reliable ink marker for labels in pots?

Can anyone recommend a really reliable ink marker that is easily obtained in the UK?

Sorry to raise what seems like a fairly routine matter, when there is so much else going on, but I have searched in vain for a reliable ink marker! I have purchased cactus plants with spidery looking ink marking on the labels - this seems to be the best, and some are 10 years old or more, and still clear as can be. ( Suspect the pro's have their own supply!) Most of the so called permanent markers I have purchased only last a year or two, and they do not give the fine lines that are best.

Any help would be most appreciated.

Cheers

 

A soft pencil on a rough label is best. In my first garden had some metal labels with writing still visible which must have been 50 years old.
Never found a permanent marker which lasts very long at all - can be most infuriating if you get plants mixed up

 

Many thanks for these useful replies. Seems I am not alone, with this difficulty, and will try the soft pencil and look for the ' sharpie ' also.

 

I use the copper ones. They're so soft you use an old biro to emboss the surface thus there's no ink to rub off. You can get them pretty much anywhere, B & Q, Dobies and of course Amazon, in fact there are loads of suppliers on the net. Wherever you get them, they're all about £3 for 10 and come in a variety of shapes (traditional and 'T' shaped).

 

I also use a soft pencil. You can remove it later and reuse the labels.

 

I have tried using a fine ballpoint then covering it with clear nail polish. makes it waterproof but dont know how long it will last as Ive only tried it for the first time this year.

 

I've used "Pentel Super Fine Point permanent" and some 6 year old labels are still easily readable.

 

Thanks again, Guys

The copper labels are great, but I only use these on garden shrubs etc, and need pot labels that stay permanent ad infinitum.... Although, nothing is for ever, I guess!

On the belief that simple is best, I am now using a 9b pencil which looks promising.

P.S. Someone out there knows an ink that lasts decades as both myself and other contributors seem to have labels perfectly clear that are that old.

Cheers

 

Alan - I doubt that there is an ink that lasts for long. Any ink will fade in the sun as it changes chemically. Labels that last a long time tend to be those in the shade. Soft pencil is graphite (a form of carbon) and that can't change because its a pure substance and has nothing to change into.

 

Hi Alan
Last summer i picked up a white board marker that had been "disposed "of on my front lawn.
I threw it in my odds and ends box in the shed, while rummaging for my markerslater, i picked this up and used it for quickness ,

I wrote on the smooth side of the label,the reverse is rough, in the autumn when it came to cleaning them up for this years use i have tried everything.

Jif ,neat bleach, Jeyes and it is still as clear not even slightly smudged as the day i wrote them

 

It's possibly the type of plastic that the label is made of that 'holds' the ink better. If the label is slightly more porus, then it will soak up more ink from the pen, therefore staying readable for longer, so you could try making the labels from different materials. We throw away so much supermarket food packaging that can be cut up for use as labels.

 

Alan look for a Pentel Pen permanent marker number N50 Bullet point. these are the markers i use in marking up stores items and some items have been marked for many many years and are still as clear as when they were originally marked. only one tip do not store the marker in very warm
storage. music .

 

If you DO want to shift the 'whiteboard marker ink then try a drop of nail varnish remover. It's what I use to clean my whiteboards and works a treat where nothing else does.

 

Many thanks to everyone for the really useful tips ( no pun intended!) and interesting comments...

What a great site - happy propogating to all