Twisted Pins is pleased to announce that we have released a Whitewater foil topper that is approved and available under the PPS license.

As you may know this topper has never been reproduced by anybody. Our topper decal is made the exact same way Williams made it. The topper is printed using a 4-color process over white and embossed artwork using .010 foil stock. These are not paper thin decals or printed by an inkjet printer or next generation technology.

There is a 30 day pre-sale starting on Wednesday 5/15 at 8:00am MST and ending on 6/14. Our website address is www.twistedpins.com. We will be offering this in two versions. The first version is the decal attached to the white topper. The second version is the decal w/ topper and also the clear tub that sits over the topper. The decal is not available without the topper.

Pricing for the pre-sale will be as follows:

Decal+Topper Support $179
Decal+Topper+Clear Tub $219

If you are interested in the decal w/topper (no clear tub) and will be coming to PAGG we can bring for pick up to save the shipping costs if purchased by 5/17 9:00AM MST. Please contact us through PM here or through the website for more information on how to purchase for pick up at PAGG.

Whitewater_Bigger_Picture.JPG

We are going to shoot some video soon and will have it up on You Tube. Once it's up we will post it here.

Thanks! This project was in the works for 4 months and was not easy or cheap. We had to have the die made by a company in Germany. Then we had to find a company that could do the micro-embossing with a die that large here in the states.

Thanks! It wasn't easy to pull off.

We figured that was going to happen once people found out new ones are finally available.

Here is a picture of the die that was made to micro-emboss the foil.

Water_Die.JPG

We are flying to the show and will not personally have a machine there. Although we have talked with another Pinsider already who will have his WH2O there and I believe will install his new topper that he is purchasing from us.

We tried to keep the price reasonable so everybody could put one in there machine.

The link will be on the site on the 15th and we will start accepting orders.

Here is a test sheet before the embossing

White_Water_Test.JPG

The topper is available for purchase right now. Here is a direct link

http://www.twistedpins.com/products/parts/whitewater_topper/

Yes we will have some with us. If you want to pick up one please PM me for my phone number as we won't have a table set up at the show.

We have fixed the issue that was causing issues from people trying to order from Austrailia. Thanks for your order!

We will be releasing the dome also just by itself in the next few days.

Yes it is. It took about 5 attempts to get the one we have up. The micro embossing of the foil does make it difficult.

We will have video up by the end of the weekend if not sooner. Ran into some board issues with my personal WH20 and it isn't fixed yet. We have sold several to people who will have them in there machines at PAGG this weekend and we will be there to get video. When we originally tested the sample in my machine before signing off with final production it worked like the original that was in the machine.

Sorry to all of those that we were suppose to deliver the toppers to at the show. We were there late Friday and all day Saturday. The box we packed was oversize and United decided that since it was such a small plane that it wasn't going to work. We thought that it would be fine when we looked at the maximum box dimensions on the United site.

We talked with several people at the show in regards to this but if we haven't talked yet please send me a PM and we will take care of you.

We have noticed that the distance between the topper and lights seem to play a great deal on how the waterfall effect works. Also when we inserted a washer between the topper and backbox it changed also.

I think that the foil micro-embossing may be too fine which is causing this. Luckily if this is the case we can fix this on the next run which is on stand by as we speak.

We stand behind everything we sell. We will gladly exchange out the toppers at no cost for anybody who wishes when we get our next run done in 2 weeks. We currently are making a new die for the embossing that will allow for it to be much deeper.

Should anybody wish to return it that is fine also.

You can adjust the topper by "shimming" with a small flat washer and that makes a huge difference.

But we want to have a product that does not require any "modification" to recreate the original effect. That is why a new die will eliminate the current issue.

Yes this has been a difficult project but we won't stop until we get it right and every customer is satisfied with their purchase!!

It really depends on how the topper sits but regardless it is still not like the original. We are working on a new die that will be deeper on the micro-embossing and that is what gives it the effect.

We appreciate all of the PM and emails with the support as we are very frustrated after spending all of the money at this point. Regardless though we won't give up till it is fixed.

