metal frame. Each color in the design is baked at high temps in a special oven individually, which adds to the time and cost of this option. The pins are then plated and polished again to ensure a super smooth and level surface.

• Flat/Smooth Look
• Professional
• Standard Colors
• Polished Look

Benefits over soft enamel

• They are more elegant and polished looking (literally)

• More scratch-resistant and ​usually​ slightly more durable

A great choice for companies who must strictly adhere to their brand standards and achieve an exact reproduction of their design, without using metal outlines to contain enamel colors.

Process

We take a finished hard enamel pin and screen print your design, or just certain details, onto the smooth surface of the pin. These pins are a great choice when corporate branding guidelines do not allow for metal borders found with traditional enamel styles.

Benefits over hard enamel

• The ability to have two colors touching, without a metal border/stroke, in a specific part of the pin, while retaining the traditional enamel style in the remainder.

• Achieve exceedingly fine levels of detail in pin design. Text can be made even smaller while remaining legible if a screen print is utilized.

• Create years of service or employee pins that have customized years, dates, or award titles. Opting for a screen print hybrid is best when doing these types of pins, since the same mold can be used to create the base pin. After the enamel has cured, the screen prints can be applied to achieve the most budget-conscious final step in customization. Each unique screen will have a subsequent cost

The crème de la crème of enamel pins. If you have the budget and are not in a rush, it doesn't get any better than made in usa enamel. 

Process

These pins are made in generally the same way as overseas enamel, can be custom shape, and will have the classic textured feel. The metal plating is raised and the enamel colors are slightly recessed. The difference is they are jewelry quality pins.

• Textured Look
• More Expensive
• Vibrant Colors

Benefits over overseas enamel

• Jewelry Quality
• USA-Made