Good points, thanks everyone. I am off to buy a sharpie and a Staedtler Lumocolor.
In response to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>'s question, it seems that it is quite possible for any interference with the top layer to produce unspecified and unknowable chemical/mechanical reactions which can and do damage the information layer directly underneath. There is a bit about these risks at the links I gave, I don't know how much of the fear is justified by experience and how much is just a natural fear of catastrophic consequences of getting it wrong. Julian At 16:50 05/11/02, you wrote: >Quoting Julian Robinson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > > > Thanks for the quick answers guys, but maybe I should clarify - the issue > > is whether these pens will eventually corrode/dissolve/affect the useful > > layer which is right near the label side of the disc. These CDs will be my > > only records, and even though I keep multiple copies it won't help me if > > they all fail after a couple of years because of the pen I used. There has > > been a lot of discussion around the place on this topic, and I have done a > > bit of research, but as I said - with conflicting results. > > > > Shen can you say why the oil-based is safe? As you can see, there are > > others who say the opposite so I would like to feel comfortable with my > > decision. > > > > And Andrew, I definitely DO want to write on the main surface, not just the > > clear area in the middle, because of the way my storage works and what I > > want to write. > > > > Lastly, and frustratingly, I don't know what a Sanford sharpie is as I am > > in Australia. > >Julian, > >If you keep multiple copies of the same CD, why not hedge your bets and >get two >or three different types of pens and and use one of them on each copy of the >CD? ie a Sharpie on one of the backup CDs, and another pen on the other >(identicial?) CD? That way if one does affect the CD, then you still have the >other CD with the data on it. I do a similar thing with my CD backups. One >set use one type of pen, the other set I use a different pen. > >I don't think you are going to get a definate answer. If there was one, then >you would have got it by now and everyone would have agreed on it. With this >ongoing discussion, I think you can come to the conclusion that there is no >*known* answer with 100% certainty. > >The Sharpie are available in Australia. I got one from my local Woolworths >supermarket in the stationary section. They are just another brand/type of >Artline type markers which I gather are rather well known and popular in the >USA. > >Mark P. >-- >.sig - TBA >CBR AU > > > >---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >Unsubscribe by mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED], with 'unsubscribe >filmscanners' >or 'unsubscribe filmscanners_digest' (as appropriate) in the message title >or body ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe by mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED], with 'unsubscribe filmscanners' or 'unsubscribe filmscanners_digest' (as appropriate) in the message title or body