You’ll want to preserve their brand-new appearance for as long as you can, whether you creatpersonalizeded pins or buy, sell, or trade collections.
How can you maintain your enamel pins looking brand-new? Use caution when cleaning them with chemicals since they can damage the enamel layers. The metal accents can be preserved from tarnishing with airtight storage containers, and when on display, keeping them out of direct sunlight can prevent UV damage that results in discoloration.
There are several precautions you can take to ensure that your pins stay in brand-new condition for as long as possible. Your pins can last considerably longer without losing any of their shine if you follow proper cleaning, storage, and display procedures.
Tips to Keep Enamel Pins Looking New
We’ve put down seven situations that pin lovers frequently run across. We have included some tips that you may follow to make sure that your enamel pins continue looking sharp because they can all make your pin appear a little worse for wear. The best ways to keep your pin clean and secure will depend on the material it is made of and the kind of protective coatings it has.
-1.Loose Pin Backings
Superglue can be used to reinforce the foundation and mend frayed pin backings. A superglue pen is one of the simplest to use since it has a fine tip, allowing you to be sure that it is only applied to the necessary areas. This keeps your pin looking brand new.
-2.Updating Your Pins
You should be very cautious when cleaning your pin. Use a cotton Q-tip to gently remove any residue rather than polishing soft enamel objects. Jewelry polish can be used to shine hard enamel.
You should refrain from using household cleansers with abrasive chemicals or natural cleaners like vinegar. Both have the potential to destroy the enamel.
-3.Showcases and Storage
You should preserve your pins in sealed containers to keep them appearing fresh and new. They should be kept out of direct sunlight because UV rays might fade the paint. Additionally, pin storage containers ought to be kept in a dry, room-temperature environment.
- The following are some ways you can display your pins.
- Display box with drawers
- ordinary display box
- Book or pin folio
- flags and other fabric pin holders
-4.Shipping Pins securely
Make sure to send pins to clients or friends in individually wrapped, bubble- or foam-lined packaging.
-5.Conventions and trade shows
When attending gatherings with others who share their passion for the activity, everyone wants to flaunt their favorite enamel lapel pins, but wearing a lot of them at once can raise the chance of losing or breaking one. For this reason, you should put your most priceless pins in a pin folio or other storage box rather than wearing them on your clothing or a lanyard while at an event.
People might ask to look at your pins, therefore it’s preferable to display them properly rather than letting several people touch them because fingers have oils that could harm the enamel.
-6.Pin Folios for Storing and Moving Pins
A pin folio is a book or bag with pages designed to carry many pins at once that are typically zip-closed. Each sheet has a pinhole insert made of foam, paper, or cardboard that is evenly spaced out in rows. The pins are additionally shielded from scratches and exposure to air, humidity, and other potentially harmful environmental factors by a layer of protective film that lies on top.
-7.Ways to Wear Pins and Keep Them Looking New
Most people wear their pins on their hats, outer layers of clothes, or lanyards. It is always possible for pins to fall out, become loose, or have treatment that could injure them. You can wear them in more secure locations to lessen the likelihood of that happening.
The lapel of a shirt or coat is a good location because it is rarely damaged by hard handling. To reduce the likelihood of the metal rusting, always remove pins after wearing them and store them in an airtight container until you wish to wear them again.
-8.Metal Cleaning
Metal accents on pins are susceptible to tarnishing when exposed to dampness or prolonged exposure to the elements. Jewelry polish and a microfiber cloth work best for fixing this. By keeping your pins in an airtight container or polishing them when you do routine cleaning, you can prevent tarnishing.
To prevent the enamel paint and metal from being harmed by the environment, pins should be stored correctly when not being used. You can use a variety of products designed to restore shine to metal jewelry for the pin details.
-9.Purchasing Additional Custom Pins
It can be a good idea to get one or two additional custom pins when ordering them for yourself in case there is a problem with shipping or you need to replace them because of damage. If you require the pin for a particular event, it may be wise to get multiple because chips, gouges, or scratches in the enamel paint can be difficult to restore.
-10.Uses for Lapel Pins That Don’t Require Wearing Them
Pin folios, displays, and trade exhibits have previously been covered, but there are a few additional methods to use lapel pins without actually wearing them. They can be used as accents on accouterments like bags, purses, and laptop cases. The objects described here are just a few more things that can hold your pins and make a lovely display.
Pennants are pinned to corkboards.
Corkboards are ideal for displaying enamel pins due to several features. They are affordable and plentiful. It’s simple to cut them for DIY crafts. It doesn’t matter how many times you poke a pin in them because they are strong.
What if, after doing all of this, your pin collection is simply TOO BIG to put on all of these places? It’s time to hang a pinboard! You may buy prefabricated pinboards at several retailers or use a corkboard. You can also create one from scratch!
Place some foam board in your preferred picture frame after covering it with a cloth. After that, you can begin planning straight away! It can be hung up or let to rest against the wall on your dresser. Make it as big as you’d like so you can fit all of your pins in it.
Use the cloth of your choice to embroider the hoops.
What a sweet and simple homemade wall decoration! Just pick up some fabric and an embroidery hoop (or two, or three) from your neighborhood hobby shop; they’re typically only a dollar or two. Trim the excess after stretching the cloth taut across the hoop and fixing it in place. Your pins can then be seen on the fabric in all their glory!
Some concepts: Add all of your purple pins to a hoop made of purple fabric, all of your green pins to a hoop made of green fabric, and so on to color-code the hoops. For a sweet, inviting, and eye-catching way to show your collection, group them in groups of two, three, or four and hang them on your wall!
A pin stand
The majority of the enamel pin display concepts we’ve previously discussed hang vertically. You can use pin stands to display your valued pin collection on flat surfaces. Some of these were designed specifically to retain enamel pins. Some are the outcome of exceptionally inventive recycling.
