Aluminium labels

[Ross M]

Does anyone know of a supplier of aluminium labels, either straight or tee? An extensive search of the internet has only come up with a couple in the UK, neither of which seemed particularly reasonably priced.

Thanks

[Vic]

These http://www.alitags.com/ are the best Ross, I buy the A4.

[lobman]

Most of the bespoke labels work out pretty expensive --- the A4 noted above are £23 a hundred , and that is one of the more economic ones ; ok if you want to label a few dozen fruit trees or a moderate display but costly if your collection runs into four figures .
Probably cheapest if you can source aluminium strip and cut them to length

[DaveW]

I suppose compared to when we started when zinc Hartley labels were on sale at most garden shops the cost of metals has gone through the roof due to countries like China's demand for them. Probably why there has been a move to plastics to replace them? It's not that cheap now if you buy aluminium in sheet form:-

http://www.forwardmetals.co.uk/acatalog ... Sheet.html

DaveW

[Ross M]

Thanks very much for the info. guys

I'd looked at Alitags but to be honest, was a bit put off by the price. I'd considered aluminium sheet as being a cheaper alternative and guess the 0.5mm would be easy enough to cut with a pair of snips. However, what I don't know is whether I can write in pencil on it? I wonder if it has to be anodised aluminium to be able to do that?

[matchat]

My only concern with cutting sheet aluminium to size would be the sharp edges.

[Paul D]

There is no doubt in my mind that the alitags ones are the best, and I use A4. But it is only the better plants that get them. For seedlings, newly rooted cuttings, and new acquisitions I use plastic labels- sometimes if they are recycled older labels I break them in half first to prevent it happening later and losing information.
I think that if we want metal labels we just have to bite the bullet and include the cost of them in with the cost of the plants. +23p each time. They last pretty much forever.
These days, with the horrendous mealy bug problem this year, I'm finding that I have a constant stock of alitags to re-use

[DaveW]

I suppose if you lightly roughened the aluminium label you made Ross with a bit of fine emery or wet and dry paper it would roughen it enough to take pencil OK? You really want a slightly etched surface like you used to get with Hartley zinc labels rather than smooth. I wonder if the shiny plastic labels would take pencil better if I did the same to them? Must try it and see if the roughened surface stays clean though.

Comparing prices of metal v plastic labels there is a considerable difference, about 11p per label for plastic, 29p for aluminium, and about 75p for zinc on the following link. No wonder Hartley stopped making zinc labels!

http://www.wellsandwinter.co.uk/plant-labels.htm

DaveW

[lobman]

You could try oven cleaner spray on the aluminium to give it a key . leave it on for a day . ( If it did not work you can use the rest on the oven )

[Lithos]

Ross - It's funny you want a label you are not sure how to write on? - a usually free alternitive is old venetian blinds, currently found in most skips near office blocks, or your local dump. The older ones are some kind of metal (that does not rust). If you want a permanent mark - old typesets are around £3.00 on e bay- and it's fun stamping them onto your cut down label sized bits of blind