Clutch-Me.Com

What’s the lead in these metal purse frames?

One technical question that I get asked by my potential buyers is “does the lead content meet (my state’s) standards?”  And it’s usually from someone in California.  California is known for its forward-thinking and tough standards on a lot of legislation affecting the environment, such as lead and pesticides.  Federal standards sometimes trail behind California on these types of regulations.

While metal purse frames does not have its own testing and certification requirements, it does need to meet the federal lead standards and guidelines.  As per the Consumer Product Safety Commission, it does require it for other products, most recently those intended for use by children 12 years old and younger.  Moreover, small retailers or sellers who resell used children’s products are not required to test and certify.  Nonetheless, lead level must not exceed 300 ppm.  For more information, please go to cpsc.gov.

That said, my biggest market is California.  My “nickel-free metal purse frames(TM)” are tested for lead at 90ppm and meet the US.’s lead standards.  So you can be assured of not only the high quality of my nickel-free frames (another topic for a post later), but also of the safety by the testing and low level of lead.

April 18, 2010 Posted by Thy K | Helpful Tips | 2 Comments

You need fiber – just not on your metal purse frame!

I’m all about fiber, especially for women!  But just not on my metal purse frame.  In my search of finding a good metal purse frame supplier for my clutches, I ran into quite a few snafus.  This is one of them.

Sorry for the blurry picture, but you get the idea!  You can rest assure that my “nickel-free metal purse frames(TM)” do not have embedded fibers like this.  This can happen in the oh-so-important coating process where stray fibers in the air can land and die on your frame.  That’s why you need a dust-free pristine environment — just like those Silicon-Valley-chip-makers!

The importance of fiber!

April 8, 2010 Posted by Thy K | Helpful Tips | 2 Comments

A shiny new coat for your metal purse frame

Who doesn’t love a shiny new coat?  Regardless of season, your metal purse frame should always have a shiny new coat.  But sometimes in the critical coating process, things can go wrong.

This post addresses the milky and cloudy appearance that can happen to the coat of your metal purse frame during the coating process.  That’s why it’s so important that you buy from a supplier who can do good quality control during the making of it.  The most important and last step is the final inspection done by the human eye, not some machine that just sends it down some conveyor belt only to eventually end up in your lap.

Milky appearance on the corner

This whole arm is cloudy!

This one below is what you want:  shiny, spankin’ new “nickel-free metal purse frame(TM)”

Look at me! I'm practically gleaming with pride!

Where to buy “nickel-free metal purse frames(TM)”:  whilebabynaps.com or whilebabynaps.etsy.com.

April 3, 2010 Posted by Thy K | Helpful Tips | 1 Comment

Nickel frame gotcha feeling gray?

Know your metals!  Not all “nickel purse frames” are alike.  Like everything else that is made, there’s going to be some defective ones in the batch.

This post deals specifically with the gray or smokey discoloration that can occur on the nickel frames.

Gray discoloration due to bad coating

Sometimes you can get a bad one where the surface coating wasn’t done right.  The result is a useless nickel purse frame.  These gray streaks cannot be rubbed off as they are permanent errors that happened in the coating and drying process.  Here’s a couple more samples of nickel frames that may leave you feeling gray…

Streak of bad luck?

Minor yet noticeable, and ultimately, unuseable!

April 1, 2010 Posted by Thy K | Helpful Tips | 2 Comments

Kiss my kisslock!

If you’ve never worked with metal purse frames before, it may seem that one nickel purse frame is the same as the next one.  But that is not so.  It really depends on your supplier so make sure you get all your information before you buy it.  After all, all your hard work in making the soft materials for your clutch may be ruined if you don’t have the right hard material –  your metal purse frame.

This post deals specifically with the kisslock closure.

Too tight

Notice how the kisslock closure scratched after one attempt at opening and closing.  This is because of the poor setting that exceeded the allowable measurements.  Not only does it damage the closure, it also hurts the fingers!

Too loose

The focus is off on this picture, but nonetheless, it does show how this also exceeded the allowable measurement and resulted in a closure that won’t close!

It seemed fine but ....

This is one of those that you won’t know until it’s too late … it looks like its fine but as you can see, it doesn’t have a tight fit even though the kisslock closures seem to line up well.

How can you avoid purchasing these?

1)  work with a supplier who has a good refund/replacement policy.  Never buy from suppliers who will not accept 100% refund for defective frames.

2) work with a supplier who has good feedback from their customers.  Check their feedback.  Ask for testimonials or references.

3) work with someone locally.  If you are working on your clutch and your frame is defective, you will need a quick replacement so that you aren’t waiting 3 weeks for a replacement.

March 31, 2010 Posted by Thy K | Helpful Tips | 1 Comment