Labels that don't erase

Sorry I did a very poor description of the tags.

My "DH" (dear husband) has a stamp set (1st picture below) each of those little black pieces has a letter raised on the tip of the black piece. You tap it with a hammer against a piece of copper disk and/or metal disk and it embosses the metal with that letter. You just hammer each letter across until you have the name of the plant across the tag. Very easy and very nice looking. VERY permanent.

Here is a video of a person doing it for jewelry. Now they say use a copper hammer I do not I just use a normal hammer and I usually lay the metal disk on the vice or anything hard since you will be hitting it with a hammer and just start tapping. If she can do it in the video with those fake nails anybody can do it...LOL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9NMGZp1l_IU

The tap set you can find at harbor freight I think it was 15.00 or less. The disk I found at Grainger I bought a 100 and a friend and I split the disk between us.
http://www.grainger.com/product/Blank-Metal-Tag-WP117626/_/N-/Ntt-metal+tag?sst=subset&s_pp=false&picUrl=//static.grainger.com/rp/s/is/image/Grainger/20Y531_AS01?$smthumb$

Hope this makes more sense. Sorry about the previous post.

The other way I engrave metal tags is with the dremel engraver.
The Dremel Electric Engraver Rotary Tool comes supplied with a carbide point tip that lets you engrave many common surfaces, as well as a template to help engrave letters and numbers. A stroke-adjustment dial regulates engraving depth from fine lines to deep grooves, while a soft grip improves user comfort and control. The are 20 dollars at home depot.

I don't use the templates but just 'write' the name of the plant on the tag using this tool. My writing is not the greatest but the tag is permanent and I can read it.

Hope this helps and I have answered a few questions.

That is a big help. There really has got to be something out there to emboss all the letters at one time@!

Probably is but I probably couldn't afford it. I use the dremel all the time and it is fast. I use the embossing on special plants or occasions, since it takes longer.

The other thing I have learned on plants that are still in the plant nursery pots that I don't get planted and I over winter in the black nursery pot I use a high grade masking tape on the outside of the pot with a permanent marker. It will last 3 or 4 years. This works well when I am dividing daylilies, it is fast. I have also used masking tape on the mini blind tags and it will last 3 or 4 years as long as the mini blind doesn't get broken or pulled out.

So here is a pic of a metal tag I hand wrote on. The tag holder is a piece of metal wire that I bent with pliers and stuck in the ground (don't look at the weeds..LOL)

Here is a pic of a black pot and it's masking tape tag.
Probably any masking tape will work but I know this will last for a long time
Lastly here is a pic of a masking tape label that has been on this pot outside since July 2010!

Oh, I love that you are posting photos , thank you. I like your tape idea too. Have to put this one on my shopping list. The Dremel electric tool, I'll try to get that of also . This is great for folks with lots of plants.

That was my problem, I had alot of plants and needed a way to label them that was not so expensive, and pretty fast. Plus probably like you I swap plants and need to make sure I know what I am swapping...

I am still working on the Dremil tool bit... got it on ebay and it is on it's way. I have been writing on the pots with a paint pen. That is working well. Thought I might also use it on the main trunk of the plant. That would work for maybe a year until the trunk grows thicker.

Thank you both of postings pictures! Makes things very clear.

Rhapsody

Happgarden, you had some nice comments recently. On July 8 you posted four pics of various tags. One of them was of a metal tag, maybe 1" x 3". did you make this tag yourself out of a blank sheet of some kind or buy the ready made tags? For those of you that have a Brother label printer, that would be another option for tags that you want to last for a few years.

I agree Joni they would work great with a brother labeler. Problem with blinds they get brittle.
I am lucky (? not sure about that) DH has a ton of aluminum around. He does alot of work with it. So I take his scrapes and make my own. But I know you can buy them already done also. Somewhere like Graingers or alot of other places, if you search for aluminum blank tags. If you are not writing on them and using a labeler, you don't need to worry about it being aluminum (soft enough so you can write on them) any kind of metal would work for you. Heck maybe even a pop can cut up. Just wear gloves while cutting.

sorry Happ, forgot to recheck the first message in this string. How did this subject get started under the Brugs heading anyway. But speaking of Brugs, I have three plants I started from cuttings from last year, and they did not grow enuf or something to flower this year. I had them in a big pot on my porch. I have found in the past that they really do better in the ground, maybe sheltered on the east side of my house where they get heated up pretty good every day with morning sun then cool off the rest of the day.

Very beginning of the forum was permanent labels.
I forgot they made some good points in the beginning using aluminum flashing that you can get at any home depot or such a shop.

I have destroyed my brugs. I didn't realize heirloom tomato disease and my tomatoes got tomato wilt and then guess what the brugs got tomato wilt... ;( Bad year for me.

I am soo sorry to heat that. You must be dumbed big time. Where you able to save any of them?

Nope I let them all go to the burn pile. They were all doing beautifully and then the leaves got all spotted or molted I think they call it and started dropping leaves like crazy and just went downhill from there. I think along time time ago I knew nightshade plants and brugs could share disease but I had forgotten ;( But I would rather be safe than sorry. I had them all around the pergola that I was trying to put in a tropical theme. Most of them were all together. So stands to reason they all got sick.

That sucks. Do you plan to start them over?

undecided....guess i am sort of bummed abt this year gardening. need a nice long winters nap to brighten my disposition. ;)

awesome thread....gave me lots of ideas

Don't know haven't tried it. The masking tape is for masking off old cars when DH gets them ready to paint. I am guessing gorilla tape should be strong. The masking tape I use is in bright colors and put out by 3M. I buy it from automotive paint suppliers.