signing the finished piece.....at last

[mrGeeze]

i finally have a few bowls i'm proud enough of to give away.
so far i've been using a sharpie to write name/date/species/location on the bottom. i reckon this lasts until the first washing of the bowl.
i was wondering what others use to more permanently mark their work.
i've looked at some of the pyrography pens and was wondering whether that was the best approach.
thanks

 

[Andy Coates]

pyro pen

Hello there,

I always use the Pyrography machine...it's easy, lasts at least as long as the bowl, and with practice can look like handwriting...all I have to do now is improve my handwriting!


Andy

 

[Mark Mandell]

Bought a Turbo Carver II for detailing and such. With a sharp-point bit I could use my actual signature, but then nobody would know who made the bowl I do use the TB II to sign, however, using the glyphs I've always used to sign my work.

I know several who use a micromotor engraver which puts a scratch in the surface and is very easy to control moving across the wood grain. One I've seen also works a bit of pigment or liming wax into the scratches.

m

 

[dkulze]

Washing of the bowl? Dude. You don't wash art.

Now if you're talking salad bowls it's a different story.

Dietrich

 

[Walt]

I use the "Cub Woodwriter". It has a stylest point for writing, and variable heat settings for different woods. Got mine at Craft Supply,http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/cgi-bin/shopper?preadd=action&key=937-0100.

Walt

 

[john lucas]

I use the Dremel engraver. Not the little engraving cutter they sell for the regular Dremel but the Dremel engraver. If you use a light touch you can write your name very nicely. I changed to this system because I turn a lot of dark woods and the sharpie wouldn't show. I tried pyrography but my burner wasn't the highest quality and I always had trouble getting a consitently thick line to my name. I just bought an Optima woodburner and it does a much better job (my skills may be better also). I still prefer the Dremel. The signature can be very subtle if you want (such as on the edge of my handmirrors) or you can rub colored wax into it and make it very bold (such as Cindy Drosda's gold signatures)
There is a learning curve to getting a really good signature and I find that sanding the area to be signed to at least 220 or higher makes it easier to write accurately.

 

[Hugh]

I tried wood burning my name on the bottom of my bowls - found that it was too large. I then tried one of those small electric engraver tools (I got mine at Sears). I like that better. I can write much smaller than the wood burner. If I am careful you can even read the name. I was never know for good hand writting.

dekluze - You mean that really nice burl vessel I just finished isn't a vase for fresh flowers? What is it good for?
Hugh

 

[rbabbittjr]

I recently gave another club member a look at the different methods. I showed a Detail Master woodburner, Foredom high speed rotary air tool, and a vibrating engraver. His final choice was the engraver, like the Dremel. I use the vibrating engraver on small pieces and the woodburner on my larger pieces.

 

[Ken Grunke]

The electric engraver is my first choice, also. Mine is made by Wen.
I find it easier than a burning tip, to get an even line across difficult woods like Oak--the trick is to use very little pressure, go slow, and let the engraver do the work. LIke John Lucas says, it's best for dark woods and filling with some kind of pigment or other material is a great idea.

 

[underdog]

I'm Cheeeep

I use a BIC Mark*It Ultra Fine Point Permanent Marker.....

Under about five coats of lacquer.

It won't wash off in water. If it does you got more problems than permanent marker washing off....

One reason I use it is because the Sharpie dries out and this one (as advertised) doesn't. The other reason is because it's only $1.98 per two pack.

 

[Allen Alexopulos]

Additional Ideas...

Each of the basic techniques described thus far in this thread (engraving, pyrography & ink) has its place.

I use a Colwood Galaxy pyrography kit with an "MC" micro writing pen tip about 95% of the time. With practice it is possible to scribe lengthy names like mine into quite small spaces. I almost always use a backlit magnifier lamp to compensate for my 20/400 eyesight.

When signing with ink I've found that a Sakura Pigma MICRON 03 pen under many coats of your favorite finish works quite well. This brand of pens uses a durable archival ink that shouldn't chemically interact with the finish or the wood. You should be able to pick one of these pens up for less than $3 on the web.

Of equal importance to what tool you use to write with is what you chose to write. I have been encouraging turners in our local club to include their name and/or mark as a bare minimum. Its amazing how many turners don't sign their pieces. Adding the wood species, a catalog number and a date should make your turning more complete and you more credible. One additional suggestion: make sure your spelling is correct. I've seen 'maple' pyrographed as 'mapel' on an otherwise fine piece. Go figure!

I've posted a photo in the AAW Member Gallery with an inset image that illustrates an example of how my signature works. I hope that this info is of some value to you.

Best Regards,
-Allen

 

[RonW]

I just started using the Dremel engraver. Works very well.

RonW