It doesn’t really come out that expensive especially considering the money we spend just to get a crop. I think we deserve somerhing of a luxury that makes it just that little easier to find the #$*^ label. I don’t want to think of all the times I had to go back into the house to look up my orchard map to figure out what I was looking at because I could not find the label or because it fell off.
These labels are large really solid and being attached with these cable ties they don’t fall off… and… I can see them.
Time, comfort & some satisfaction have value also.
So, all in all, not that expensive and besides, we deserve it.
@MES111 the higher contrast of your labels inspired me.
Bright yellow UV resistant paint over the stamped aluminum. Then the same “Sharpie Extreme” black ink in the impressions. Followed up by a clear UV resistant coat over it all.
Should be easy to spot because of the bright color, legible because of the contrast, and hopefully long lasting. Even if the clear, black, and yellow paint all wear off… It’s still stamped aluminum. They’ll possibly last longer than the tree…
My goats “taste” everything. Once my husband was out mending the fence in the goat yard and my most curious goat picked up the entire box of nails by the cardboard flap and if course, the nails went everywhere. An old can or empty glass jar to hold the nails would have been a better choice for use around goats. But, if it’s paper it belongs to their mouth! They love my return envelopes that come with the bills.
We just bought one of those can openers that takes off can tops without leaving a jagged edge. I was just surveying my grafts and wondering how the heck to mark that many. I have to say I’m a big diet dr pepper fan so sounds like a great plan and just in time!!!
Man, those labels are awesome. Great job. I’ve seen that type of material and it would work perfectly with my laser. Just set the power enough to burn through the top color layer into the middle layer.
It’s certainly difficult to align the punches visually. I took a few scrap pieces of wood and screwed them down tight on a big red oak round. That held the metal tag from moving and all I had to do then was hold the punch firm against that piece of wood. Which took care of vertical alignment, but I still had to do the horizontal visually. I flubbed a few of them but for the most part was able to keep the letters pretty consistent.
The “Sharpie Extreme” is faded a bit on a few of them but for the most part they look just like they did last summer. I have some acrylic paint pens and will apply a thick layer of it in the letter indentions if the (lack of) visibility becomes annoying.
Also, the laser engraved acrylic tags also look like they will last forever. I colored the engraving with black paint that has worn off a bit, but the tag is going to last a long time.
I still need to work on my coloring in the lines, helps to get the right sized tip. Also not free.
These are on Stainless Steel and I swapped to the impressed, from the raised, emboss. Then used industrial sharpie to make it stand out. I have some grease pencils I may try if I get it together.
I attach them with a big loop of stainless safety wire. I pull it into a figure 8 so it hugs the limb, but can open as it expands - up to the 4 or 5" diameter of the loop. I’ll either need to replace the wire when it gets big, or it will just embed in the bark. I think its thin enough, and trees aren’t perfectly round, so it doesn’t girdle.
Sadly, that’s already proven to be true in some cases
I like to put the year, and rootstock on them as well. I wish the wheel had a question mark on it though, I need to choose something to represent uncertainty.
