We are still correcting "minor" errors in spine lettering of bound journals
by using alcohol to remove the old letter(s) and an electric stylus and gold
transfer paper to reletter.  I am not very satisfied with this as a) the
electric stylus does not seem very safe (especially the new one we bought
this year, as the cork heat guard keeps slipping) and b) it seems much harder
to get an attractive letterworking through the transfer paper than it would
be to just add the letter with a pen.

I noticed that the local bookstore catalog lists gold and silver markers which
are advertised as working on glass, photos, etc., and as being permanent.  So
I checked the library supply catalogs and saw that they had spine lettering
pens available in medium or fine point.  These are more than the locally
available markers but only 10-20%.

Has anyone had any experience with these pens for spine relettering.  Did it
look as good (color, etc.) as the transfer paper letters.  Are the letters
really "permanent".  How easy to remove if an error is made?  Easier to use?

Please reply directly to me unless you think this is a topic of general
interest.

Thomas Sanders, Serials, Auburn University, AL (tsanders@auducvax)