How to Make Enamel Pins & Where to Get Pins Made (Plus My Collection) 

As a fellow pin collector, it is nice to see the breakdown of costs because artists don't really like to divulge the manufacturing details and process unless you are another well-known artist or a friend of theirs. I'm also finally attending my local convention in over 3 years due to pandemic/work obligations and looking forward to the new hard enamel pins I'll own 👀 it's like my one joy in life that did not disappear.

I hope you know how helpful this is. I've seen situations so many times people ask artist how things are made and they only really show the drawing process and never what happens with manufacturing. I'm not mad at anyone, but I'm relieved someone such as yourself doesn't mind being honest :') I appreciate this greatly 🥰❤️

As someone who has no interest in enamel pins, has no interest in manufacturing them, and has no idea how or why this video ended up in my recommended: this was really cool and interesting! Thank you!

I have no clue how I went from watching a true crime video to a video about enamel pins, but you kept me watching. Very interesting process and cool designs. Nice work!

I just recently started getting into enamel pin collecting and I am obsessed. My one issue is how secretive artists can be about their manufacturers. I've heard many people claim it's because they don't want the quality to drop from too many people using them but I feel that's kinda just an excuse for them to gatekeep. We'll see, as I am getting my own pins manufactured right now. I'm definitely willing to test that theory.

Its crazy whenever I see how hard it is to manufacture stuff in America. I live in Mexico and just had to make some pins a couple weeks ago and had several options of manufacturers in my country, even had some locally on my city (I do live on the capital of my state so maybe that's why) and in the end it took like a week of manufacturing and one day shipping since the company I went with was just a couple states over. I see this with clothing, cups, screen printing, everything. There are a ton of screen printing shops on my city I can just walk in and order some tshirts with my custom design. No need to ask to chinese manufacturers or anything like that, I also just finished some water bottles which took 3 days of manufacturing and I picked them up at the shop because it was like 30 minutes from my house lol.

Thank you so much for this. As a digital artist I've really been trying to think lately about how to monetize my talent in some way, but I have a wonderful cocktail of mental illnesses that makes drawing constantly and doing commissions in a timely manner difficult. Making pin designs and going to conventions to sell them would be easier for me to manage, and I could maybe even sell art prints and 3D prints as well. This may have opened up a great new avenue for me, thank you a ton!

even though I've been making enamel pins for over a year now, I just love watching videos where people talk about it 🥴 it's so fascinating how everybody's got different advice and processes re: grading your pins, I actually wouldn't send b-grade pins back unless they were *super* messed up! there is a huge market for b-grade pins, i actually favor them myself both to save money and because i tend to wear my pins so they might get a little banged around anyway. i've sold lots of B-grade pins and as long as you're up-front with the fact that they might have a small mistake somewhere, people won't complain. I actually have tons of comments that people can't even find the flaws in my B-grades lmao. it can definitely be less of a hassle and broaden your market sometimes just to sell them, as long as it's not a crazy high number of flawed product

I honestly haven't thought much into these alternatives towards selling art as through pins and such. I would love to try this out if I ever get an opportunity to do so!

so informative, thank you!! I've always wanted to try making pins but felt so intimidated. I really appreciate how thorough you were and how generous you were to even share your recomended manufacturers/sources! thanks again!

This is genuinely so helpful to people trying to figure out how to make merch since the answers are seemingly impossible to find online. Please PLEASE keep showing how merchandise like prints, keychains, standees, stickers, etc. this is such an important series to have online

Thank you for going over the process and sharing your pin collection!

As an freelance artist and a fellow pin collector, I've done plenty of stickers but pins was something I was scared of offering just because the process seemed so complicated to me. You've done a fantastic job explaining the process! Thank you for this video

You just became my fav youtube art channel

If I could like this twice I would. And those pins at the end wow. So much talent.

Thank you for highlighting concerns with production in China. And for your generosity in sharing your expertise and experience so generously.

Man I came across this video by chance, I design pins for a company called Fansets. I've been wanting to get into doing this on my own too. Crazy thing is I saw your girl riding the fish and totally recognized who you were from your work posted on deviantart! Huge fan dude, you are genuinely one of my favorite artists on the platform. And now I know you make pins! so exciting!

This is something that I have never considered doing nor will realistically ever end up doing but I just love staring at your hair flip and listening to you tell me about enamel pins. 😵‍💫🥵

This was such a great video! Loving all these merch advice, thanks so much for making these :) (And the memes interspersed throughout the video 10/10 xD)

This is SO HELPFUL, thank you!!

