Opaque marker?

[Hy Tran]

I am making a bunch of weed pots as gifts. We're planning to sign on the surface (rather than the bottom).

The pots are all finished using friction polish.

Has anyone tried an opaque marker, such as a silver sharpie, or maybe a gelly roll pen, on finished wood?

Thanks!

Hy

 

[Clifton C]

Not sure about all friction polishes, but the ones I have used contain shellac, which means there is alcohol in there somewhere. Alcohol is used to make Sharpies "run" to create a water color affect. I happen to have a bunch of Sharpies handy, and one is silver. So, quick experiment, scribbled on some paper with a bunch if the colors, sprayed it with alcohol, and as you would expect, it dripped all over the carpet...Ok, just kidding, they all ran except for the silver. I think if you friction polished, then sign you would be Ok, but not the other way around...
Forgot to mention the "YMMV" caveat...

 

[Hy Tran]

Thanks for the experiment. I need to pick up a frame at Hobby Lobby today, I'll look to see if they have extra-fine tip silver sharpies (I have regular silver, which are too fat). Still got some time to experiment.

Idealy, I'd like a fine brush-tip silver sharpie marker, if there were such a thing (like the Tombow markers)

Basically, I'm a member of a committee (3 people), looking for a unique gift--I volunteered to make weed pots, but need to get all of us to sign them.

 

[Clifton C]

Sprayed again, about twelve hours later, with the same results, the colors ran/bled, the silver did not.
Just FYI...
c

 

[Arkriver]

The regular sharpie pens are not permanent if that makes any difference to you. They say they are but experience and history say otherwise. Allyn

 

[Mark Wollschlager]

I was at Target yesterday and saw a new to me Sharpie. It had a 'fine' tip and was advertised not to smear.
It had a metal barrel, unlike the other Sharpie pens.
http://www.sharpie.com/sharpie/stainless-steel-pen/SHStainlessSteelBlackFine.html#cgid=pens&start=4
It may have the same qualities when exposed to alchohol.
I have used Pigma Micron pens for signing. Water based ink, https://sakuraofamerica.com/pen-archival
They come in brush tip as well as the extremely fine ones I use.

 

[john lucas]

I used to use the silver sharpies. I would use them as the last step after all finishing. I did try spraying over them and if you do a very light coat or two it won't run. Same thing with lacquer over some markers, it will run if you spray a normal coat. The light first coat usually solves that problem.

 

[Bill Boehme]

I looked at the link ... it appears that their advertising department must be "using" the new pens. One of the purported benefits is "Bold ink ignites thought-provoking message". I'd advise using them with caution and a fire extinguisher at the ready.

 

[Hy Tran]

I turned a test piece, call it a weed pot without the hole for the weed and finished w/ friction polish.

I'll let it cure for a week or so, then, try the pen I just bought at Hobby Lobby and a couple of other "extra fine tip" sharpies.

These are intended to be mementos "of token value." They're intended to be signed by me & 2 fellow engineer colleagues, as gifts to our hosts for an upcoming engineering society visit.

 

[William Rogers]

Here are a couple of other options.
I have recently been using an engraver and using the gold fill pen from Cindy Drozda's. I like this method better than my wood burning technique.

I haven't used these, however have heard of them being used for signature and coloring. They are the Fabre-Casrell Pitt Calligraphy Pens, that you can get from Dick Blick art supplies.