"Franz Heymann" wrote in message
...

"Martin" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 18 Sep 2004 05:55:05 +0000 (UTC), "Franz Heymann"
wrote:


"Janet Galpin" wrote in message
...
Kitchen Garden magazine is promoting this labeller (Brother
P-touch
Garden Labeller 100) which uses adhesive tape which is
supposed
not
to
fade in the sun, etc. I wondered whether anyone had tried it
or
something similar - though I think it's quite a new product so
it's
probably too early to test out the claim not to fade.

It sells at about £35.

It sounds overpriced by about £30.

but you have just bought a soldering iron to make your own
labels,
Franz :-)

Ah, but I use it for soldering as well. {:-))

I really wouldn't rely on any plastic label -- for £5, £35, or
£350 -- for permanence. UV or no UV, the plasticisers will drop out
sooner or later, and they'll crumble. Franz's recommendation of a
Dymo labeller is as good as any plastic system, as even when it fades
you can still read the raised lettering, and sticking it on some
other material will put off the evil day of disintegration.

You can presumably write on lead with a cheap soldering-iron, or on
aluminium or copper with an engraving tool (I bet Maplin sell an
electric one, but I've chucked out my catalogue, so I'm not sure).
Any Oxfam will provide an old saucepan, and many of us have bits of
copper pipe lying about. Failing that, model shops sell strips of
brass, though at a silly price. If one wants only a very few labels,
it's easy to use a hammer and a big nail or something to punch
letters with a series of dots into any bit of metal. (Reminds me of
school, where we had our numbers done in the soles of our shoes in
brass brads: shudder. Fred who cleaned them and dropped them in the
basket for collection was probably worth more than any of us
morally.)

Mike.