bow labeling

[woodbndr]

Hey guys.  Been around traditional archery for a while but new to this site.  Nothing better than a bunch of bow nuts!  Look forward to meeting all of yall.  

Question:  I always have trouble labeling bows.  I use Minwax wax finish a lot on good ol knock around bows.  I've put a few labels (#s, Made for: , date, etc) but it always seems to blur a bit.  What do the real "pros" use for labeling?

[Roy from Pa]

I think India Ink is suppose to work well.

[LC]

I buy gel pens from Office Depot for gold or silver lettering. Or fine tip Sharpies for black.

[woodbndr]

Sharpies are what I've had trouble with.

[macbow]

Acrylic ink is my choice. You can get it in pens but I haven"t found one I like. I use a calligraphy pen. Bamboo skewers also work.
It is water soluble so can be thinned.
Drys very fast. I use Tru oil over it.

[Robertfishes]

I went to "Hobby Lobby" last weekend to look for a white extra fine point paint pen, they didn't have white but I did see Calligraphy pens and white arcrylic ink for the pens..I ended up getting a Sakura white paint pen at the Joanne craft store, they work OK but not as fine of a line as I really want. I will do some research and buy the Calligraphy pens next time.

[woodbndr]

Label before any finish type?

[LC]

"Sharpies are what I've had trouble with."

Thats weird I've never had a problem with Sharpies. I spray two coats of gloss, write and mist a coat of satin overtop. Then two coats of satin and I'm done. Maybe I've just been lucky with the type finish I use.

[Dmaxshawn]

I use the extra fine paint pens in gold and white from hobby lobby.  

Put on your 2-3 gloss coats and let dry good.  Then lightly steel wool the area your writing on.  Write on it.  Let it dry for a couple hours.  Then put on the satin with a Matte type finish.

[macbow]

Same procedure as Shawn. 2 to 3 coats of tru oil then writing then. More coats and finally poly.

[woodbndr]

So basically what I'm hearing is that poly type seals work with various labels.

What if you're only doing a Minwax finishing wax or bees wax type finish?

[Dmaxshawn]

Not sure on that last question.  Once I switched to thunderbird I havent looked back .

[woodbndr]

Good enough.  I'll get some pens from HL and do some testing.

[LittleBen]

I've had problems only when I wipe on a finish over the lettering with a sharpie. I've used sharpie paint pens without any problems. And I find if it's a spray on finish then theres no friction to wipe off the lettering.

[woodbndr]

Yep. Think that's exactly what I've been doing to cause the problem.

[LC]

AH yes if your wiping the finish on then I could see a problem. Regretably I don't have awesome spraying equip. I use a spray can finish. I've used or tried a bunch. My favorite comes from Ace Hardware that is Poly for indoor and EXTERIOR and it's flexible. Those that know stuff like that tell me it's more like a varnish finish so it does "yellow" and it's not fast drying. But it's held up good for me on many bows. When doing TD's I always finished the riser with super glue! Tuff as nails finish just apply in a well ventilated area.

[Roy from Pa]

I never knew you boys from Morgantown could write and spell..  

[LC]

My sister grad u ated second grade! Best three years of her life! She spell checks for me!

[7 Lakes]

The Sharpies marked "Industrial" do not fade.  I had to buy them by the box from an Office Supply store.

[Missaukee]

For Black, India Ink is by far the best. Sharpies do not have the depth of black and are semitransparent. Get India INk Faber Castell S tip and you will never look back.