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Post by castanea on Nov 10, 2012 11:02:41 GMT -5
I have moved on to using Paint pens they don't fade at all. There are dozens of different kinds of paint pens. Most will fade over the course of a summer here. They won't even last a year. I have a half dozen trees I tagged last fall using paint pens on plastic tages. They are almost completey faded now and we haven't even had that many days over 105. If you know a particular brand that won't fade, please tell us what it is. I am looking for a truly permanent marker. I can't stand those aluminum tags that are hard to impress properly and usually difficult to read.
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Post by Drahkk on Nov 10, 2012 12:30:49 GMT -5
For tag material, visit Home Depot, Lowes, or any other store that cuts blinds to order and ask for the cutoffs. They'll probably look at you funny, but if you explain what you're doing there's no reason not to give them to you. They just get thrown out otherwise. At my store we just keep cutting until the bin is full and then empty it all at once, so if you get there on the right day you'll get enough for years.
As far as paint pens, oil based ones tend to last longer on plastic or metal, and metallic ones (with little flecks of metal in the paint that CAN'T fade) are pretty much permanent.
MB
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Post by castanea on Nov 10, 2012 12:46:00 GMT -5
Paint pen writing tends to flake off, which is even worse than fading. You can read some of a faded tag for awhile and the slow fading gives you a warning that it needs to be replaced. The ones that flake off may flake off overnight. The Sharpie paint pens are the worst. Absolutely horrible. There are a lot of expensive paint pens out there and I'm not going to spend my money trying all of them unless someone can assure me that a certain brand really doesn't fade and really doesn't flake off.
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Post by diane on Nov 10, 2012 13:00:26 GMT -5
For seedlings I cut up yogurt containers and use a grease pencil, also known as a china marker - it has paper wrapped around the waxy core. In 1979 I put MacPenny labels from England on my fruit trees. Plastic, white on one side for writing with pencil, and black on the other to scratch the name. The black has faded, but the names are still legible. I've just gone out and photographed one. Attachments:
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Post by Drahkk on Nov 10, 2012 14:39:36 GMT -5
Paint pen writing tends to flake off, which is even worse than fading. You can read some of a faded tag for awhile and the slow fading gives you a warning that it needs to be replaced. The ones that flake off may flake off overnight. The Sharpie paint pens are the worst. Absolutely horrible. There are a lot of expensive paint pens out there and I'm not going to spend my money trying all of them unless someone can assure me that a certain brand really doesn't fade and really doesn't flake off. Were the Sharpie ones you tried water or latex based? That only bonds well to organic surfaces and will tend to flake from metal or plastic unless it's primed first. I've seen the same thing happen when someone tries to paint a steel door with latex paint. But Sharpie does make oil based pens that should adhere better and last longer. I wish Krylon made pens with their Fusion for Plastic paint. Unfortunately it's only available as spray paint for now. MB
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Post by castanea on Nov 10, 2012 15:55:25 GMT -5
I've tried three different types of sharpies including oil based. Sharpie is just too cheap to be good.
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Post by 12540dumont on Nov 10, 2012 17:10:18 GMT -5
www.stampington.com/warehouseSale/sale_page__1.html Small brown glass tags Krink K-66 steel Tip Paint Marker Not cheap, but for trees it may be worth it. We tried the bake on markers, but they were hard to use. We have thought time and time again there ought to be a way to make these glass tags ourselves. A friend with access to a kiln did make us some cool mini tiles with permanent glazed labels. www.staedtler.com/Lumocolor_garden_marker only one I've used that lasted more than one season.
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Post by Drahkk on Nov 10, 2012 17:32:58 GMT -5
In 1979 I put MacPenny labels from England on my fruit trees. Plastic, white on one side for writing with pencil, and black on the other to scratch the name. If oil based didn't do it, I'm out of ideas for markers. Whether you get the name brand labels or not, I think Diane has the right idea here. Graphite won't fade like ink will. For pots and trays, I'd say cut up vinyl mini-blinds and a pencil. For trees or perennials, I'd use embossed soft metal, like the copper Circumspice mentioned. MB
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Post by diane on Nov 10, 2012 18:49:33 GMT -5
My brother has a set of metal letters that he hammers into a label.
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floricole
gardener
39 acres, half wooded half arable, land of alluvial
Posts: 108
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Post by floricole on Nov 10, 2012 19:38:10 GMT -5
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Post by circumspice on Nov 10, 2012 20:29:31 GMT -5
Not really affordable for small scale use.
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Post by steev on Nov 10, 2012 21:49:29 GMT -5
Anything I need to label longer than a year gets a charcoal-filled aluminum label, written on so it's "embossed" permanently.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2012 21:56:09 GMT -5
Wide, clear, shipping tape is not water proof but resistant. I use this or cheap, clear enamel, to protect writing on clean surfaces.
Wooden stakes eventually rot, but some of the bigger, plastic drink bottles can be cut with sturdier scissors.
(I rarely use these things for their intended purpose but am alway repurposing or cashing them in for plant money.)
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Post by gixxerific on Nov 10, 2012 21:57:50 GMT -5
I hear some people not liking paint markers, sorry you had a a bad time with them. I just just got reg markers from the local craft store and plastic labels from Lowes.
The markings are as fresh as the day I put them on. In fact I have a bunch sitting in a 70% bleach solution to see if I could get them to fade so I could reuse that side. Not happening still dark black but the labels are a very pure white now at least. ;D
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Nov 10, 2012 23:11:46 GMT -5
Wooden stakes eventually rot 3 growing seasons ago I wrote on wooden stakes with sharpie markers. I've still got stakes around with the names of the corns that I was using in the crosses way back then. I've been wondering if I could sand them to start over: Fortunately, the stakes are finally starting to rot away. I think that next time I'll label them with numbers or random letters so that they can be more readily reused. Then I have to make a map or a list.
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