I have a background in other types of print work that require physical plates etc and can confirm that if you have paid for the molds to be created with a company (and there is no proviso in any T&C contract you've signed with the manufacturer for them to keep the physical plates/molds etc) then you can certainly ask for them back (which would be at their cost) or to be sent to another manufacturer (again, at their cost). You can also ask for photos of the molds in their current condition and the final packed form (e.g. wrapped and strapped on a pallet) from the original company, and also from the new company to photograph and report any damage upon arrival. Whether a new company can use the existing molds on their machines is a different story of course. Some manufacturers may allow you to send the molds and not charge you for new versions that they can use on their machinery - you would need to confirm this with your manufacturer's rep before starting the mold moving process. Good luck with the new manufacturer. I hope all goes well 😊
I love the tip about asking to see photos and see if you recognize any of them! When I first started I found my manu by noticing a factory on Instagram that a lot of artists followed and then I saw the artists would tag their manu😆✌🏼
I am so happy you made this video! I made my very first enamel pins produced and it's arriving within a week! Although, they did take almost two months to get, it was only because of the pandemic going haywire last month for them. I told them I had a deadline, and they were really prompt with helping me out and offering 100% refund if they couldn't get it done. However, we'll see about the quality, and I am hoping for the best! BUUUUT if it doesn't workout well, then I'll just have to find another manu, so your video really, really helps with this! Thanks for being so transparent and sharing tips and advice all the time. It really is appreciated. ♥
@@LeSpiritDesigns about 80% of the batch were standard to collector grades!! I think I've found my manufacturer for sure, especially because of how responsive they are and all! ♥️ thanks Ashley!!
Resonated with this so much! I left my first manu and tried another manu and after this second one, I dearly miss my first one but I refuse to go back. The hunt continues!
This was so helpful thank you! I am just starting to do conventions and so intimidated. I focus on prints, but definitely looking to expand my merch, such as stickers and pins. I never used Alibaba and so afraid emotionally and financially to find a wrong Manu on Alibaba, especially since Ive never done it before
I just went through my first Manu ordering experience and it was very nerve-wracking 😆but they were super nice and helpful. I am loving the fresno nightcrawler theme. I am excited to see it irl the patch is such a cute idea
AHH it's always nerve-wracking to deal directly with the manu at first, but I'm glad you did it!! I can't wait to see what you made~ AND YES the patch looks great, from photos! I'm sure you've seen it now in my posts!
The thing is with molds is they need to be properly cleaned on a regular basis. If they aren't clean or if any cleaning material is in the mold that can cause the mold to corrode and it will cause contamination. And once the mold has the defects on it it is damaged to where if they try and fix it, it could cause more damage to the product. So having your molds destroyed was ultimately the best and the cheapest idea. I only know this cause I used to work in injection molding.
@@LeSpiritDesigns yes. The molds can easily get tarnished from a piece of metal when the mold is cut to make the shape of the pin. Also dyes and materials can build up making tarnishing more common and lead to contamination and defects. That's why all 75 pins were like that. There was a contaminate in the mold that affected the pin
@@KraftyKayCreations Thank you for letting me know that! I'm sure that's what happened. My new manufacturer that I found for this video has been lovely, so they must clean their molds!
My manufacturer found me on IG. I was intending to use a different manu I got from referral, but my manu offered me a quote I couldn’t refuse. It was hundreds cheaper than the referred company… I took the chance. Ordered 400 pins of 4 designs. The pins were made and shipped within 3 weeks and I’ve had hardly any defects at all. I lucked out! I just placed my second order for another 250 pins, 5 designs. I believe they’re a young company and they’re in a more rural part of china. They are focused on metal work only so far. That may be a reason I’ve had so few defects? Post a design on IG and the manus will find you. I get several offers a week.
Oh gosh I get DMs and emails on a weekly basis from manus! That's how I ended up with my first one too, I believe they emailed me. I was with them for a long time, but there were high levels of defects right off the bat and I would just let it slide out of fear of confronting them with problems ^^; I'm much stronger now though! I hope your manu continues to be great!
I have a pin manu recommendation if you are interested!! I’ve only done two pins with them, but the customer experience so far has been nothing short of incredible, and I’m in the process of making six more pins right now! I only ended up with two Vlog pins out of 100 on my first order, and they way exceeded all expectations. You can DM me on here or I can send you my IG and I can show you the photos if you’re interested!
![[ PIN MAKING 101 ] How To Manufacture Your Enamel Pins ~ Part 2!](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/zOoJ-CJoCj4/mqdefault.jpg)
![[ PIN MAKING 101 ] How To Manufacture Your Enamel Pins ~ Part 2!](/img/tr.png)
I have a background in other types of print work that require physical plates etc and can confirm that if you have paid for the molds to be created with a company (and there is no proviso in any T&C contract you've signed with the manufacturer for them to keep the physical plates/molds etc) then you can certainly ask for them back (which would be at their cost) or to be sent to another manufacturer (again, at their cost). You can also ask for photos of the molds in their current condition and the final packed form (e.g. wrapped and strapped on a pallet) from the original company, and also from the new company to photograph and report any damage upon arrival. Whether a new company can use the existing molds on their machines is a different story of course. Some manufacturers may allow you to send the molds and not charge you for new versions that they can use on their machinery - you would need to confirm this with your manufacturer's rep before starting the mold moving process. Good luck with the new manufacturer. I hope all goes well 😊
Oh gosh thank you so much, I will have to ask my new manu if that's something they can do! I appreciate the insight!
