the last label maker I will ever need- Dymo rhino 1101

[DirtyCoconuts]

this thing is circa 1980's as that is when they changed to the M1101 which is still the one they sell today.

all metal body, the embossing disk is plastic but stout. fully adjustable in depth and pressure of the emboss-

here's why it rules, aluminum or SS tape!!!

The last label maker I’ll ever need by J Solo, on Flickr


it is as annoying to use as any rotary dial embosser BUT it comes with the satisfaction that it is the last time i will have to make any given tag LOL


The last label maker I’ll ever need by J Solo, on Flickr



I am particularly pleased bc i found this used on ebay for $65 which is a steal...lubed and tuned it in 5 minutes and i have been cataloging my orchids (i have been working on a spreadsheet) and giving them each a unique number to add to the tag...that lets me keep my notes on the spreadsheet and the tags as short as possible


this is orchid 6

The last label maker I’ll ever need by J Solo, on Flickr


as a bonus, they allow me to cheat and reduce the size of the "too big" SH container holes

[Diane56Victor]

Sometimes the older versions are the best.
Great purchase!

[Orchidtinkerer]

That's not bad, I lost my plastic one but the idea is good since writing on labels does get washed away sometimes.

Just one thing did pop into my mind when I was thinking that maybe the aluminium could be harmful.

Orchids as far as I know are quite sensitive to metals, I tried to google aluminium and nothing came up so maybe aluminium is safe but if you have read enough care guides you do come across the odd one warning of copper toxicity, air plants are especially sensitive to it apparently.

This article mentions in the second paragraph on ph to avoid galvanised pipes:

"Be sure to use plastic or polythene pipes if you have acid water as the acid can act as a solvent and release zinc or copper from galvanized and copper pipes and cause toxicity to plants."

GROWING ORCHIDS - Angela van Rooyen | Orchids SA

Can you make plastic labels instead? They would work just as well, would be a shame if the labels cause a problem.

[Keysguy]

I started using a Brother P-Touch which has been working fine for me so far but that there is THE BOMB!

You're using SS for the tags right? Otherwise it will rot away in FL in no time.

[Roberta]

Aluminum metal is quite inert - that's why it is a great material for greenhouse structures where everything else rots/corrodes/rusts. It will stand up to greenhouse (or south Florida) humidity, and being embossed won't fade. I think that aluminum quickly develops a very thin oxide coating that helps its inert-ness (is that a word?) It is also impervious to weak acid solutions (such as fertilizer) - strongly alkaline materials will attack it, as will strong acids, but one is not likely to encounter those in orchid culture.

I just use #2 pencil (generic) on plastic labels, and find that it lasts as long as the labels. However the plastic labels, in time, will get brittle. So these aluminum labels have some distinct advantages there.

[SouthPark]

hahaha .... nice one DC! Amazing to see those dinosaurs ---- oops .... I mean heritage listed (national treasure) objects.

Kidding! That is very cool actually. Although --- the computer labels (eg. P-touch) are fast. But - some good quality plastic tags and the uv resistant stickers are recommended for 'P-touch'.

The old style tag makers are nice and therapeutic. Good find.

[Diane56Victor]

You ceratinly got a bargain.

Are the rolls of metal tape easy to get?

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by DirtyCoconuts

I am particularly pleased bc i found this used on ebay for $65 which is a steal...lubed and tuned it in 5 minutes and i have been cataloging my orchids (i have been working on a spreadsheet) and giving them each a unique number to add to the tag...that lets me keep my notes on the spreadsheet and the tags as short as possible

A hint... now that you're assigning a unique number to each plant, if you add that number to the photo ID (You can just put in front of the camera number if you don't want to fully rename the file, or in front of the name if you do rename the file), you also end up with a way to easily retrieve photos of a particular plant. If you use names for the photos, you can use the unique number followed by a letter (e.g. 205a, 205b, 205c for the first 3 photos of plant 205) so each photo file name is unique.

[vegetalmatter]

Really into the look of the embossed metal. it's so...Metal

[DirtyCoconuts]

Thanks all. I am using SS tape just bc it was easier to source and cheaper.

Roberta, that is SUCH a good idea with the pics!

The tape is pretty easy to find I did a few searches and found it for $9.50/ 20m. Each tag averages 6” so I should be able to label like 650 plants for $50. Forever!
Lol

It also really does look cool. Not going to lie.

On mounts especially.

---------- Post added at 12:08 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:03 AM ----------

One thing that is super cool about it is that it is NEVER going to rot from the sun. This is my biggest issue. The sun here is no joke (since the weather started telling us the UV index it has never been below 10+) and it destroys plastic tags and erases both sharpie and felt markers

My handwriting is not good enough to read after many years and algae etc. this is both a pragmatic and a very cool solution lol


I also have the p touch cube. It’s great but this is different. Apples to carambolas if you ask me