Pencil on aluminium lables lasts for nearly 100 years to my knowlege -from lables I find at work. I find them from the 1920s, still legible, on shrubs and in the ground. The aluminium rarely degrades. Peter (UK) On Wed, Mar 14, 2012 at 11:19 PM, Joseph Kraatz <plantnut@cox.net> wrote: > I have never had a #2 pencil fade, no matter how many years. > > >> After trying every possible labeling I have come to the conclusion that > >> the simple #2 pencil is by far the best. Joe, Oceanside, CA >