Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2018 March 19

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March 19

Spectacles for all ?

Are reading-glasses like these [1] factory made ? (If yes what are they known as ? ) Or are they just the brainchild of this brilliant south Indian politician ?  Jon Ascton  (talk) 02:55, 19 March 2018 (UTC)

Looks like they're broken. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 04:22, 19 March 2018 (UTC)

I've seen these glasses that split at the nose piece a few times and here are a batch of pics. Robert Joy's character Sid Hammerback wore them in CSI: NY. According to this a magnet is used to keep them together until you want to pull them apart. MarnetteD|Talk 04:51, 19 March 2018 (UTC)

So they're called CliC Adjustable Front Reading Glasses.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 07:53, 19 March 2018 (UTC)

CLiC is one brand - but not the only one. This link [2] is to a UK manufacturer - and I suspect there are other around as well. Wymspen (talk) 12:58, 19 March 2018 (UTC)

• They're either cheap or workable. The cheap ones are not workable.

If you want to make them, you need a central joint which doesn't wobble and is precisely located. Rare earth magnets make them easy to make without falling apart, but some extra location as a triangle of either ball bearings into cones, or small rollers between two balls, makes the difference from annoying to usable. Andy Dingley (talk) 16:53, 19 March 2018 (UTC)

permanent labels

I have some plastic storage bins that I'd like to label. Avery has both "removable" and "permanent" labels. The "removable" ones fall off right away and the "permanent" ones take longer but they still eventually fall off (like after some months or years, when the glue dries out).

I know there are ways to make stuff stay on permanently because bumper stickers don't fall off cars, even after years of sun and rain exposure. I just want to label some boxes that are stored in a closet, much milder conditions by comparison.

Any idea where I can get some blank labels that I can write on (magic marker is ok) and that really won't fall off? They shouldn't be too glossy since that makes the marker ink dry off or rub off.

Thanks! 173.228.123.121 (talk) 18:24, 19 March 2018 (UTC)

If I was planning for the label lasting about as long as the storage bin, I'd get a permanent marker that's a contrasting color, write on the bin in big bold letters, wait for it to dry, then apply a coat of hair spray to it.

Or, if a relative insisted that I "do it right," cut a stencil and spray paint the words onto the bin, wait for that to dry, and then apply some sort of epoxy.

If I had to use labels, I'd get ones that are larger than what I need the words for, apply it with a wide margin, and then cover the edges of the label with duct tape or even Gorilla Tape. Ian.thomson (talk) 18:43, 19 March 2018 (UTC)

Thanks, most of the bins are dark blue (some are even black), so writing directly on them will be hard to read no matter what the marker color. So my idea is to use a light colored label. Hair spray to protect the marker ink is an interesting idea though. I don't care about neatness of the writing anywhere near enough to think of using a stencil. I'll check out Gorilla tape. Regular duct tape IME will turn into goo over time. I have plenty of clear packing tape and am trying to remember how well that holds up. I know it turns yellow but I'm not too bothered by that as long as it doesn't fall off. 173.228.123.121 (talk) 19:32, 19 March 2018 (UTC)

By the way, my idea is to just put a number on each box, and photograph each box's contents with my phone while loading the boxes. So if I later want to find something, I can look for it in the photos and get the box number. Does that sound like it could work, and not slow the loading process too much? 173.228.123.121 (talk) 19:38, 19 March 2018 (UTC)

There are fancy wide permanent markers that use very opaque silver or gold paint. They work quite well on many materials. Trust me, when you need a box, your phone will be elsewhere, or broken, or the battery will be dead ;-). --Stephan Schulz (talk) 19:51, 19 March 2018 (UTC)

Hmm, I might try one of those paint markers. You're undoubtedly right about the phone. I'd upload the pictures to a full sized computer or a server. I'm more wondering about the practicality of finding stuff given access to the pics, and of the hassle factor of taking them in the first place. Photographing a loaded box is useless because of the layers of crap in them occluding other crap. So there would have to be a series of pics taken during the loading process. Maybe a head mounted camera would be better than a phone, but I'm not going to buy one just for this. 173.228.123.121 (talk) 20:24, 19 March 2018 (UTC)

My mom has some silver Sharpie markers that all but glow on solid black surfaces. Ian.thomson (talk) 20:28, 19 March 2018 (UTC)