This is so so helpful, thank you for all the knowledge! I've been considering starting a pin business recently and already have a few designs but have been lost on where to start on the business side of this like connecting with manufacturers, knowing product quality, reasonable pricing, etc.

I know this is an old video, but I had to set up an enamel pin file for a fanzine project and I had no clue how. Basically got the job dumped on me. This video was so very helpful for understanding the process and what to look out for. 🙏

Thank you for your explanations and insights! This video is a godsend for folks breaking into art merchandising, as many others have mentioned.

This video was so fascinating. Thanks for creating this and sharing so much with that degree of transparency.

Love your vibe and how forthright you are! ☺️ I’m not an artist (sadly) or an entrepreneur but I happen to come across your video and thoroughly enjoyed it! Thank you for sharing your processes. Such a breath of fresh air as usually people don’t even talk about their suppliers/manufacturers and stuff! Super informative. Love your artwork and your collection as well. I’m sad that I’m not based in US or anywhere near as I’m based in Asia. Will support you virtually! 🤣 keep up the good work! 💪

thank you so much for this!!! I am very interested in making pins but I've always been sooo intimidated by the process

Thank you for mentioning the working behind what we invest our time and money in.

What a wonderful algorithm recommendation. You just got a new subscriber!

so cool to see! Tahnk you for breaking that down. I love your collection!

This video is so greatly appreciated. I've only made 2 enamel pins so far, each were from different manufacturers. 1 of them didn't come out right and the other one wasn't a great experience to have made; so I've been researching where other artists were getting theirs made so that I could ensure whatever pin I make next is going to be the quality I strive for. Definitely appreciate seeing your process and I also enjoyed the collection tour at the end. So many beautiful pins out there.

Yet another solid video! Thanks for sharing! I learned a lot. I fell in love with Nana Williams’s pin! Also, i’ve heard of Alchemy Merch before so maybe i will try them out as a beginner. 😁

Thank you for sharing all this info! I have just started getting quotes for pins and it is a bit of a process. So it’s nice to have some tips and tricks!

you have no idea how much ive needed this video thank you so so much

Thanks , this was very helpful.

I can't believe I'm only finding your channel now... I love your Instagram page so much and your pins are breathtaking ❤ Thanx for making this video!!!

great video! lots of very useful information. Appreciate the transparency! Truly a great video with detailed info

Hi Dustin, Thank you for these great informative videos. You have a great presentation, and I appreciate your detailed candor.😊

Great information. Thank you.

Thank you for sharing. Very insightful.

Your collection was great!

Your pin collection is gorgeous :)

Your fashion style is very sharp and refreshingly elegant my good sir 🙂👍🏾 also thank you for making this video 🙏🏾

This was a very informative video, thank you for sharing!

Thank you 🙏 king of not gatekeeping.

I love pins too! So cool to see the process, thank you

As a beginner pin creator, this was very helpful!! I have made one pin design so far and I didn't know about these websites!! Thank you so much!

This was such an informative process. Do you ever worry or have had issue with manufacturers stealing your designs though? I’ve heard of that happening to some artists. I also appreciate you mentioning the environmental cost of this too, I’ve been looking into wood pins, but I worry they wouldn’t be sold as well as enamel ones. I never knew the reason for them being overseas was because of currency counterfeiting.

As a large advocate for eco-friendly things I never clocked enamel as being a thing that would not be great for the environment but it makes a lot of sense. I really appreciate that bit of knowledge, saddens me but I appreciate it regardless.

Just wanna say this video is super helpful!

Oh wow this video is awesome 👏🏾 so many creative pins . I seen so many I want to get now

Thank you for this very informative video!

Another great one Dustin! 💛

Thank you for this!! I just started selling my artwork as stickers and prints last year and have been considering branching into pins, and didn't know where to start. This has a lot of great information!

This was pretty neat! Thank you !

Awesome video thank you so muchh for all priceless information 😍😍😍🙌🏻✨✨

For this kind of video there should the option to like and favorite multiple times!!! Thank you very much foi this kind of content!

Useful information, thank you

I love you for this video, thanks man. I really wanted to go into enamel pin design.

thank you for this video! seeing how people made merch always boggled my mind and this is So helpful! also the posture and poise of your face at one point reminds me of a brian jordan alvarez reel

i am so enthralled with enamel pins, usually it costs quite a bit so i dont buy them as much as i love to, but i admire them all the same :3

INTERESTING,thatnks for sharing. cool pins aswell

Thanks for making this. I’ve wanted to get pins made but it can feel daunting going into it for the first time. It’s been really hard finding anything on the manufacturing side which is where I was feeling hung up. So greatly appreciated!

tysm for the vid, ive been interested in making some pins for a while and this vid info was really appreciated

This is awesome!

very helpful video, than you!

