Instead of a die that is stamped into the metal, a mould is used. The mould resembles a black and white negative of the art in actual size. This pattern is spread across a transparent film in the size of a sheet of paper which is then placed onto a brass sheet of similar size. Through a photographic process and an etching machine, the design is etched into brass using a photo acid process onto the brass sheet. The brass sheet is hand colored with soft enamel & epoxy coating and cut to shape by tooling.
Because the pin is not stamped, the brass can be very thin, no more than 0.8mm. The thin brass metal allows for very large and complicated designs. The size range can be from ½” to 10”.
The back die is repeated over the entire back of the pin. An Epoxy dome is highly recommended.
Photo Etched pins are easier to make than stamped pins and therefore less expensive.
A great economical alternative to struck pins. |
