Signing a table

[GOVOLS]

Building a farm table out of a hickory tree that was killed by storms in 2011

I want my grandson to sign the underside because some day I'm sure this will be inherited by them.

I plan on using Arm r seal to finished the table.

What kind of pen could I use that would not smear?

Thanks

[JimReed@Tallahassee]

I use pencil. My study of antiques showed me that all inks fade over time but pencil stays pretty fresh.

[Boatman53]

+1 for pencil. When I rebuilt the barn in our back yard about ten years ago I found 'this barn built September 1887 by Noah Halsey' written in pencil on one of the collar ties. How long do you need yours to last?
Jim

[daddo]

Have moved furniture, torn down walls and hauled off old lumber dating back to the 20's with the clearly written pencil marks still on the wood.

[Wild Turkey]

Use a "soft" pencil with more graphite than clay and it will last.

[jteneyck]

Sharpies work well for me. I have a cutting board that's about 11 years old now that I signed with a Sharpie and it hasn't faded at all. Once dried, Arm-R-Seal goes over it with no problems.

Whatever you use be sure to give it a try on some scrap to make sure it works as you expect.

John

[gMike]

Check out a paint pen. Might be the ticket for what you want.

[Paul K. Murphy]

Drill a small hole in the bottom and affix a penny there too. Get one minted the year the table is put into service.
Those are the coolest little discoveries on old, antique furniture.

[Ruler2112]

Uniball Signo RT is the only pen that I have found which, once the ink is dry, will not smear with polyurethane, shellac, or lacquer. If you sign & start wiping a finish on right away, it will though - need to sign and then either let it have time to dry or pad a few layers of finish on by using a straight up-down motion first. (Can you tell I'm primarily a turner & like to get done *N-O-W*? )

[Sawdustd]

Electric branding iron with year attachment numbers. Number 1 or 2 pencil also works well.