Can Anyone Help with a Labeling Dilemma?

[VapesXO]

Hey, everyone!

So, I just started working at a Vape Shop, and part of my job involves making juice for customers. The point of this thread is to see if anyone has any suggestions on how to solve this labeling dilemma.

See, the labels on the 30ml bottles that we fill with flavorings are constantly wearing out and peeling off. It quickly gets to the point where you have to rely on your nose to tell you what flavor you have in your hand, and being somewhat OCD, I'd like to change that, lol. The problem is that I can't think of a way to do it!

Apparently they've tried quite a few methods that just haven't worked. Writing on the bottles with Sharpie doesn't work; it rubs off. Covering Sharpie or labels with packing tape doesn't work for long, because the flavoring breaks down the adhesive and the tape peels off in a day or so. I thought about marking the bottom of the bottles, but if flavoring drips down the bottle to the bottom of it, it'll wear out the Sharpie.

Does anyone have any ideas? Short of learning Braille and using that to mark the bottles, I'm stumped!

 

[Squonk]

Painters tape.

 

[AmandaD]

I use a brother label maker in mine with this tape: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0055FGMKM?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00 It survives many hours in the crockpot in hot water, so that should work!

 

[VapesXO]

Painters tape.

Wouldn't that wear off just like labels do?

I use a brother label maker in mine with this tape: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0055FGMKM?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00 It survives many hours in the crockpot in hot water, so that should work!

Interesting. I'm not sure if the owners will want to shell out for a label maker, but I'll certainly mention it!

 

[Squonk]

Wouldn't that wear off just like labels do?



Interesting. I'm not sure if the owners will want to shell out for a label maker, but I'll certainly mention it!

I use it on my DIY bottles and write on it with a permanent sharpie. It's made to stay put when it gets wet or painted over. It will peel off only when you want it to without leaving any stick glue behind. Get a roll and give it a try.

 

[Larry J]

I use a Brother label maker on my DIY, also. The label maker itself isn't all that expensive. They really sock it to you on the rolls of tape, though.

 

[VapesXO]

I use it on my DIY bottles and write on it with a permanent sharpie. It's made to stay put when it gets wet or painted over. It will peel off only when you want it to without leaving any stick glue behind. Get a roll and give it a try.

I'm gonna grab a roll from Wal-Mart before I go in tomorrow! Thanks for the suggestion!

I use a Brother label maker on my DIY, also. The label maker itself isn't all that expensive. They really sock it to you on the rolls of tape, though.

Yeah, that's why I'm not sure if the owner will want to go that route or not. Although, if the labels won't need to be replaced often, it wouldn't be that expensive.

 

[Chrispdx]

I use sharpie paint pen. Gold and or silver on my bottles. It won't come off. In fact, it takes alot of work to get it off the bottle when your cleaning up the bottle to reuse.

You know if you found the correct one because it has alittle ball bearing in the tube to shake the paint.

Also, I have a guy who loves Ruthless brand ejuice (still working on a clone to have him try) and he gives me the bottles when he is done with them. You could reach out to them. The labels are a pain to take off. I had to buy rubbing alcohol just get the glue off.

 

[VapesXO]

Well, here's an update for anyone following this topic.

I stopped at Wal-Mart before work today and grabbed a Sharpie and a roll of Painter's Tape (the brand is Duck). The Painter's Tape idea is a failure for us; the tape refuses to even begin to stick to the bottles. On a clean, unused bottle it kinda sticks, but not enough for it to even be worth it; it'll just come off. On a bottle that's been used for a while it won't stick in the slightest.

I'm going to try Medical Tape next, and then Hockey Tape after that, if that doesn't work.

I use sharpie paint pen. Gold and or silver on my bottles. It won't come off. In fact, it takes alot of work to get it off the bottle when your cleaning up the bottle to reuse.

You know if you found the correct one because it has alittle ball bearing in the tube to shake the paint.

Also, I have a guy who loves Ruthless brand ejuice (still working on a clone to have him try) and he gives me the bottles when he is done with them. You could reach out to them. The labels are a pain to take off. I had to buy rubbing alcohol just get the glue off.

I picked one of these up too, but haven't tried it yet. My thinking is that the paint is going to easily chip and flake off once it dries onto the plastic bottles. But, we shall see!

 

[Squonk]

Well, here's an update for anyone following this topic.

I stopped at Wal-Mart before work today and grabbed a Sharpie and a roll of Painter's Tape (the brand is Duck). The Painter's Tape idea is a failure for us; the tape refuses to even begin to stick to the bottles. On a clean, unused bottle it kinda sticks, but not enough for it to even be worth it; it'll just come off. On a bottle that's been used for a while it won't stick in the slightest.

Wow, that's surprising. I've used painters tape to paint boat and yacht bottoms and it held up for weeks at a time. It even holds up to muriatic acid. Sorry for the bad advice.

 

[GrayScaleLiquids]

Well, here's an update for anyone following this topic.

I stopped at Wal-Mart before work today and grabbed a Sharpie and a roll of Painter's Tape (the brand is Duck). The Painter's Tape idea is a failure for us; the tape refuses to even begin to stick to the bottles. On a clean, unused bottle it kinda sticks, but not enough for it to even be worth it; it'll just come off. On a bottle that's been used for a while it won't stick in the slightest.

I'm going to try Medical Tape next, and then Hockey Tape after that, if that doesn't work.



I picked one of these up too, but haven't tried it yet. My thinking is that the paint is going to easily chip and flake off once it dries onto the plastic bottles. But, we shall see!

