I have a customer that wants his name written on his rod. I am fairly new to this so what is the best way to do this.

There is a good video on the Flex Coat website for writing on the blanks. You can also write on a clear lable and then transfer that to the blank. This gives you a flat surface to write on.

I just finished writing the specs on a rod that I built for a friend. I used Testors gold just as shown on the Flex Coat video. Check it out, it is easy to do. The hardest part is finding a pen. I bought mine at Michails. I bought four tips and out of those one writes very well.

Hello Chuck

If you want the best looking way(But NOT the Easy way) Weaving the letters is it for me, but as I said it takes work.
If you know about Weaving you can find a left list in "Custom Rod Builders Guild How To Library" under "Lucida Handwriting True Type Font" By "Mike Kosiba"
Then there is getting a sticker made by any number of places, even MudHole does custom decals.
Lastly the hand writing way as Andres and Ellis have told you about.

Good Luck with your Writing.

Bob,

New Bern, NC.

How about the gold extra fine point Sharpie.

A decal from Decal Connection
Get several in case you mess up any good price and good quality

Bill - willierods.com

I use both india ink and a quill pen, or testors metallic paint a a quill pen.

I get the pen's from Dick Blick art supplies. I also get the india ink from the same source.

I get the paint from any hobby store.

Be safe

The key thing is to have paint cleaner to be able to completly clean the very fine groove in the quill pen. If you don't you basically plug the quill and ruin it for future writing.

I have been using the same quill pen for years now; I just clean mine with a paper towel and denatured alcohol.

The extra fine point sharpies are hard not to have blotching...thick/thin areas.
quill pen and I use acetone to clean it. Pens are cheap. buy a few. Some work better than others.
I also use acrylic ink....

Hi Chuck,
I'll tell you straight up that what I'm about to suggest is not the norm. However, I build several hundred rods per year (rod building is my only business) and I write names as well as serial #'s on most. I have attended seminars at the Expo on writing on rods and I have found that my method works a lot better. Forget the Testors stuff. Way too much hassle getting it to flow just right. Buy the smallest can of Tremclad at your local Home Depot and a nib pen (I use Hunt #107) from any craft store. Rough up the area you are going to write on with 400 grit paper. Go ahead and write your name. Flame it for a few seconds and go ahead and apply finish. I do this literally every day with perfect results. Let me know if you have any questions. Hope this helps.
Brian

A decal is a copy of your signature. Sign it with the best writing you can produce!

Hey Brian,

I think Tremclad is the Canadian version of Rustoleum for us in the states. I'm interested to know what lead you to use this as your "ink" of choice.

I follow Brian's process but have best luck with silver ink, then white ink as most of the blanks are dark gray or black. When the other builders refer to a quill pen, I believe it's really a calligraphy pen that you can get at the craft store like Michaels or equivalent. I'd be hard pressed to believe the guys are using feather quills to write with. :-) Many calligraphy pens come with a variety of tips (or nibs) so practice which one works best for you. Also pay attention to the step on using 400 grit sandpaper to rough the surface where you are writing. Painted blanks with gloss finish make it tough to write on cleanly. Matte finish blanks do not need to be prepped, in my experience.

I do more labels than hand writing these days. Costs about $3 a rod and the results are very professional. Well done hand written signatures really improve the custom look if your hand writing and process are up to the task.

Terry

I have had very good luck with Sakura Gelly Roll pens in Metallic Gold, Metrallic Silver, and White. I have purchsed these at both art supply stores and some office supply stores. They are a few bucks apiece.

I will typically do some form of butt wrap or decorative wrap. I will coat that wrap with one coat of finish. Once that finish coat has completely dried (12+ hours), I apply my logo with a water slide decal on the top and then write an inscription on the bottom with the Gelly Roll. The finish surface takes the pen very consistently (much better than writing right on the blank). If I make a mistake, I have a small piece of paper towel wetted with rubbing alcohol and simply swipe it off. Once it has dried (a few seconds), I will re write the inscription. Just make sure you get all the old ink removed.

(If you don't want a butt wrap, you can simply scotchbrite the inscription area of the blank to water-break free condition and then coat the blank with finish. I know this changes the look of the blank in the event of say a matte finish but you are going to have to coat your inscription any way. A very, very thin coat is plenty.)

The inscription can be anything - blank model number, rod specs, owners name or initials, happy father's day - whatever. It takes some practice to write well and straight on a round blank, but the Gelly Roll is much easier to me than the quill pen or the embossing pens I have tried. Let this dry for at least 12 hours and gently apply the next coat of finish. Looks very, very good and does not fade or weather in more than 8 years of use. Store the pens tip down with cap on tightly and they will not dry out on you.

I can provide some pics if that would help. Good luck - I hope this helps.

Hi Terry,

Because I'm doing this so often, I was getting frustrated with the more "traditional" methods and how time consuming they can be. Stirring, thinning, testing, sourcing, etc..... So I set out to test many products with the following in mind:

1) Must provide a quality, consistent job.
2) Must be easy to use - minimal prep.
3) Must be quick to dry - able to apply finish within minutes.
4) Must flow smooth and fine.
5) Must be available in multible colours.
6) Must be easy to obtain.

After trying every conceivable ink and hobby store paint (ie: Testors) I began playing around with more conventional paints. I even tried some latex paint with some degree of success but wasn't that thrilled with how thin I had to make it to achieve a really fine script. Eventually I came around to Tremclad ( yes an oil based rust paint ). It did everything I wanted superbly! I pour about 2 ounces into a small vial and go from there. That vial gets opened several times each day and I almost never have to thin or stir it. I apply the script, flame it for a few seconds to dry, and go ahead with finish. Perfect every time!

Where can you purchase Tremclad? Thanks

I'm in British Columbia and I purchase mine at Home Depot. I just had a look at the can and it says "Tremclad by Rustoleum Brands Canada". I assume, as Terry mentioned, that it is known by Rustoleum in the States.

Good to know Brian. Rustoleum isn't one of the materials I had tried. Getting the right viscosity and the right tip makes a big difference. Looks like you've hit on a good combination. I'll have to try it out.

Terry