There doesn't seem to be a lot of info on the innerwebs. I ran across a Flex Coat video of a guy demoing how to use dipping pens and testers paint. That's nice and all, but is there any reason I couldn't just write with a fine point sharpie marker and epoxy over it?

Yes you can. If your penmanship is even remotely better than mine and you have the correct media, why not? I think a hand written inscription is more personal and more custom than about anything else. The problem is that most of us don't have the talent for hand inscriptions - I certainly don't.

Here's what you want to do - make sure the ink you use is not water soluble. That way you can apply a coat of CP over it so the epoxy isn't an issue (epoxy does not contain solvents so normally it isn't an issue). The trouble lies in getting the right pen to make an opaque inscription on the dark colored rod blanks. You may find that a paint pen is better than a Sharpie. Experiment on some scarps. Apply finish and see how they hold up.

Dave Maher did a great seminar at the Expo along with a magazine article on how to create such inscriptions with a common quill pen and India ink. Beautiful stuff, but does require good penmanship.

I think what you want to do is just experiment. Buy a few pens, maybe try a quill and India ink and have at it. Test epoxy over them. Try CP and then epoxy. In a weekend you'll know what you want to know.

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

Here is what my experiences have been:

I use a quill pen, smallest nib you can buy, sometimes you need to polish it up with 1500 grit paper, just to smooth it out. This have given me the best results as far as quality and thin lines.

Black India Ink works the best, the white, gold and silver are just to water thin in my opinion to give you that opaque look Tom K mentions.

For white, gold, copper and silver, use Testors model paint, I get awesome results, and like Tom said, experiment and develop your skill on test scraps.

I lay down a layer of 2 part rod finish, scruff the surface with 1500 sand paper, to take the shine off and write away. I have never had an issue with applying a coat of epoxy right over my lettering, no CP used. Now you do need to let whatever you use for an ink to dry, India I let sit for 12 hours or overnight. Testors, about 6 hours.

I also played around with the paint pens out on the market, I could never find a brand or color that wrote thin enough, opaque enough or one that would not "wash away" when trying to use CP to cover and seal it. Maybe I just never found the right brand, but I gave up on it, and honed my hand writing skills with the quill pen.

Bill,

Dave Maher was great at this and he also ditched the paint pens and settled on a quill pen with ink or paint. I'd say you're on the right track. Most of us just don't have the penmanship skills. I envy those who do.

..........

I have used the filled pens - didn't like them.
Used the fine sharpies, didn't like them.

Went to quill pens and originally started with testors paint and did a lot of rods with this method. It was OK.

Note:
I do not do the writing, rather my wire does really nice writing that makes mine look like a first grader.

But, then I went to india ink, which was better.

But, now, I use the Dick Blick Acrylic ink which is best of all.

So a quill pen with a very fine nib, Acrylic ink in your choice of colors and an artist that can really lay out a beautiful signature. Always, always, always clean your nib and do it frequently. Since acrylic is water soluable, I just use Windex and a kleenex to clean the nib.
I follow up with a fresh water rinse and dry with a kleenex.


Best wishes

My writing is decent, and yeah, I envy those that have it perfect. Mike McFarland of McFarland Rod Co, his is off the charts perfect.

One thing that also helped me steady my hand, I have these 4 x 4 x 2" thick foam blocks that I cut V's into to hold the rod, then a couple of pieces of smooth scrap popular lumber that I use to get my hand on the same plane as the inscription area, allows my hand to stay steady.

The foam blocks are actually shipping packing, cannot remember what they were protecting, repurposed!

Reading back through the archives here as I completed my first build recently, I went with the recommendation to try Dr. Ph Martin's calligraphy ink in iridescent silver and it turned out great! Got a fairly cheap calligraphy pen with it at Michael's and did a lot of practicing before trying it out on the blank. Even then, I still had to use some rubbing alcohol and start over a few times. As has always been, I'm a southpaw and that makes it tough to work with paint. May have my wife, and her better penmanship, try the next one.

Hey Ryan, I’m ambidextrous, but I’m with you on trying to write left handed. Anything else I do feels natural with either hand, but I feel like I’m going to break my wrist anytime I write lefty. Lol



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/16/2023 01:20PM by Daryl Ferguson.