Not an endorsement for Home Depot, but the Milwaukee Inkzall markers have always worked great for my permanent marker needs, typically much better than Sharpie

 

[pgrevie]

Is it a possibility to get some clear heat shrink to help hold a label on the bottle? Hobby shops usually sell clear heat shrink for making battery packs. You could use a label on the bottle and then put the heat shrink around that to mechanically hold the label in place.

 

[Lost]

Glue. You can "paint" labels onto anything.

Because that sounds stupid, here's a dumb paragraph in defense of glue:
Take regular school glue and add a few drops of water to make it flow easier. I have a small container of the mix, along with a tiny brush, permanently sitting at my workstation. Brush on some glue, rinse off the brush. The glue dries clear and the brush air-dries on the counter. Easy.
I just used Mod Podge (watered-down glue) on a 100+ year-old clock restoration job. Painted the crumbling label with a foam brush to save it from further deterioration. So yeah, it works.

 

[lirruping]

There's also duct tape - the silver kind. You can write on that with a permanent black marker. I have used that for quick ejuice labels and the only drawback (besides looking a bit crappy, lol) is that it leaves adhesive on the bottle when you take it off.

 

[OBDave]

I use a brother label maker in mine with this tape: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0055FGMKM?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00 It survives many hours in the crockpot in hot water, so that should work!

I'm also using a Brother P-Touch machine, mine's a P700. The machine itself was less than $100, but the name-brand tape is a killer. I got 5 rolls of 0.96" in white off an eBay guy for $35, about $10 more than a single Brother roll - it works, but doesn't mark quite as crisp as the real thing. Still, for the price and the amount I'm using, it's a small price to pay.

The thing that irks me about my machine is that it insists on wasting about 1.5 cm of tape by making a blank cut before every run of labels - since I'm rarely printing the same label twice in a row, that means as much as 1/3 of my tape is being wasted...

 

[OBDave]

This is what the labels end up looking like - these were done with the expensive Brother clear tape...

 

[lirruping]

This is what the labels end up looking like - these were done with the expensive Brother clear tape...
View attachment 44233

Love those labels! If I can afford it I want to get one of those label makers. Can you add fonts to the machine?

 

[freemind]

What a local shop uses, are labels from a label printer. They are not the chem resistant ones either.

My two cents is this. Even if you have to go the route of chemical resistant labels and a new bottle every time a label peels, I'd do that. A shop is SUPPOSED to be professional. These costs are just part of the overhead of running a business. We aren't making bathtub juice in a shop (I'd hope). The chances of adding the wrong flavoring is too great in a shop where several people are mixing the juice, to fuck up and not keep things properly labeled. Besides, at some point in the near future, this will be a requirement.

 

[OBDave]

Love those labels! If I can afford it I want to get one of those label makers. Can you add fonts to the machine?

You download a label design program for your computer, which comes loaded with all the fonts you'd expect to find in any other program - I keep it simple for ease of viewing, and because I cram so much onto a tiny label...

 

[CrazyChef]

Nail polish - color coded?

 

[Heabob]

I've also been using an old Brother P-Touch that works great.
Only does 2 lines on white background and not fancy but they don't seem to fade.
Except for 1 bottle of TFA Pineapple, in which the ink disappears, and I've rarely even touched it.
I replaced it once but it just faded out again.
Plastic bottle must be leaching is what I suspect atm.
But glass bottles would solve this and may be better for a vape shop anyway.

 

[iVape]

You download a label design program for your computer, which comes loaded with all the fonts you'd expect to find in any other program - I keep it simple for ease of viewing, and because I cram so much onto a tiny label...

What program are you using? I cant find a normal program.

 

[CrazyChef]

Try using one of these. I use the one at the top of the list.

 

[iVape]

Try using one of these. I use the one at the top of the list.

Thanks, tried that already.

 

[BKTOAD]

Not sure if this helps, but I wrap the bottle with masking tape, write with a sharpie, then put a piece of scotch tape around the masking tape. I have not had the scotch tape even start to come off the label and it keeps the sharpie from fading/disolving.

 

[raymo2u]

GLITTER GEL PENS FTW just make sure to wash the bottles with soap and water and dry them before applying it...

 

[MellowFellow]

I use regular address labels in my printer, stick them to the bottle (glass or plastic) and then cut a piece of clear box tape to cover the entire label. You just have to cut the box tape to cover the label with a 1/8th to 1/4 inch over lap in all directions. It will hold the label down and keep it dry!

 

[pescadore]

I use regular address labels in my printer, stick them to the bottle (glass or plastic) and then cut a piece of clear box tape to cover the entire label. You just have to cut the box tape to cover the label with a 1/8th to 1/4 inch over lap in all directions. It will hold the label down and keep it dry!

That is what I use too. I have never had one peel of after putting the packing tape over the label. I will use them for several fills before re-labeling.

 

[gopher_byrd]

I use regular address labels in my printer, stick them to the bottle (glass or plastic) and then cut a piece of clear box tape to cover the entire label. You just have to cut the box tape to cover the label with a 1/8th to 1/4 inch over lap in all directions. It will hold the label down and keep it dry!

Since I just mix for myself I just hand write the labels and use Scotch tape. By the time I fire up the word processor I can have the label written and applied.

 

[OBDave]

What program are you using? I cant find a normal program.

Way late to the game, but I'm using the Brother Ptouch software that came with my label machine...it's terrible if you're looking for a fancy brand, but gets the point across otherwise.