We are getting very close! We thought that we would have it in our hands by now but the foil embosser has had to remake the sample as it wasn't quite right. With the high cost of running these we need to make sure the new one is 100% correct.

We do appreciate all of the supportive emails from the people who bought it and are working hard on getting these finished ASAP and getting them out.

Here is an update on where we are at right now.

The issue we are having is getting the multi-level layers into the die for the waterfall. The company we are working with is trying a new die out of a different material right now as we speak. Hopefully this will give us the effect needed.

That is the only hold up right now and hopefully it is resolved quickly. Thanks to everybody who has hung in with us on this project!

No this project isn't dead in the water. We thought we had it figured out but now have ran into another hurdle. We finally got the artwork for the waterfall correct but still couldn't get the correct waterfall effect once installed into a machine. Then it hit us that the foil board we had them made on is WAY glossier than an original topper. We sanded the glossy board with a piece of 320 grit sandpaper that was laying around and the results were improved. But still not what they should be. Right now we are testing out some different foil boards and we hope that will give us the original results.

Update as of 9/23

We are working with multiple companies right now to find the correct foil board. The two issues with the first run were the embossing not being deep enough which we have fixed but we also used a glossier foil board not knowing that it would make a difference. We have done some in house testing by hand sanding the glossier foil board and then installing it in the machine. When we did this it greatly improved the waterfall action. But it was a crude look on the foil board so it was not something we could do by hand and make it look good. So that has lead us to today where we continue to work on finding the correct foil board.

As we have told all of our customers who are still in at this point. At any time should you want a refund please contact us and we are more than happy to issue it right away.

Might want to resend it. I just checked and didn't see it. Or you can just email directly through the website.

We are here at Expo right now but received confirmation that the latest sample came in yesterday. When we get back next week we will be able to determine if it is 100% correct.

Once we finally get it 100% correct it will only take like 2 weeks to get them made and out the door to everybody.

Sorry the delay in the update. We were hoping to have better information before posting about it again.

The last sample we received was not a complete full size sample so although it looked good to us we need a full size sample before moving forward with production. We are awaiting a full size sample at this time.

PM's have been answered. Sorry about that!

James

To answer your question they used a small square piece of foil board and not a piece big enough to cover the entire die. So therefore we only received a sample that showed part of the waterfall and not the entire waterfall. Hope that answers your question.

Travis

Great your PM was already responded to. Check your Inbox

We have been issuing refunds to those that have asked.

This project is not going to die until it is finished. We know that this is a part badly needed by the community and I don't just give up on things when they get difficult. It actually makes me work harder to figure it out. And on top of that I have a ton of money invested into this and to just walk away would make no sense at all.

That's a cute video

Wish we had something positive to report since the last update but nothing ground breaking. We are still working on the project and just aren't giving up.

12/26 Update

We had to go back to the drawing board for the waterfall and have been hard at it the past few months. Right now we are in the testing phase with the new die and it is looking much better than before although still not quite 100%. This has been said many times before but I truly hope to get this wrapped up soon and into the communities hands. Lots of people are counting on this coming through for them as they have no topper currently!

Travis

I have two ID's per Robin and I asked him before creating the one from Twisted Pins. Notice you will never see me post on a Twisted Pins thread with my personal Pinside user name.

I told you I was sorry we could not create your part for you and would return it to you. You called and I answered and we discussed this today.

We have issued refunds to every person that has asked for one. If you have not received a refund please contact me directly to resolve the issue.

I had an account on Pinside well before the idea to create Twisted Pins was created. I use the Twisted Pins account only for business related posts.

You are welcome to your own opinion and that is your right. Not sure where I stated this was somebody's fault and tried to blame somebody else??

I'm not going to sit here and debate with you on this. You called me today and I told you sorry creating a custom part for you didn't work and that I would return the part to you tomorrow.

When Twisted Pins was started I approached Robin about having a separate user ID to keep my posts separated between business and personal posts. Not sure why this now is a big deal as many people who know me already knew I had the two user profiles. It's not like I went behind Robins back and created multiple user profiles. I suggest that if anybody has an issue with they take it up with Robin directly. It's not like I use my personal profile to promote my business etc...

