I pretty much use this method to make labels - recycling at it’s best! Need more labels, drink a beer. Any labels made from hard seltzer cans were consumed by my wife. Honest!
I do sometimes get jagged edges, but I’m careful how I handle the labels.
The stamp kit is ok, but for me it takes to long to label the grafts and I do a lot of grafts. I found that the easiest way to write on it is to use an engraver (amazon has one that works for $25).It is very easy to engrave, almost like using a pen to write on the label once you practice a little. For the aluminum tag I mentioned, the pen or sharp tip punch doesn’t write deep enough but this engraver works well. You can read it nice.
I like using aluminum for tags. My choice for several years has been aluminum window blinds. They are a little thicker and I use a battery powered etcher to put the name on it.
I still have some of this left over 10in X 10ft roll of aluminum flashing is about $14 now… at Home Depot etc. not sure how it etches havent tried it yet. Good idea on the blinds. I use the plastic blinds for my potted stuff and seeds i start.
Krismoriah, I will try the tags you mentioned, it does seem to be similar to the ones I use now with the fiber board inside (pacific forest supply). Maybe the one you use has a little more resistance to birds/rats/squirrels that seem to like to eat up my tags after a few years. I switched to the solid aluminum tags since I know they can’t chew these up.
You can make tags from the aluminum rolls, but when you calculate the time to cut, punch wire hole, buy and cut aluminum wire, it might not be worth your time. To me it’s much cheaper to buy 100 already made tags with wire for $13. I’m a retired mechnical/electrical engineer(manger) and can tell you from experience sometimes its not as economical. In engineering we say, “Not invented here (NIH)”, and my engineers would try to design their own mouse trap and I would say just go buy it, stop wasting money!
Yes, I have been using the ones from Pacific Forest Supply which has the aluminum wrapped cardboard, not that strong and doesn’t last more than 5-6 yrs. This one which is solid aluminum should last much longer, but as I mentioned you need to use an engraver tool or it is difficult to mark it with a pen or sharp tool.
I have a probably 4’ x 8’ aluminum plate/sheet from a printing press. I’ve been cutting pieces out of it for various projects for years. Not sure the thickness but considerably more than a soda can. Hmm, just how thick are those? Ten minutes later after going down that rabbit hole it looks like they’re typically around .004" thick.
A quick search on Lowes website turns up a roll of flashing that’s 10" wide by 10’ long for just a bit over $10. The flashing is .087" thick. Probably enough so to require an engraver or a stamp/impression set. Definitely more time/effort but the results are IMO worth it.
I’ve mentioned on another thread here in the past, I use a stamp set and then paint the entire thing bright yellow. Then draw inside the impression with a black acrylic paint pen. The paint may only last a few years but the “tag” itself should last for the life of the tree…
If you want to get really fancy you can rub some gilders paste into the impression. I’m not sure how well it holds up long term though. I would think it would be as good or better than paint.
I made a bunch of tags from aluminum pop cans. Hung them from branches at about eye level. Deer chewed every one into an unintelligible crumpled mass, if they didn’t make off with them altogether. Should have made an orchard map at the same time.
Got 'hold of some discarded 4 ft aluminum venetian blinds with baked on enamel finish - brown on top/white on bottom. I cut 3" sections, write name in pencil on the white side, scribe it into the brown upper side, then affix one to the tree with a small aluminum nail, and bury one at the base of the tree on the North side.