How to indelibly mark plastic oil bottles?

[choprboy]

I have the same bottles and have found labeling a piece of masking tape that goes around the bottle works great if you use some clear tape after to cover the masking tape, going above and below and all the way around.

Hmmm, yeah, maybe. I had previously done the masking tape thing with permanent marker, but it eventually got dirty/oil soaked. I hadn't considered then covering it with clear tape afterwards.

It may seem like a lot of work, but how about sticking a Dymo tape to a thin strip of metal, aluminum, steel, etc. and adhere the strip to the PE with epoxy.

Sort of... Combining that and Dianne's suggestion... I was thinking an embossed aluminum/stainless ring or tag around the neck of the bottle, under the cap. If I get a chance to play in the shop this weekend. I still have to get plates welded on the end of 3"x8" tubes and finish turning 8" dia plates into caps to cover the open ends of a couple transmissions I need to get sandblasted.

[Frank Ford]

It may seem like a lot of work, but how about sticking a Dymo tape to a thin strip of metal, aluminum, steel, etc. and adhere the strip to the PE with epoxy.

In my experience it's not necessary - the self-adhesive plastic embossed labels stick nicely. I have some that are decades old and not falling off.

Oh, and Dymo also offers aluminum label strips with or without adhesive. First available 1958, I've had Dymo labelers since the 1960s, and recently got a early "first edition, patent pending" all metal "Dymo-Mite Tapewriter" off eBay - it's a real tool, very solid and strong.

Offhand, I wouldn't waste any effort messing with trying to stick anything to PE with epoxy.

[SteveM]

Mark them and wrap them all the way around with clear tape.

Steve

[tim9lives]

Magic Marker and then cover the writing on the bottle with clear packing tape. Seems to hold up good for a while so far.

[John Hasler]

Use clear heat-shrink tubing instead of clear sticky tape and it should hold up pretty much forever.

[CaptonZap]

Where do you get heat shrink that size and clear enough to read through?
IMWTK
CZ

[John Hasler]

These people have it up to 4":

https://www.heatshrink.com/default.asp

In my experience it is quite clear enough to read through after shrinking (I've never used it for this application, though).

[juiceclone]

Color coded wire tie wraps ??

[BadDog]

I use the 1 and 2 pint (aprox) "wash down" bottles. The ones you never tip over to use, the ones that have the pick up tube sticking out the top. Anyway, I put printed labels on them years ago, and the seemingly inevitable residue that winds up coating the outside in spite of the never have to tip over style took them off. I replaced them and then went over them with clear packing tape, which eventually also mostly released within a year or so. They are still that way after a few more years. They stay in place, but almost like they are held with sticky axle grease or something like it. Once in a while I have to slide things back in place like wet transfer decals, but it keeps my bottles marked.

[Rich_Carlstedt]

Having spent many years making machinery for the plastic industry, there is something you should know.
Virgin PE is impossible for ink to print on. So the industry uses whats called "Corona Treatment"
On plastic film, this is done by running the film between /on electrodes of 10K to 20K voltage as I recall.
This treats the surface and allows printing to be done ...immediately (!)
For solid structures like Plastic bottles, the bottles sit on a Merry-Go-Round and spin at the same time and at one station is a gas ( Yes!) flame that impinges on the surface of the spinning bottle to be printed. The ionization of the flame envelope causes the plastic to accept ink..again immediately . So either a strong static electric field or a gas "envelope" will induce the ability to print .
Worth a try
Rich

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corona_treatment

[tornitore45]

An aluminum disk bored to fit under the screw-cap. Stamped with your Type Punches.
Is work but Do it once and transfer to new bottle. No smudges, no sticky stuff I hate.

[whateg0]

I don't know how thick the bottles are, but a soldering iron or woodburning iron can be used to mark them. If you darken in the area where it was melted, it is recessed and won't wipe off as quickly.