pinkdolphi
New
I went on my first pleasure boat dive and while it was nice that you had someone to hand your fins up to before climbing the ladder (you never get that luxury on research dive boats 
).....they all end up in a pile and everyone loves black, bleh...(I actually don't, but black fins were the cheapest). So I went searching for a way to mark rubber (I've tried sharpie in the past but those marks have long since faded [only lasts for ~20 dives]).
Many posts and dive retailers recommend paint pens (Dykem brite-mark seems to be popular) but there are no up close pictures of how it looks. Is it somewhat 3D like puffy fabric paint? How dark are the colors? Ect. I took the plunge and bought a 14 color set from markingpendepot.com (no fun colors at LDSs). Initially nervous since there were no recent reviews about that site, but an actual person answered when I called them and my order arrived very fast. Billing through paypal gives me comfort.
14 colors: black, dark blue, green, red, brown, light blue, pink, yellow, light green, gold, purple, orange, silver, white. The light blue and light green that arrived technically wern't Dykem brand but I'm okay with that. I've kept each paint mark set in this post in this color order. Only smaller versions of photos could be attached to this post. The larger versions can be seen in my paint pens album on scubaboard.
First, prime the pens by pressing down on the pen tips (fill the felt with paint for the first time). First are marks on cardboard, plastic packing tape, and a black plastic bottle. White is all chalky. Silver is much better:
There is no real height to these paint pens' marks (unlike puffy paint). If you run your finger over the marks, you can't feel anything there.
===========================================
Next, I have pictures here of how each color looks on different gear surfaces.
Aqualung Look 2 Mask (clear skirt and hard black plastic)
Gold and brown are somewhat clear and harder to see.
Neoprene mask strap and can coozie
I don't love how smeared the lines are on fabric. Silver shows up the best - and only took one pass to make these marks unlike all other colors. The silver pen itself is very wet - especially compared to the other colors.
Fins: Black scubapro jet fins (and metal buckle and strap) and yellow scubapro twin jet fins (and rubber spring strap cover and black hard plastic buckle). Gold is impossible to see on metal surfaces. All other colors are decently pigmented.
Whistles (acme tornado and jetscream):
(1. silver initials, 2. purple, yellow, and light green flower)
The paint dries fast, but does smell a bit when wet.
Time will tell how well the colors hold up with wear and in the water. I'll post updates later.
The brown and gold are hard to see on almost every material. For these, the angle you're looking from does affect how easy it is to see marks.
Am now looking for a fabric paint with neat, thin lines.
===========================================
For all other gear, I use stickers I bought on amazon (Personalized Waterproof 3M Sticker Labels for Dive Gear). I highly recommend these. I've had mine stuck on things like my snorkel, retractors, carabiners, gopro case, thermos, ect for over 80 dives and 2 years now (salt, chlorine, fresh, 33F water to tropical) - never had one peel. Some corners are chipping, but only ever so slightly.
These stickers absolutely do not stick to the rubbery part of fins and fabric (I had so many left over that I went a little crazy labeling stuff with my name).
).....they all end up in a pile and everyone loves black, bleh...(I actually don't, but black fins were the cheapest). So I went searching for a way to mark rubber (I've tried sharpie in the past but those marks have long since faded [only lasts for ~20 dives]).Many posts and dive retailers recommend paint pens (Dykem brite-mark seems to be popular) but there are no up close pictures of how it looks. Is it somewhat 3D like puffy fabric paint? How dark are the colors? Ect. I took the plunge and bought a 14 color set from markingpendepot.com (no fun colors at LDSs). Initially nervous since there were no recent reviews about that site, but an actual person answered when I called them and my order arrived very fast. Billing through paypal gives me comfort.
14 colors: black, dark blue, green, red, brown, light blue, pink, yellow, light green, gold, purple, orange, silver, white. The light blue and light green that arrived technically wern't Dykem brand but I'm okay with that. I've kept each paint mark set in this post in this color order. Only smaller versions of photos could be attached to this post. The larger versions can be seen in my paint pens album on scubaboard.
First, prime the pens by pressing down on the pen tips (fill the felt with paint for the first time). First are marks on cardboard, plastic packing tape, and a black plastic bottle. White is all chalky. Silver is much better:
There is no real height to these paint pens' marks (unlike puffy paint). If you run your finger over the marks, you can't feel anything there.
===========================================
Next, I have pictures here of how each color looks on different gear surfaces.
Aqualung Look 2 Mask (clear skirt and hard black plastic)
Gold and brown are somewhat clear and harder to see.
Neoprene mask strap and can coozie
Fins: Black scubapro jet fins (and metal buckle and strap) and yellow scubapro twin jet fins (and rubber spring strap cover and black hard plastic buckle). Gold is impossible to see on metal surfaces. All other colors are decently pigmented.
Whistles (acme tornado and jetscream):
(1. silver initials, 2. purple, yellow, and light green flower)
The paint dries fast, but does smell a bit when wet.
Time will tell how well the colors hold up with wear and in the water. I'll post updates later.
The brown and gold are hard to see on almost every material. For these, the angle you're looking from does affect how easy it is to see marks.
Am now looking for a fabric paint with neat, thin lines.
===========================================
For all other gear, I use stickers I bought on amazon (Personalized Waterproof 3M Sticker Labels for Dive Gear). I highly recommend these. I've had mine stuck on things like my snorkel, retractors, carabiners, gopro case, thermos, ect for over 80 dives and 2 years now (salt, chlorine, fresh, 33F water to tropical) - never had one peel. Some corners are chipping, but only ever so slightly.
These stickers absolutely do not stick to the rubbery part of fins and fabric (I had so many left over that I went a little crazy labeling stuff with my name).
Last edited:
