Tag, you're it
Mar. 12th, 2011 23:39![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
torquillAs a veggie gardener, I rarely need plant tags beyond the annual sharpie-on-cardstock variety names posted next to my tomato plants. When the herb garden started to come together, however, I realized I needed something a bit more permanent... telling ginger from turmeric can be difficult for gardeners who aren't very familiar with them, and if my mom needs to go out and fetch some winter savory, it would be nice if she could figure out which bush that was.
I discovered that the hardware store carries a bit more in its metal stock inventory than just bars and rods; I picked up a thin brass sheet for a couple of dollars, and some cheap keyrings. When I got a little time, I cut a 3/4"x4" strip off the brass sheet with strong scissors, cut it in half, laid several layers of thin cotton cloth over a hard surface, put the first brass scrap on it, and set to work.
A stout ball-point pen with a grip on it makes a good scriber. I made one pass over it very lightly, just to put some ink down where I wanted the letters, then I made at least two further passes while pressing down to mark the metal. I wrote the words backward to emboss them, which I think will weather better than inscription; I checked the clarity, then touched up a few lines and corners. The sheet wanted to curl, but I just straightened it out again as best I could. The cloth underneath provided firm but yielding support.
I used a hole punch on one end and threaded the strip onto a keyring. When I have them all done, I'll wipe them down with alcohol to get rid of the residual ball-point ink (which stained my fingers already). The two I've done look wonderful, better than I expected, and they should be legible even after the brass weathers. I can rub the letters slightly to shine them up if I need to, an advantage of embossing.
All I need is a piece of stiff wire to stick in the ground to hang them from (drip irrigation anchors should be perfect, available at most hardware stores) and I have a garden-full of lovely, permanent brass plant tags for less than $10. :)
Edit: Think I should set up an Etsy store or something to make custom tags? Each one takes 10 minutes or so and costs about 50 cents in this quantity, so I could price them at $5 each, maybe? It's something that's easily done around the edges, since there's no real set-up involved. It seems silly to sell something that's so easy to make, but I know most people don't naturally generate things like this... :)
I discovered that the hardware store carries a bit more in its metal stock inventory than just bars and rods; I picked up a thin brass sheet for a couple of dollars, and some cheap keyrings. When I got a little time, I cut a 3/4"x4" strip off the brass sheet with strong scissors, cut it in half, laid several layers of thin cotton cloth over a hard surface, put the first brass scrap on it, and set to work.
A stout ball-point pen with a grip on it makes a good scriber. I made one pass over it very lightly, just to put some ink down where I wanted the letters, then I made at least two further passes while pressing down to mark the metal. I wrote the words backward to emboss them, which I think will weather better than inscription; I checked the clarity, then touched up a few lines and corners. The sheet wanted to curl, but I just straightened it out again as best I could. The cloth underneath provided firm but yielding support.
I used a hole punch on one end and threaded the strip onto a keyring. When I have them all done, I'll wipe them down with alcohol to get rid of the residual ball-point ink (which stained my fingers already). The two I've done look wonderful, better than I expected, and they should be legible even after the brass weathers. I can rub the letters slightly to shine them up if I need to, an advantage of embossing.
All I need is a piece of stiff wire to stick in the ground to hang them from (drip irrigation anchors should be perfect, available at most hardware stores) and I have a garden-full of lovely, permanent brass plant tags for less than $10. :)
Edit: Think I should set up an Etsy store or something to make custom tags? Each one takes 10 minutes or so and costs about 50 cents in this quantity, so I could price them at $5 each, maybe? It's something that's easily done around the edges, since there's no real set-up involved. It seems silly to sell something that's so easy to make, but I know most people don't naturally generate things like this... :)
