I enlarged them so I can read 'em without glasses. They are about 7" tall, with the text engraved on the back. (Don’t forget to flip the text so it reads correctly from the front.) On a few I tried using acrylic pens, but the nib was too thick and the paint didn’t flow consistently. Without the paint they are readable so long as there’s something backing the stake.
Yes, I could mask, engrave, paint and remove mask; I didn’t because my fingers have very little strength and the joints ache. I remove the masking in one fell swoop when I get ready to use material. (I’ve tries using scrapers, but there’s still a minimum amount of energy and control you have to exert for success. I don’t have it.)
Typical amazement with a largish garden. Waiting for the sprigs to pop up so you can try and figure out what you planted in that particular area. Only had that problem once, but the mystery was nice.
I wonder if @evansd2’s trick would help you. It’s using wood glue as the masking on acrylic. I’ve been using that method and it works so perfectly, and the glue peels off easily also, much easier than masking. Just let the glue dry completely before lasering. I’ve used it for something that had little tiny letters and had to use a straight pin to get the small pieces (like in the e’s and a’s, etc.), but the majority of it came off in nice large pieces. And it was actually fun peeling it! With joint pain, I don’t think it would be too hard on your hands. The other advantage is it makes a really nice clean line, so you can be sloppy when you paint, but when you pull the glue off, it’s perfect.
Great stakes - legible and look to be pretty durable too! Have you grown millet and quinoa before? I’m interested in them but no experience in growing grains. Any tips or recommendations for seed?
My stakes are small but clear and easy to read even though I do use glasses for detailed work. Mine have to be small because I use them to label seeds set into 1" Rockwool cubes. Pretty sure I have posted pics here before. I used the scraps from cutting dozens of sheets of ear-savers, so width is limited.
I have never grown them before. With the flax, I’m either going to get just fiber, or fiber and seeds. (I was inspired by this series on flax growing/processing.)
The millet is store-bought from the bulk grains section of the grocery store. I over-seeded to ensure enough mature, since they are not sold as ready-to-plant. Their section of the raised bed is already showing green, so it looks like it will work.
Consider that millet is one of the ingredients of bird feed, and how many of those seeds sprout up under the bird feeder? If I’m successful, then yay! If not, then it’s a cover crop for the next planting.
Visit the seed company, uprising seeds. that’s where I get all my commercial seeds–organic, non-GMO, and no proprietary seeds…ie, seeds from what you harvest will be fertile and breed true next year.
Looks like a great series - I just watched the first part but will definitely be continuing. Thanks for the link to the seed company - I’ll check out their catalogue!
