Hi All,

New, but not new. Just started more rod building so I'm sure I will have many questions. First question, I'm building a rod for a friend of mine's son, 22 years old, that I was building for my friend. Sadly, he passed. So I'm going to give it to his son. I wanted to write some thing on the blank but have been unsuccessful with paint pens. Too translucent.... not fine enough etc. Any direction would be appreciated.

Sean Kopec

I followed this method with some success, still need to practice more:

[flexcoat.com]

Sorry about your friend -

Tom

Thanks Tom, I'll check out the video.

Sean

Calligraphy pens are definitely the best way to get really fine writing, but there’s a long learning curve to get good at it. I found the Posca Uni pen to be really easy to write with, but it is not as fine, though finer than any other paint pen I’ve found. Another trick I found that allows for much nicer writing is to write on the clear water slide transfer film, then attach that “label” to the blank. I have much better penmanship writing on a flat surface, than trying to write on a curved blank.

I've had very good results with Sakura gelly roll pens in white. About $10 from Walmart. Best part is mistakes are easily wiped off and redone. 1 coat of finish underneath and 1 or 2 coats on top. Solved a lot of problems for me.

Thanks everyone!! I spent quite a bit of time Researching last night. I tried to do some searches on the site but did not get much in results however when I just Google search it usually came back to results from this forum. I think I would like to try the dip pen technique I think it's the same as the caligraphy. For the Gelly Roll pens, Is there a specific brand within their line it looks like they have a bunch of different pens.

Sean

Sean,

I have used both calligraphy and jelly roll pens. Sakura 0.8 seems to work best. Pros are they are cheap and easy to use. You can wipe off mistakes no problem. But they need to dry for about 12-24 hours before a top coat or they will smear, they are also sensitive to the touch before being coated so intricate writing can be tricky. Hit your base coat of epoxy with 1000 grit before you write on it to prevent runs and get cleaner lines. A practice blank or a blank wrapped with paper or tape to practice helps mastering the skill of writing on a round narrow surface.


Calligraphy pens produce a cleaner product, but require more of a learning curve. If you're looking for a 1 time simple message use sakura.

Great ideas!!! I'll play with em. Picked up a couple Gelly roll pens today. I like the caligraphy pen idea for clean lines.

I use Dr Ph. Martin’s Irridescent Calligraphy ink with a fine nib pen. It’s the best stuff I’ve ever used. You can coat it with finish epoxy without any fears of it smearing, even within a few minutes after it dries. Easy to erase mistakes using alcohol. I use gold, silver, or black.
Norm

Hello All.

Here are some articles on inscriptions:

Volume/Issue..........Article..........Author.......................Page.
12/6 Inscription Diamond. By Randy Duket. 18
16/5 Inscriptions, A Foundation For… Better Hand Inscriptions. By Tom Kirkman & Dave Mayer. 22
3/4 Inscriptions, Fixing Mistakes (in the area). 22
2/3 Inscriptions, For Your Custom Rod. 10
2/3 Inscriptions, Gel & Paint Pens. 12
13/5 Inscriptions, Hidden in Plain Sight (Invisible Ink Identification Markings). By Tom Kirkman. 10
2/3 Inscriptions, Labels, Computer Generated . 15
3/4 Inscriptions, Labels; Metallic Colors On An Ink Jet? 24
2/3 Inscriptions, Pen & Ink. 11
2/3 Inscriptions, Printers, Dye Sublimation . 18
2/3 Inscriptions, Transfer Lettering. 13
2/3 Inscriptions, Useful Hints For Making Better Rod Inscriptions. 19


Enjoy.

Tight Wraps & Tighter Lines.

Over the years, I have used many products.

Currently, I use a fine tipped dip pen with Ball acrylic ink.

It does an excellent job. The ink dries quickly and one can apply finish an hour after application.

However, one note of caution. When applying finish - Do NOT brush the finish in any area where there is an inscription. Rather, apply a generous coat of finish and let the finish flow over the inscription, with no brush contact. Let the finish flow over the inscription and then use a brush on the opposite side of the rod to dab off any excess finish.

Best wishes.

I, like Norman, have found the Dr. Ph Martin Irridescent Calligraphy ink to be the best for this function.

The burnishing of the pen nib as shown in the first video by Flex Coat is very important, too.

Thanks all. It looks like there are many "fine" tips for dip pens. Any ideas on which size works best? @Robert how can I access the back issues?

The size depends on your preference. I would start quite fine and see how it works.

I use the SpeedBall 102, 107, and 108 nibs. You can by a set of holders and nibs for about $10. Inexpensive but work well and you can buy them at most local hobby stores.
[www.amazon.com]
Norm

Norman Miller Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I use the SpeedBall 102, 107, and 108 nibs. You
> can by a set of holders and nibs for about $10.
> Inexpensive but work well and you can buy them at
> most local hobby stores.
> [www.amazon.com]
> ketching-Project/dp/B0007ZJ8RO/ref=asc_df_B0007ZJ8
> RO/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=167153081649
> &hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12948283258312455399&hvpon
> e=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=t&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlo
> cphy=1020734&hvtargid=pla-93634385100&psc=1&mcid=0
> 5ba19f28ee733458be90d29621a0840&gclid=Cj0KCQiA5fet
> BhC9ARIsAP1UMgEnbP41Qr23fZYfNHlxxE7wcrKpQPApaJSXxh
> AyDsg67ve1idIBRc8aAhALEALw_wcB
> Norm

So i purchased this set. My question is how do you get the ink to flow from the pen. I was trying to use the silver.

Shake the ink very well to make sure it is throughly mixed. The pen nib is dipped into the ink about 1/4 of its length, a small amount of ink will be held in the nib curve. Immediately draw a few lines on a piece of scrap paper to get the ink to flow and then write on the blank. If the ink doesn’t flow easily onto the paper or blank, then add a few drops of alcohol to the ink to thin it, mix well and try again. In my experience, a fresh batch of ink doesn’t need thinning, only when the ink has been around for a while. Make sure your nib is clean, I clean immediately after use with denatured alcohol. Sometimes the nib needs to be ‘polished’, this is done by gently stroking the nib point on a piece of wood. If the ink doesn’t flow after trying all of this then I don’t know what the problem is. I’ve been using a nib pen for about 45 years with no problems.

Ok thanks. I did get them to flow but probably already messed up. I added a few drops of water not denatured alcohol. The ink cleans up with water so figured that would work. It did work though and I have finish over it. Thanks again

Which ink did you get? I use Dr. Ph. Martins iridescent calligraphy ink. It is a metallic ink, which is opaque, waterproof, uv resistant, and permanent. It can be thinned with alcohol, but not sure about water. It will not run or smear when coated with epoxy, in fact I’ve coated it with PermaGloss with no problems. Been using this stuff for a very long time, and it’s the best ink I’ve ever used. It flows very well off the nib, and if you make a mistake you can erase it with alcohol. Hope you have good luck with it..
Norm

Thats what i purchased in gold and silver but i think mine is water based.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/07/2024 09:08PM by Steven Paris.