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What Do You Sign Your Projects With?

C

Chris Besse

Joined
Feb 13, 2022
Messages
3
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Location
Red Deer, AB
Hi all, I’ve been turning for about eleven years now. I’m always looking for a way to sign my bowls. I have a rubber stamp and some not so permanent black ink. I see that Mike Mahoney uses a wood burning unit with a scroll tip (or something) for writing his signature on the bottom of his projects. I’m thinking that looks to be the best idea I’ve found so far. I’ve looked at a Colwood WB-Detailer but darned if I could find the correct tip for sighning your signature using cursive writing.

Lee Valley here in Canada has what I’m looking for but the Colwood pieces I would have to purchase totals about $38.00 bucks cheaper.

What do you guys recommend and use?

Thanks in advance.
Chris
 
I used to use archival ink pens (india ink pens) I'd buy on amazon - However I have since transitioned to a LaserPecker LP-1 engraver (I posted photo of how I set mine up in banjo in another thread somewhere) There's a few others here that use LP as well. I at first did not care for the "factory made" look of brands, stamps and laser engravers, but then my penmanship which was always not all that good (just a notch above the proverbial doctor's signature) has degraded (age related) so I went with the Laserpecker since I already had one that I'd been using for some flatwork designs.
 
Did you do a search here? This subject comes up all the time.
K

Thread 'Signing your work'

Searched "signing your work" and found nothing. I'm not good at signing with burner or micro-motor. Do you have a source for quality branding irons? Bought a brand from Chinese source but it didn't last and no luck getting it replaced. How do you sign your work? Do you have a branding iron source you recommend? Needs to be round and small (1").
Thomas Heck

Thread 'Signing Bowls?'

Just wondering if anyone uses a wood burning pen to sign bowls. I have used sharpies, bought a wood burning iron with signature, and currently use dremel engraver, then I stain the engraving. If the bottom isn’t perfectly flat, the iron rocks and doesn’t look good. The sharpies run and wear off. And the engraver works ok, but you have to then put stain in it to make it show. Just thought a wood burning pen might work. Thanks
 
I used to use a dental handpiece and burr. My handwriting sucks, so I'd print a full page of different sizes and fonts. I'd cut some out, pick an appropriate size and decide on placement. Then I'd use a temporary 2-sided tape to hold it in place. I printed them with red ink, so where I had been and where I still needed to go, were different colors. When followed it and peeled off the tape and paper, it usually revealed pretty good results. It was time consuming and being out of printed signatures or tape could bring it to a halt.

I ended up buying an early pod version of the Laserpecker (LP1 Pro?) and I've really been pleased with its versatility and capabilities. It would be cool if it were more powerful and could cut stuff, but it does burn in pretty nice. On one very dark walnut piece, I let it repeat 2 or 3 times, then used a lacquer pen to fill/highlight the logo. I've also burned patterns, poetry, artwork, company logos, etc. Once set up, I can do a batch of pieces while I do other stuff. It gives me a beep when it's done, then it's less than a minute to start it on the next piece.
 
This is an archival ink pen. Very fine tip, .2mm I think it shows on the pen, and they get wider and also other colors. Available at arts and crafts stores near you and/or your amazon account. I do my writing with it on bare wood, give it a couple minutes to make sure it's dry, then go over it with oil finishes.
1000004607.jpg
 
Well, I don't have the time for a laser engraver, and all pieces are different sizes. Same with a woodburner. I go to a local art supply and buy some "archival" pens, Mine are Faber/Castel, and black. Since I don't turn black walnut, not a problem. The walnut oil finish I use does not make it smear around like the sharpies do. I think sharpie does have a pen that won't smear, but some times they seem to, and some times they don't....

robo hippy
 
This is the wood burner I use. Overall, it works pretty well, though I often have to go over areas of the signature multiple times to make it equally dark and on open-grained woods it leaves burn blotches if I go too slow or linger in one area too long. But I’m getting more accustomed to it and I think the signatures are turning out better and better but it’s definitely not as easy as just writing with a pen.

Here’s a 15” cottonwood bowl recently signed for an example.

Tom

IMG_1225.jpeg IMG_1227.jpeg IMG_0817.jpeg
 
Last edited:
Chris Besse said:
Hi all, I’ve been turning for about eleven years now. I’m always looking for a way to sign my bowls
Click to expand...

I'm also a Pigma Micron archival pen fan and I know others who use them. I've only used the black.
Also, if you use the forum search you will find lots of past discussion on signing turnings.

Perhaps an interesting story. When in a class taught by the late great John Jordan and Clay Foster (hollow forms, color, embellishment, metals, more), someone had the idea of a class project to make a small bowl as a gift for the craft center director. Here are Clay and JJ at the lathe and JJ using his double-ended scraper.

jordan_foster_IMG_20160727_.jpg jordan_foster_IMG_20160727_164713_105.jpg

When the bowl was done, John lamented he didn't bring a pen to write on the wood.
I pulled out a set of Pigma Micron pens; he said that was exactly what he wanted!
(I didn't think to get a picture of the signed bottom of the finished bowl.)

I've never had a problem, under finish or on top. Doesn't work well for dark wood. I see I've bought these sets 3 times, some for gifts.

Amazon.com: SAKURA Pigma Micron Fineliner Pens - Archival Black Ink Pens - Pens for Writing, Drawing, or Bullet Journaling - Assorted Point Sizes - 6 Pack

Shop SAKURA at the Amazon Arts, Crafts & Sewing store. Free Shipping on eligible items. Save on everyday low prices.
www.amazon.com

JKJ
 
The Pigma have been working very well for me. I used to just use a black ball point pen under the finish, but even hidden from UV exposure, that ink fades away dramatically over many, many years. Some 20yo signatures look about 75% faded away.
 
Chris Besse said:
Hi all, I’ve been turning for about eleven years now. I’m always looking for a way to sign my bowls. I have a rubber stamp and some not so permanent black ink. I see that Mike Mahoney uses a wood burning unit with a scroll tip (or something) for writing his signature on the bottom of his projects. I’m thinking that looks to be the best idea I’ve found so far. I’ve looked at a Colwood WB-Detailer but darned if I could find the correct tip for sighning your signature using cursive writing.

Lee Valley here in Canada has what I’m looking for but the Colwood pieces I would have to purchase totals about $38.00 bucks cheaper.

What do you guys recommend and use?

Thanks in advance.
Chris
Click to expand...
I have a small laser cutter/engraver, I designed a logo and it's nice. Gives me the freedom to change my mind on log and/or customize engravings. That being said, it's a little cumbersome; takes a bit of practice to get right. I always do a trial on scrap before committing to the piece. I'f thought of a branding iron too. It's a hard decision, to be sure.
 
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