The beat didn’t have to be so fire at the My Collection chapter gdm!

Ahh so helpful! Want to make pumpkin pin!

Thank you so much for this! Also, for the more expensive pin, I recommend setting your price to what *you* want to profit first. So, let's say $30. If it doesn't move, then put it on sale for $25-$20. But, make sure customers can see that it was originally $30 (aka, don't change the base price, have it marked down.) People want to get a good deal on things, so it should make the pin more appealing even if it is more expensive than your other pins. You could also offer a defected pin as a freebie or sell those in mystery packs as "B-grade" or whatever grade it would be.

Your collection is so goood I love looking at enamel pins at shops, but im always reluctant to buy some as i dont have anywhere to store or display them

Interesting!!! ❤

This was really helpful! Thank you so much for sharing all this information

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="242">4:02</a> They changed the direction of your blade before entering the hilt. I think they fixed it so it faces downward.

anatomy lesson -------> yes please!!

As a budding pin collector and an artist myself, this video is amazing! I have it saved so that when I finally make my own pins I have some idea how to start. Is there a reason why you do pass/fail instead of the usual grading system? As someone who is only into pins causally I really like getting that B Grade pin at a lower price, but I would imagine more complicated pins, like the AMAZING fish pin would be something that you wouldn’t want to sell slightly defected. Also I’ve always wondered this but with pins with a gimmick, like being able to open, having moving parts, or things like being glow in the dark, how do you work with a company to get that made? I am very jealous of your pin collection, thanks for the great video!

thanks was so helpful!!!

Hell yeah!

Muchas gracias. Muy útil.

The vector part really helped me, I always found illustrator intimidating... it's like the excel to my word (Microsoft) where my brain struggles to compute, haha

This is a great video!

YES, DO MORE VIDEOS

Hope to see you at Dragon-Con again this year!

I love pins!! San Diego comic con is in a coupe weeks and thats where i usually pick up pins. I will definitely check out your Etsy shop when you're back from your break. and thanks for sharing your collections 🥰

I didn't know there was a way to make the enamel pin not as shiny! I never enjoyed how enamel pins look drastically different based on how the light bounces off it, especially in delicate details like a face, having more of a matte finish would be ideal.

I'm getting used to how much pins are price wise as a consumer and possible future seller of them It would be insanely awesome to me to be able to design something and have a notable mascot enamel pin with me at the very least . This was fairly easy to follow and didn't muddy the intent like other informational videos that clog it with to much detail

Clip studio has fantastic tools for creating vector art for this style of work but has a bit of a learning curve. Much nicer than illustrator for folks used to drawing with a tablet imo!

Your head movements are serving “I’m a snek… I’m a slithery lil sneeek” energy. 😂😂😂

Feel like I entered a whole new work watching this video, I can't even imagine people spending this much or getting so particular about art pin badges.

I love your art and have some of your prints! this video was on my recommended page and it wasn’t until halfway through that I realized who u were oops

I totally agree on illustrator. I hate using it if i don't have to.

Can they supply them on the backing board or do you have to do that separately from your local print shop...?

RU-vid!! Why would you introduce, yet another thing to obsess over? Help, I'm already addicted... 😂😅 Awesome collection BTW!!

I liked, subscribed, saved to a playlist AND now I'm commenting. Honestly I applaud and appreciate you for the honesty and transparency, showing the price and all (just a tip, next time hide your e-mail, people are weird here in the interwebs). Anyway, tysm love your hair bye

Thank you convention sensei

Wow you have soo many pins. I collect as well, I noticed you have some RossDraws pins! I have some too, def some of my fav ones.

Thanks so much for this! It's really helpful to see the price breakdown. Do the prices include shipping, or do you have to pay more on top of everything you've shown for shipping?

How do you how much product to bring to a convention? Would love a breakdown video on that.

I love your pin set but it's sold out are you going to make more ?

Im curious, cant seem to find info anywhere. Can they make them the other way around, meaning the enamel colour would be the outline of the design instead of the inside?

I have a question, have you had any experience with imitation hard enamel pins? I got a quote from a manufacturer today, but I didnt even know this was a thing. It has to do with the material used and the lower temperatures, which make the price lower as well. Thank you very much! Your videos are awesome!

i'm kind of curious how you break down the sales price of each pin based on the total of the design cost. im not very good at calculating that kind of thing so some insight would be helpful. ive been thinking of making pins so id like to absorb as much info as possible!