License Frame Construction

Something you should know about license plate frames Stainless Steel Here are the facts! These license plate frames are "coined" solid sheet stainless steel - Coining is the precision way to manufacture a metal product. It involves costly tooling, but it's the only way to get quality. The end product is finely formed and has a smooth level quality finish. Other frames you'll find on the Internet are CAST brass, zinc or other metal, made in Asia somewhere. Cast products are not clones, they vary in size, form, and finish, and often don't have tabs on the back bottom to secure them to the license plate. (Neither do billet aluminum frames.) All of our 2-hole frames (coined metal and ABS plastic), have tabs on the back to secure the license plate. We use solid stainless steel sheets as a base material for our coined frames. The reason: stainless steel is not porous, polishes well and doesn't rust. These frames will last! They never rust or corrode. They'll look great for years. Our license plate frames are Made in the USA at our production facility located the USA! By controlling every step of the manufacturing process, we make it possible to offer our customers a better frame at or below what you would pay for a cheap foreign made product. Black Frames The black frames are powder-coated, not painted, stainless steel. Powder-coating is a type of coating that is applied as a free-flowing, dry powder. This is the main difference between powder coating and a conventional liquid paint. Powder coating is typically much more durable than standard liquid paints. The coating is applied electrostatically and is then cured under heat to allow it to flow and form a "skin". Gold Frames The gold frames are ti-gold. The stainless steel frames are put through a chemical process making them gold in color. They are more durable than the real gold plated frames which are susceptible to etching from soaps found in commercial car washes because gold is considered a soft metal. Injection molded - ABS Frames Our ABS injection molded frames are so flawless, the only way you can discern them from our metal frames is to pick one up and feel the disparity in weight between a stainless steel frame and an ABS plastic frame. They are either chromed or 23k gold plated using cobalt hardened gold for long life and a deep luster. We warranty all our ABS frames for life against rust and corrosion. The very same quality manufacturing care as the metal frames - only the base material is different. Cast Brass License Frames What about Cast license plate frames? There are two types of casting made license plate frames--sand cast or die (machine) cast. Die cast being the more expensive investment for manufacture, but the end result is a better frame. Sand cast is usually brass and the end result is somewhat irregular as the molds are never exactly the same. Both are manufactured from molten metal. The two most common that are used are brass or white metal. Brass being the heavier of the two and used in both types of castings. If you think heavier makes a product better, that would be an advantage. That's because the cast brass frames have to be thicker for strength. White metal or as it's sometimes called "pot" metal is a blend of metals, usually Zinc, Tin, and Pewter. This metal is stronger and can be die cast thinner and lighter than brass with equal strength. Die casting this metal is done in machines under great pressure which gives the license plate frame a better quality. White metal (prior to the use of plastics) was used to make all sorts of auto parts like tail light bodies, name-plates, and other ornamental items like hood ornaments and sometimes radiator grills. Castings can be done smoothly depending on the mold condition, but both polish nicely, engrave cleanly, and electroplate very nicely. The end product of cast frames depends greatly on the polishing and plating steps, but look as good as coined frames on the front but usually are rough on the back. A disadvantage of cast license plate frames is that the tabs on the back, if they have them, are usually too close to fit both a Plexiglas plate cover and the license plate. Most of the license plate frames you'll find on the internet are CASTING made of one of the mentioned materials. These license plate frames are always IMPORTED and less expensive to make and buy than the USA made COINED frames. Brass frames are also much more corrosion resistant, especially in salt environments. White metal frames when exposed to salt can form a white corrosive buildup over time. Chrome over brass frames do not have this issue