Lapel Pins have been around for years, and you've probably seen so many variable designs in your lifetime. Some of you may even own a few, or have involved with the hobby of trading and collecting lapel pins.
The specific role of a lapel pin is to deliver a clear, but soft-spoken message regarding an organization, an achievement, rank, protest, sympathy, or involvement. Wearing pins has been noted as one of the best means in delivering statements of ideology, without resorting to direct confrontation of an opposing faction, or ideal.
Customizing your own lapel pin design effectively increases its value and impact on anyone the wearer gets in contact with. With customization, a proper blend of text, image, and purpose is stated on the pin; making the small reasonably priced trinket, an equivalent to a full speech or lecture.
It is very easy to customize your lapel pin, as long as you follow some necessary guidelines. First, you have to know each kind of pin type; there are different manufacturing processes, which result in a variety of different looking products.
The Types of Lapel Pins
Cloisonné Lapel Pins
These pins are die-struck from a copper bronze base. A die is designed to imprint a particular image onto the metal base. The pin outline and cut-outs are then cut using a separate mold. Colors are hand crafted with a mixture of a glass-like powder. The colors are fired one at a time, at a temperature of 1,600 F for around two to four minutes. This two step process makes sure that a bleeding of the colors is avoided. Next, the pins are polished individually by hand and electroplated with gold or silver.
Die Struck Lapel Pins
In making die struck pins, a die is cut to according to the image of the design; this is a practical method of manufacturing when there are frequent repeat orders of the same design. The image is stamped on a sheet of either copper or iron. Copper results in a sharper image since it is a softer metal, but at a bit more cost than using iron. The cutting molds are separately designed, and the pins are carefully cut out to the outline of the design's shape. Electroplating the metal is next, and for this type of pin the most common plating element is gold on gold, but other metals are also used, such as silver and black nickel. The raised metal surfaces are then polished to an attractive luster finish while the recessed areas are left with a rough, sandblasted effect.
Soft Enamel Lapel Pins
The process of soft enameling is based on the same manufacturing principle when making die struck pins, but given the option of using color enamel, to gill the recessed areas of the pin. This produces a 3-Dimensional illusion when combined with the raised polished portions of the pin.
Offset Printed Lapel Pins
In this process, an image of the design is transferred from a photographic negative onto the surface of the base metal. The offset printed style of lapel pin is usually picked when a gradient of color shift is necessary in recreating the design. Using the offset printed process manufacturers is able to print pictures, images, and camera ready artwork.
Silk Screen Lapel Pins
This pin making process requires a .8mm pin blank and screens the design onto the pin, a single color at a time. This is the best choice of pin when the organization branding guidelines are not applicable for using metal borders found in the die struck or cloisonné' pin types. There is usually a silk screen setup charge for this technique, which is something to keep in mind if you're making orders in small quantities and are looking for the best value. A protective coating of transparent epoxy is an extra option, and is applied to protect the surface of the color enamels, keeping the design from cracking or fading over time.
As you can see, making your custom lapel pin is quite easy, and may be even fun. Most lapel pin manufacturers have their own artists, and will readily help you in making your specific design within your target budget.