Original research here: I use one of those yellow paint marker to label my garbage and recycling bins. The lettering fades after a year or two—but it's exposed to the weather. I bought the marker originally to label some MP3 players used by a trivia league, and those markings have completely gone after some years—but the MP3 players are handled a lot. On a storage bin that's kept indoors and isn't being handled all the time, the writing in paint should be more durable. --69.159.62.113 (talk) 08:44, 20 March 2018 (UTC)

That's why I also recommended a layer of hairspray. It's the poor man's paint sealer. Ian.thomson (talk) 13:37, 20 March 2018 (UTC)

• I've done all my labelling for the last few years with a Brother P-touch tape machine. They're pretty cheap, so's the tape. This is a smooth surfaced, black on colour, thermal print. Seems to last well - weather, heat, UV stable and the glue lasts too. Andy Dingley (talk) 21:27, 19 March 2018 (UTC)
  • Thanks, I have a P-touch as well. It's not what I want for this but it's good to know about the label durability, which I hadn't investigated before. The one I have uses 1/2" tape and I was thinking to use big labels on the boxes, with numbers at least 2 inches high so I could read them from a distance.

    Also maybe you're getting better deals than me, but around here the P-touch tape costs around 20 USD for 26 feet, and the label machine wastes tape on purpose by spewing an inch or so of blank tape on each side of the stuff you print. So printing a typical 5-letter label should take about 1" of tape but instead it takes over 3 inches, tripling the tape expenditure. It makes me dislike the product even though it works pretty well in other regards. When I use it, I usually wait til I want to make several labels, print them all in one go without much blank space in between, and cut them apart with a scissors. 173.228.123.121 (talk) 22:08, 19 March 2018 (UTC)

• I'm paying about £10, and yes, I only ever cut with scissors to save waste. If I need to move the tape to free the label I need I just print a (stored) tiny name and phone label, of which I always keep a few handy for labelling bits of kit. Andy Dingley (talk) 22:25, 19 March 2018 (UTC)

About twelve years ago, we bought pre-printed labels from Mabel's Labels (they also sell blanks) and, all those years later, the labels are still stuck on very well to Tupperware and similar plastics and yet come off cleanly when you actively peel them away. Rather astoundingly good considering the pittance we paid for them (and even at that it was part of a school fund-raising campaign). I try not to shill for anything on WP, but you did ask... Matt Deres (talk) 01:02, 20 March 2018 (UTC)

Thanks! I'm looking at that site now. I edited a bunch of tracking codes out of the url you posted, hope you don't mind. 173.228.123.121 (talk) 05:11, 20 March 2018 (UTC)

Added: there are some nice ones on the site, but they are VERY expensive now (no idea about 12 years ago). The ones I like best are the "trunk labels" which are $5 per label! They have "storage bin labels" that are smaller than I prefer. Those are $21 for 27 labels, with total area less than one 8.5x11" page. Yeah they print stuff on them, but overall they're out of my league. Added: I found some vinyl automobile bumper sticker material (won't link to Spamazon but you can search for B0742H5FJK) for $5 an 8.5x11" sheet, so I might try that. There's also other stuff of that type. I still appreciate having heard about Mabel's since looking at their site gave me the idea of looking for bumper sticker materials. 173.228.123.121 (talk) 05:34, 20 March 2018 (UTC)

Your best bet is a Sharpie. They come in many colors. Silver really stands out on a dark surface. As to automobile bumpers, wouldn't they be bolted on rather than glued? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 11:02, 20 March 2018 (UTC)

Bumper stickers, Bugs. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 2.218.14.51 (talk) 14:06, 20 March 2018 (UTC)

Sharpies are not very permanent on many plastics. The can wear off after a few months of regular use. --Jayron32 13:05, 20 March 2018 (UTC)

That's what the hairspray is for, to seal it. Ian.thomson (talk) 13:37, 20 March 2018 (UTC)

Black Sharpies are usually better than other colours, and other brands, but these markers nearly all tend to fade under UV. For labelling long-term like this, I always use pigment markers, rather than dye markers. Mostly Japanese calligraphy markers. Andy Dingley (talk) 12:58, 21 March 2018 (UTC)