The cloisonné lapel pin is the fine-art tradition of glazing enamel, it has a long historical standing in China. This kind of lapel pin is made of stamped or die struck copper base, filling glazing enamel into the recessed areas. Then, it must be fired in high temperature, polished to make its surface be smooth and shiny. After that, we can treat the base per customers’ needs, like plating gold, nickel, copper, silver, etc
Imitation hard ename
The imitation hard enamel (Epola) lapel pin is produced by using the same techniques as the cloisonné. The finished product looks similar to the cloisonné, and it is also beautiful. It can also be plated in gold, silver, nickel, copper, black nickel and so on. But the materials can be either copper, or Zinc alloy, brass and Iron. The recessed sections are filled with hard epoxy enamel rather than glazing enamel. The cost is much lower than the cloisonné.
Soft enamel
A more economical option is soft enamel finish. Its cost will be reduced a lot compared with the above two. The process of this finish is that the enamel is painted into the recessed parts on the die struck or stamped base, before which is plated in gold, brass, copper, black dye, antique silver, antique gold, etc. Soft enamel can let you have a strong felling of the die struck or stamped pattern. It also can be coated with epoxy for long-lasting durability and a shiny, finished look.
Basic die struck
The basic die-struck lapel pin is often made of Iron and brass. There is not any enamel painted on this pin. Matt finish, shiny finish and antique finish, such as matt gold, matt nickel, nickel, copper, antique brass and antique sliver, etc, can be used in this kind of design. The recessed can be sandblasted to make the details on the pin to be more clear and readable.
Screen print
Screen-print is a good choice for color pins with small patterns. It must be printed on flat and smooth surface. The surface can be epoxy dome, Epola and flat metal base. Screen print need not metal lines to separate different colors. This makes some logos more beautiful.
Offset print
Offset print is the best way to finish lapel pins with gradient colors. The design is directly printed onto the metal base such as stainless iron or brass, and the thickness is 0.8mm. Then, the pin is covered with an epoxy dome for enduring protection. Offset printing is the fastest way to complete pins and the cost is the lowest among other finishes.
Photo Etch
Etch is chemically corroded your design into brass, creating recesses which will be filled with enamel. Then, they can be plated in gold, silver, nickel, copper and so on. This process allows for high definition of lettering and design.
Die casting
Die casting is mainly used to make big and complex products, or products with many details, such as cut-out lettering, oddly-shaped pins. The melted zinc alloy is injected into a mold created from your artwork. After it cools, it can be polished and then plated in gold, silver, brass and so on.
