I am looking for suggestions on methods to use for signing the bottom of bowls other that the use of branding irons. I am assuming that different methods or inks are used for different bowl finishes and perhaps different species of wood (color)
Hi guys:
I've been following with interest this thread on methods of signing one's work. Currently I sign my pieces with a fine tipped woodburning pen and do quite well in fine grain hardwoods. Where I have difficulty is with open grain woods such as oak or walnut. The pen tip wants to "follow the grain" and is difficult to control. How well do the archival pens that you speak of do on open grain? Have you found any solutions (sealing, etc.) for getting good signing results on open or coarse grain?
Thanks, Peter Toch
Peter.......You might experiment with turning up the heat a little bit, and sign with slower more deliberate and flowing strokes. This does seem to improve the overall look of the burned lines with some coarse grained woods. I usually clean up my stylized signature mark with 600g paper afterwards.
I've been using a CSUSA "cub" woodwriter since the 1980's and this one is still going strong. I only use it for this purpose only, and have another woodburning outfit for other applications. I believe the cub writer is still available, but now looks quite a bit different than this early model.
ooc