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Enamelling
| Reeves Badges are made almost
entirely by hand by an exacting and complex process. This brief
description of the process can only give a hint of the substantial
work required to produce our products.
The enamels themselves are glass, coloured by metal oxides. They start out as chunky material which is ground into a powder and screened to insure fineness. It is then mixed into a paste that is applied, one colour at a time, to its appointed place in the design. These colours are then placed with a special tool. Should a mistake be made, the piece must be repaired or discarded. Each colour is fired separately so as not to bleed into another.
Since each glaze has its own peculiarities and different melting
points, a firing order must be established. Some badges have as
many as 13 separate glazes and require a substantial amount of
careful work for their completion. |
The enamels are supported by copper,
which is chosen for its ability to take platings as well as its
malleability, stability and non-corrosive qualities. We try to ensure
that 80% of the badges by weight is recycled material.
In order to give the metal shape it is first necessary to create an engraved die in hardened tool steel. Although a rough shape can be achieved with the careful use of a high speed drill, the spontaneous feel, magnificent detail and relief engraving seen in Reeves Badges can be achieved only by a master engraver and by hand carving. Mistakes are of course irretrievable. Unusual shapes and holes require supplemental dies. The die is placed in a drop press in which pieces of copper are individually loaded and shaped, one at a time, by bringing to bear pressures of up to 300 tons. Collectors are able to easily detect enamels made from a counterfeit die. After completion of the enamelling process the
enamels are ground down to the level of the underlying copper and
carefully polished. The findings are soldered on. The badges are
then electroplated in gold. Reeves Badges have pioneered a dual
plating technique ensuring that the final product retains its "as
new" appearance for many years. |