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Thread: What to use to sign turnings?

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
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    Atikokan, Rainy River district, Ontario
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    3,540
    I build a burner from a radar gun transformer that was surplus, and bought a pyrography pen at LeeValley, with a writing tip on it, for the reason that most pen inks will just disappear after a while , plus the problem of blotching with finishing.
    Pyrography pen.jpg

    I can write in all kinds of places and manners, even on darker wood you can still read it if angled to the light, though much easier on light colored wood of course as you can see here (older picture).

    Bowl bottoms.jpg
    Have fun and take care

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Jul 2016
    Location
    Spokane, WA
    Posts
    236
    I looked at pyrography pens at numerous web sites and I think the concern that I have is having to grip the pen so high up. Almost everything I've seen looks like a soldering iron with a pen tip. I'm not sure I could write when gripping so high up the pen and not being able to rest my hand on the turning to steady myself. I noticed that the one in your photo doesn't look like what I've seen, it appears you can grip it much lower, almost like a true pen. However I couldn't find that one on Lee Valley, just the soldering iron one.

  3. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by Leo Van Der Loo View Post
    ...most pen inks will just disappear after a while , plus the problem of blotching with finishing.
    Probably true for most pens, but the Pigma and some others are archival and really very lightfast. I haven't had any problem with applying finish over my signature.

  4. #19
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    Jul 2008
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    Atikokan, Rainy River district, Ontario
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    Quote Originally Posted by David Smith View Post
    I looked at pyrography pens at numerous web sites and I think the concern that I have is having to grip the pen so high up. Almost everything I've seen looks like a soldering iron with a pen tip. I'm not sure I could write when gripping so high up the pen and not being able to rest my hand on the turning to steady myself. I noticed that the one in your photo doesn't look like what I've seen, it appears you can grip it much lower, almost like a true pen. However I couldn't find that one on Lee Valley, just the soldering iron one.
    It’s right here and acc shows all the pens you can get or make .

    http://www.leevalley.com/en/Wood/pag...115,45497&ap=1
    Have fun and take care

  5. #20
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    Jul 2008
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    Atikokan, Rainy River district, Ontario
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    Quote Originally Posted by John Keeton View Post
    Probably true for most pens, but the Pigma and some others are archival and really very lightfast. I haven't had any problem with applying finish over my signature.
    I read about the archival pens/inks not being very lightfast in reality, and some did tests that did show that the inks did actually fade pretty fast if set out in full light, not something we do with our turnings, but I believe that it would just take longer but not for ever by a long shot I believe

    Here’s part of a write-up that showed the trial and came to that conclusion.

    Archival pens.jpg
    Have fun and take care

  6. #21
    Leo, I am not familiar with the brand of pen in the article you posted, but this is the information provided by Sakura, maker of the Pigma pen. https://www.pigmamicron.com/faq/

  7. #22
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    Jul 2008
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    Quote Originally Posted by John Keeton View Post
    Leo, I am not familiar with the brand of pen in the article you posted, but this is the information provided by Sakura, maker of the Pigma pen. https://www.pigmamicron.com/faq/
    John I’m not familiar with any makes of them, just what a maker claims is not always true as we know al to well, I tend to be sceptical of claims that I can’t verify, where others have claimed the opposite, anyway I just thought that a burnt in writing would last longer and there would be no finishing problems, so that’s what I use and why I use it
    Have fun and take care

  8. #23
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    E TN, near Knoxville
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    12,298
    Quote Originally Posted by Leo Van Der Loo View Post
    I read about the archival pens/inks not being very lightfast in reality, ...
    The snippet you posted states a conclusion, supposedly the result of a test. But it does not describe the test procedure, needed before a reader here can judge the applicability to his own application. For example, if the test exposed the ink-on-paper to direct tropical sunlight for 3 months some might question if that would apply to the signature on the bottom of a bowl on a shelf.

    JKJ

  9. #24
    Join Date
    Sep 2015
    Location
    South Carolina
    Posts
    303
    For writing on pieces, I use either a super-thin permanent marker (primarily on film finishes) or an archival ink marker (mainly on oil finishes). However, I've not been completely pleased with the results and I've started using a burner to apply a mark (logo, I suppose you could call it) on my pieces. What I would love is a branded signature, but I've yet to find a custom brand that is small enough and yet still able to provide enough detail (and still be cheap enough). Basically, I'm too picky and cheap for that to work out.

  10. #25
    Quote Originally Posted by Justin Stephen View Post
    http://signaturemedallions.com/home-1.html. $1.48/ea if you order 200 of the 1". You have to order at least 100.
    Thanks for the link. I will do this once my new shop is built and I'm back up and running.

    Red
    RED

  11. #26
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Hanover, Ontario
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    405
    Interesting discussion, I have been using a very fine point Scripto, I think it is. It does an adequate job but the hand guiding it is not very good at penmanship. I bought a laser engraver over the holidays and now working on all the different ways to engrave Stuff. Easy on pens with one or two lines but I am working on a logo / signature for turned items like the rest of you.
    Here is a picture of one that I did last week. Comments and suggestions are very welcome.
    thanks, Peter F.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  12. #27
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    Sep 2017
    Location
    Notasulga Alabama
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    Peter, Which laser engraver, and is it holding up to use?

  13. #28
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Hanover, Ontario
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    Thank you for the question, Richard. I posted this in January 2017 and it has been a fascinating journey with my EleksMaker A5 (small frame) laser. There is a A3 larger frame but all the same except the size of the frame. My laser has a 2500mW Laser Diode which is a good compromise of price and power. I bought it specifically to engrave company name and serial numbers on my Drop Spindles but it has done so much more.
    I was dubious about the lifespan of the diode but so far, touch wood, it is working great.
    Making Medallions for individual turners and our Grey Bruce Woodturners Guild Bravery Beads bowls. Engraving Pens for other guild members and my own pens.
    In April 2017 I designed a Rotary Pen Accessory©🇨🇦 so I can engrave names, logos and images 360 degrees around a pen blank. Rotary engraving has been available for big lasers for many years but Not for these DIY Gantry Style Lasers. I developed the prototype after long discussions with members of another forum doing design work for a different style of lasers. So much fun it should be illegal! I now manufacture the Rotary jigs and have been successful selling quite a few of them. This really is fun...
    So much neat stuff to talk about, too long for one post, any other questions are welcome.
    Last edited by Peter Fabricius; 04-09-2018 at 11:03 PM.

  14. #29
    Join Date
    Sep 2017
    Location
    Notasulga Alabama
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    Peter,
    Which laser engraver do you use? Does it stand up to use after 4 months ? Are you still pleased with it ?
    Thanks, RS

  15. #30
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Hanover, Ontario
    Posts
    405
    Hi Richard, I thought all the answers were in my post from last night. EleksMaker A5 with the 2500mW laser diode. I have been using it for 15 month and it is working great. I am very pleased with it. I bought it direct from China Banggood.com
    I hope that helps.

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