I love the tip about asking to see photos and see if you recognize any of them! When I first started I found my manu by noticing a factory on Instagram that a lot of artists followed and then I saw the artists would tag their manu😆✌🏼
YES It's an underrated tip for sure! Knowing other artists trust that manu is huge!
I am so happy you made this video! I made my very first enamel pins produced and it's arriving within a week! Although, they did take almost two months to get, it was only because of the pandemic going haywire last month for them. I told them I had a deadline, and they were really prompt with helping me out and offering 100% refund if they couldn't get it done. However, we'll see about the quality, and I am hoping for the best! BUUUUT if it doesn't workout well, then I'll just have to find another manu, so your video really, really helps with this! Thanks for being so transparent and sharing tips and advice all the time. It really is appreciated. ♥
AH I think you've gotten them by now, right?? I'm curious to know how they turned out! I hope it was a great batch~
@@LeSpiritDesigns about 80% of the batch were standard to collector grades!! I think I've found my manufacturer for sure, especially because of how responsive they are and all! ♥️ thanks Ashley!!
Resonated with this so much! I left my first manu and tried another manu and after this second one, I dearly miss my first one but I refuse to go back. The hunt continues!
I wish you luck on your hunt! I certainly hope the new manu works out for me, I'll be receiving the first batch in the next week!
This was so helpful thank you! I am just starting to do conventions and so intimidated. I focus on prints, but definitely looking to expand my merch, such as stickers and pins. I never used Alibaba and so afraid emotionally and financially to find a wrong Manu on Alibaba, especially since Ive never done it before
Best of luck to you! Pins are definitely a big step financially, so doing a lot of research and talking to various factories is my best suggestion!
I just went through my first Manu ordering experience and it was very nerve-wracking 😆but they were super nice and helpful.
I am loving the fresno nightcrawler theme. I am excited to see it irl the patch is such a cute idea
AHH it's always nerve-wracking to deal directly with the manu at first, but I'm glad you did it!! I can't wait to see what you made~
AND YES the patch looks great, from photos! I'm sure you've seen it now in my posts!
Thank you so much for your video! I was hesitating to do it for my drink business for marketing
I’m glad it was helpful!!
So helpful, thank you !
I’m so glad!! I’ll be putting up another enamel pin video next week~
The thing is with molds is they need to be properly cleaned on a regular basis. If they aren't clean or if any cleaning material is in the mold that can cause the mold to corrode and it will cause contamination. And once the mold has the defects on it it is damaged to where if they try and fix it, it could cause more damage to the product. So having your molds destroyed was ultimately the best and the cheapest idea. I only know this cause I used to work in injection molding.
Oh that’s really interesting insight! Does the cleaning step come into effect if the molds are brand new?
@@LeSpiritDesigns yes. The molds can easily get tarnished from a piece of metal when the mold is cut to make the shape of the pin. Also dyes and materials can build up making tarnishing more common and lead to contamination and defects. That's why all 75 pins were like that. There was a contaminate in the mold that affected the pin
@@KraftyKayCreations Thank you for letting me know that! I'm sure that's what happened. My new manufacturer that I found for this video has been lovely, so they must clean their molds!
My manufacturer found me on IG. I was intending to use a different manu I got from referral, but my manu offered me a quote I couldn’t refuse. It was hundreds cheaper than the referred company… I took the chance. Ordered 400 pins of 4 designs. The pins were made and shipped within 3 weeks and I’ve had hardly any defects at all. I lucked out! I just placed my second order for another 250 pins, 5 designs. I believe they’re a young company and they’re in a more rural part of china. They are focused on metal work only so far. That may be a reason I’ve had so few defects? Post a design on IG and the manus will find you. I get several offers a week.
Oh gosh I get DMs and emails on a weekly basis from manus! That's how I ended up with my first one too, I believe they emailed me. I was with them for a long time, but there were high levels of defects right off the bat and I would just let it slide out of fear of confronting them with problems ^^; I'm much stronger now though! I hope your manu continues to be great!
whats the manu?
I have a pin manu recommendation if you are interested!! I’ve only done two pins with them, but the customer experience so far has been nothing short of incredible, and I’m in the process of making six more pins right now! I only ended up with two Vlog pins out of 100 on my first order, and they way exceeded all expectations. You can DM me on here or I can send you my IG and I can show you the photos if you’re interested!
Two “flawed” pins not vlog lol
oh gosh thank you so much for the offer!! I love to hear when people find a fantastic manu~ If this new one doesn't work out, I'll have to hit you up!