whats that white stuff they use for beaker labels?

[Sigene]

It's not really paint I don't think. It doesn't seem like it will ever come off. I see it on a lot of glassware; flasks, test tubes, beakers. Its the white area that you can write on. What's it made of and how do they get it to stick so well to the glass?

[LurkMeister]

It's been a while since I've seen them, but from my college chem lab days I seem to remember that something wasn't attached to the glass, but the glass was etched in a way that produced a writable surface on the glass itself.

[masterofnone]

It sort of looks like it's etched, but it's definitely something attached to the glass, as it comes off if you use a nasty enough acid cleaner, leaving a smooth surface. No clue what it's made of though.

[Bill Door]

Definitely etched. I'm not sure of the process, but I would guess they use hydrofluoric acid. Don't try this at home, seriously.

[masterofnone]

Let me ammend that - I just checked some newer glassware, and the new stuff does seem to be etched. My older glassware is not etched, as I've had graduations come off using sulfuric/chromic acid cleaning solution.

[WhyNot]

Some of them are just etched, and some of them have actual raised white...I dunno, enamel, maybe? This beaker, for instance.

[lizardling]

Tagging onto this thread -- without that enamel stuff, how does one write things on glass without having it come off in thirty seconds with friction?

What kind of pen should I be looking for?

This is a problem since I have bunches of little glass bottles that need to be labelled, and writing out even tinier paper labels is a pita.

[Gary T]

Originally Posted by lizardling

Tagging onto this thread -- without that enamel stuff, how does one write things on glass without having it come off in thirty seconds with friction?

What kind of pen should I be looking for?

A china marker.

[Will Repair]

And is it the same thing as that white area on plastic bags ?