writing on plane irons - sharpie alternative?

[Assaf Oppenheimer]

Hi all, I have a few blades for my LA jack that I keep at different angles 25°, 50° and 90°. I sharpen on one of two guides I have and for accuracy's sake I wanted to write on the backside of the blade relevant information: blade angle, sharpening jig and for the veritas sharpening jig the wheels layout for microbevel. I fully realize that a lot of you will roll your eyes at this, but for the sake of my OCD I must plod on.

Sharpies rub out after handling for sharpening.
I tried a label maker, but labels are thick - it raises the plane iron above its bed. I am worried that It will contribute to blade chatter.

anyone else deal with this? any solutions?
I don't fancy engraving the metal because if I do it it will be ugly, and it is permanent.

thanks!

[Scott Winners]

I use a paint pen on my saw plates, about eight bucks at officemaxdepot. You will want to hit the underside of the iron towards the top where it won't interfere with bedding the iron on the frog. I use white colored paint.

Good luck.

[Jim Koepke]

Assaf, Scott's paint pen will work if you can find the fine point models and write on the top edge of the blade.

My solution is to keep my notes in small notebooks like this > https://www.amazon.com/Mead-Loose-Leaf-6-Ring-2-Inch-Assorted/dp/B000FNDCC0

Mine were all found at estate or yard sales. You can find small spiral notebooks new inexpensively.

Then you could give each blade a name, how about the angle of its bevel, while keeping the notes safe from being erased.

My little notebooks are also used for notes on joinery and another for my gardening notes.

jtk

[Oskar Sedell]

Nail polish maybe, a small spot somewhere where it won't interfere with the bedding or the mechanics. And you can choose your own color code for different angles.

[Jim Koepke]

Nail polish maybe, a small spot somewhere where it won't interfere with the bedding or the mechanics. And you can choose your own color code for different angles.

This could be done on the topside of the blade with clear nail polish applied over written notes. Maybe a spray on clear coat would be less likely to smear the ink.

jtk

[Richard Verwoest]

I created a simple spread sheet. The main layout was done on the computer. Then notes added in pencil, additional blades, etc. I've updated it here and there. And I keep a printed copy tacked above my sharpening area for quick reference.

[Christopher Charles]

I put packing tape over sharpie to keep it from rubbing off.