Greetings All,

Dale Clemens, in his Advanced Custom Rod Building book, talks about doing a signiture inscription on Scotch tape on glass, then applying it to the rod and then finishing. I was wondering if anyone can give me some input on the subject. It sure sounds like a great idea but I'm having trouble thinking you can't help but see the tape lines under the finish.

Thanks for your time
Will Whitaker

You will never know unless you give it a try. Some people have a hard time writing on a curved surface( i'm one)
so the idea is to write on a flat surface then transfer to the curved surface. Some inks will require you to seal it
with C.P. before applying the epoxy finish or the ink will smear or deslove. I dont think the tape edge lines will
show because I have applied other types of appliques with good results. I guess it would depend on the type of
tape used.

Raymond Adams
Eventually, all things merge, and a river runs through it..

I have heard of people using an ink jet printer and scotch tape. Print your lable on paper. Then place two layers of tape over the lable that was printed on the paper. Print it again and the tape will now have your inscription. It should peel off the first layer of tape easily. I have not tried it since my wife does a super job writing on my rods. I think some CP would be needed to preserve the color.

Cut the tape a bit longer than you need - you'll need the excess for handling it. Place it lightly on a piece of clean plate glass. Use one of the excellent gel pens to make your inscription. Now comes the tricky part - the timing.

If you lift the tape too soon, the gel runs. If you wait too long, it'll crack. I can't remember what the window of opportunity is as it's been many years since I've done things that way. But if it cracks, do another and don't wait quite as long before you remove the tape from the glass and place it on the rod.

I would suggest wrapping over the tape edges to at least hide those. The edge on top and bottom won't be too bad and shouldn't really show.

The type tape you use will determine how successful you are. I found the really clear tapes to look awful. While the semi-transparent ones actually disappeared on the rod under epoxy finish.

You're going to have to experiment some with timing and tape types. Good luck. This isn't a bad way to do your inscriptions and it's certainly easier to write on a flat surface than a round one.

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