My fly rods look really good--until I try to sign them. I look with envy and admiration when I see a finely signed rod--one that includes things like date made, line wt, length, the Lord's Prayer, and a picture of a little fish. Or at least some of that..

How do you guys sign a small-diameter rod?

Two ways:

1) We make a decal using the Testor's Decal kit
2) Gary (my partner in the shop) signs it, using a pen we got from Mud Hole. Then we put TM over it after it dries. But we only sign our shop name and the serial number. We give each customer a business card with a label on the back that has the complete spec for the rod.

For rods with a dull surface, we apply a coat of LS Lite to the area where the name will go, let it dry for 24hrs, and then use the pen on that.

Uncle Russ
Calico Creek Rods



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/25/2008 10:54AM by Russ Pollack.

Technical drafting pen with white ink. You can use a really fine tip like a 000. I can easily get the 5 lines of text I usually put even on UL rods.


....................

Better to have and not need than to need and not have.

Jim,
Easier yet, you can contact me and have your signature made into a true type font and then you can use it to place in a document as your signature and also we can make you a sheet of decals of it and all you have to do is put the decals\ on the blank when you are ready.

The signature will be the same on all your rods that way.

Jimi Ellis



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/24/2008 09:02AM by Jimi-Ellis.

Here is a down and dirty trick for making decals. Put a strip of Scotch brand magic transparent tape on a clean piece of glass. Use a gel pen to write out your inscription. Let dry for about five minutes. Peel the tape up and put it on the rod. Trim away any edges with a sharp Xacto knife that might show your fingerprints. Then put CP on it and finish with epoxy. PRESTO! A clear decal that you made yourself.

I use Goldrite strips. PLace it on the blank, sign your name on the strip and carefully peel the strip away. Nothing looks classier than having your sig on the rod in gold leaf. Use even preasure for best results. If you mess up you can scrap it off with you finger nail. Once you're happy with it, apply a coat of finish to protect it.

After trying lots of combinations, I use the following.
I fine tipped ball brand pen and quill. I use a cork handled pen, so that the Xylene that I use to clean the pen does not destroy the pen, as is the case with a plastic handled pen.

After trying lots of different inks and other finishes, I have finally settled on Testors - metallic model paint. It works very well, is easy to thin and clean up with Xylene and and drys quickly.

My wife does the lettering, sinch she is a very talented artist.

I have her do the lettering just before the finish is applied. The paint will set up for coating within an hour.

Take care
REW

p.s.
The pen holder is as follows:
[www.dickblick.com]

Pen nibs as follows: -- use the one that best matches your pen pressure, ink or paint type, and writing style:

[www.dickblick.com]

Testors - 1/4 oz brushing enamels: 1/4 oz
[www.hobbyplace.com]

Note: if the paint gets too old, the paint won't flow nicely through the pen nib -- always do a test script on a piece of scrap blank - before writing on the finished rod!!

Take care
Roger

I use a Calligraphy pen... (those that resembles a fountain pen) dip into gold ink and write onto the blanks. Such pen could be purchase from hobby/art and craft shops. However, one need to practice alot to get an even ink flow, i bought a calligraphy book to learn how each letter is written. Writing on a flat pcs of paper is totally different from writing on a rounded blank ... hair pulling!

You could wipe off the gold paint if you are not happy and start again. But recently i wrote on a painted surface, which has to be one shot one kill... thank God it came out well.

Cheers

My penmanship teacher in elementary school said numerous times that her cat had better penmanship than I had so after trying numerous times to make a good signature, I finally took Jimi's advice and let Decal Connection do all the signatures. They really rock with their work