Sadly you would think it was easier now to reproduce it but there are several complex issues with how the original was created that have been major roadblocks. The technology used back when the original was produced is no longer used and with how similar items are produced today many places do not have the machinery necessary to do an embossing this size.

The project is not dead as I have way too much time and money invested in it. But we are working on several other projects right now behind the scenes that are taking priority that are items that have never been available to the community. When they are done and ready for sale we will announce them.

I should clarify my post earlier in regards to the current state of the project after receiving multiple email and PM's in regard to it today.

No the project is not dead and we are still working on completing it although it is not as working out in the time frame we had anticipated due to vendors not being able to fulfill their end of the work. The original company we had working on this finally threw in the white flag and referred us to a different company in Germany who is now working on making the die for us. Once we get the correct die made it is easy from there. The art work and correct material is already on hand.

I hope this clarifies the current state of the project and if anybody has a question please email me directly.

[email protected]

The lead time that was originally quoted to me for the new die to be made has not actually happened. I wish it was as simple as just giving the job to another die manufacture but it was tough to find this one and I had to go overseas. Every lead I tracked down here in the US turned the job down after looking at the prints for it.

The project isn't dead and I wish I had better news to report but at this point I don't. Trust me once I do it will be posted here on Pinside right away.

Yes we have done refunds for the majority of the people already who have asked for it. At any time if you would like a refund just let us know. It was never our intention to hold onto customer's money.

We are awaiting a new sample right now and hope to have good news soon!

Same here

When we started this project just over a year ago we never thought it would turn into what it has. But we have not abandoned this in any shape or form. Just want to make sure it is perfect before saying that it is finished. We have learned from our past mistakes.

Yes we are coming down in an RV this year and will be staying on site. Here is a copy of the post I put on the PAGG thread.

We are excited to attend this year and will have a booth set up and will be bringing lots of stencils, leg protectors and a few other surprises! Anybody looking for stencils we will be running a Pin A Go Go special with any set of stencils for $100! Email me and let me know if you are looking for a set so we can ensure that we bring enough for everybody. Payment can be made at time of pickup and we will be accepting debit/credit cards at the show.

[email protected]

Interesting article. Just want to point out that the author did reach out to me before it was published and gave me a 24-48hr deadline to respond. This was done last Thursday the 15th while I was driving our RV down to PAGG and then was busy at the show. Thus I was unable to respond to him in his timeline.

The final die has been made and shipped to the facility that is doing the embossing. Once they are complete the topper decals will be shipped to the printer so they can do the artwork and apply the cold sheet adhesive to the back of the decal. From there they will be shipped to us and we can start installing the decals onto the plastic support stands.

With many different vendors involved in the production of these it is hard to give a firm timeline as any little hiccup can throw off the schedule. That said the decals are closer than before and when they are ready we will post accordingly on our Facebook, Twitter and here on Pinside.

We already had a sample one made before moving forward with production. It probably has more waterfall action than the original one.

We will post a video of the topper once they are complete with art printed on them before they go on sale. The sample is minus the art as we did not feel the need to go through the expense of printing art on a sample that doesn't have any effect at all on the waterfall action of the topper decal itself.

Yes it was embossed. Not really any other way to make a sample. As for the waterfall effect as we have stated here several times the effect actually has a little more waterfall effect than the original in my opinion. The artwork had to be redrawn by hand so it will never be exactly 100% like the original. No 2 pieces of artwork are the same.

We will send out replacements to people who still have the original topper that was purchased. As stated earlier the toppers are in production currently and have to go through several vendors. Sorry I will can not give a "firm" date due to not being physically in control of other businesses. They are close though (ie 1-2 months).

You are correct Scott. The last few weeks have been hectic but they will be available next week. We are just wanting to have everything ready to meet the demand so we can ship all the orders the same day. We will post a few days before they go on sale so everybody has a chance to be notified.

It wasn't easy finding somebody who could replicate this artwork as it was an old school method. It took some time but we got it done. We know people are anxious for them and they will be available soon.