Hello All.

Here is where you can find the article Tom was talking about, I bought one of the kits Dave was selling at the EXPO that year.

I too suffer from a lack of penmanship.

Vol/Issue................Article ..............................Author........................................Page.....
16/5 Inscriptions, A Foundation For… Better Hand Inscriptions. By Tom Kirkman & Dave Mayer. 22



Tight Wraps & Tighter Lines.

Bob,

New Bern, NC.

I have found pens at Hobby Lobby that will work with different tip sizes. They are opaque and have metallic colors (gold, silver, copper). My penmanship is not that great on a round surface like a blank so I use decals.

I been using a white Gelly Roll 08 by Sakura.
[www.sakuraofamerica.com]

Just tried quill pen with acrylic ink and, in part, due to my pad penmanship, it looked like crap. So I went with the NFC sticker.

That said, Writing looks a lot better if you or have access to someone with handwriting or calligraphy skills. Have used gelly roll type markers in the past with success.

My issue was writing on an NVC blackish fly rod blank, so you need silver or white ink.

I have 3 more rods to make, so will try having a friend write on those.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/16/2023 03:33PM by david taylor.

Gelly Rolls come in white. Bill Falconer uses them, He does recommend putting a coat of finish down first and writing on that. I just got one and want to try it on a bare blank as a test but haven't gotten around to it yet. Can't find any info on what to use as a solvent for it, so shall have to experiment. Chris might you know?

Alcohol works...
I use mine also to mark where the guides go...and sometimes the mark is so small I can just scracth it off with my nail.

My testing thus far on practice blanks:

Fine sharpie marker: it’s so so on a unfinished graphite blank, you have to really really careful or it smears. Forget about on a painted blank. It smears way too easy.

Gelly roll: I was skeptical, but it actually worked pretty darn good on the painted blank and really well on the unfinished graphite.

I got some acrylic paint to try next, but I can’t find my calligraphy pen set. As soon as I find them, I’ll post my test results. If I don’t find them before I finish my wife’s pink rod, I’m going to use the white gelly roll on it.

I use the oil or acrylic paint pens in extra fine. Sharpie and other brands are available. Note that these are very different than markers as they actually are loaded with paint. These work well for me, but I haven’t tried quill based systems. As far as neat calligraphy, my handwriting is terrible. I don’t fret or see this as a problem if the numbers are legible. The builder’s handwriting is just part of the the custom process.

Thanks very much for the Gelly roll info guys!

In my opinion, the absolutely best ink for writing on a blank is Dr Ph Martins iridescent calligraphy ink in gold, silver and black. I use a fine tip nib on a dip pen. You can buy it at most hobby and art stores like Micheal’s and Hobby Lobby. It does not bleed or smudge when coated with finish epoxy, in fact I have used Permagloss to coat it with no problems. If you make a mistake you can wipe it off with alcohol and start over. If needed, a drop or two of alcohol can be used to thin it.
Norm

I hear you Norm, we have the ink and the pens. We (my wife) can't get the hang of the nib pen thing. And I can't either. But thank the Lord she does the writing. Lol

Found my pen set! I played around with the India ink (I brain *bleep*ed and said "acrylic" in an earlier post). That's the best, IMO. If I were doing this as a business and wanted to put out the very best quality I could, I would go that route. That said, I'm not a business. I build for myself, friends and family. Therefore, I'm going to stick to the gelly rolls. They are fast, surprisingly good quality and gets the rod on the quickest road to its intended purpose!

My Test Results, FWIW, from worst to best:

Sharpie Marker - Will it work? Meh, it's okay, but why use it when you can use a Sakura Gelly Roll just as easily?

Sakura Gelly Roll - This gets my bang for buck vote. Very nice results and much easier than dipping pen and india ink. Just grab a roll and go at it!

Dipping pen / India ink - This is, IMO, the way to go if you want the absolute best result. Again, if I were selling my rods and putting my name on them, this is what I would use.

p.s. Someone said it earlier and I think it's worth repeating. You don't have to be an artist to go this route. Imperfect penmanship is definitely part of the charm. There's a limit, of course. It does need to be legible, but other than that, let the ink flow!