Can I write on a CD?

[savoy]

Hello gang. I have a couple of simple questions to ask. 1. Can you write on a burned CD with some kind of pen (felt)? 2. Can you stick a label or something on the CD itself? Hey, if you don't know, ask ... right? :) Thanks ahead of time.

[RDK]

Of course. They have labels made for CDRs, but I usually just use a sharpie.

[xricci]

you can write on the non-readable side.

i use a sharpie too.

[savoy]

Got it! Thanks again gang.

[GrahamClark]

what's a "sharpie"??

gc

[tpt1]

A sharpie is a type of magic marker. It dries very quickly. Urban legend has it that the ink from the sharpie will soak through to the data side of the CD eventually and destroy the music.

[snoutinator]

a much more interesting question (for those who have tried all their pens and found which ones bleed through to the data side) is whether or not a CD can be microwaved, and i'm here to tell you that it can. most definitely. data side up, 2-3 seconds only. if you go too long the plastic heats up and starts melting (which makes a stink). but turn out the lights and take a look inside the microwave while you've got your finger on the "stop" button and you'll see a light show like nothing else. as a bonus, the cooked CD is a work of art you can proudly hang from the wall, place under your favorite candle, or shine a flashlight beam through some time when you're not sober enough to think of anything better to do.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

The problem with using a Sharpie is not that it will "soak through to the data side of the CD" but rather it will continue to bleed out from the writing. I have several older CD-Rs that I wrote on with a Sharpie and the lettering all looks "hairy" i.e. Each letter has little hairs sticking out of it where the ink has continued to move.

Today, I use CD writers. TDK makes one and Klone makes one. There are others. So far (knock on wood), these pens do not seem to run.

Avoid stickers. They have a nasty habit of peeling at the worst moment. They often jam in slot-loaded players (like car decks) and they are usually susceptible to heat. I've had several CDs with stickers have the label come unglued while playing them in my PC. Also, stickers can unbalance your disc.

Later,
Kevin

[xricci]

the snout microwaved one of my cds--it was a spectacular light show extravaganza.

i highly recommend it.

[jkelman]

a much more interesting question (for those who have tried all their pens and found which ones bleed through to the data side) is whether or not a CD can be microwaved, and i'm here to tell you that it can. most definitely. data side up, 2-3 seconds only. if you go too long the plastic heats up and starts melting (which makes a stink). but turn out the lights and take a look inside the microwave while you've got your finger on the "stop" button and you'll see a light show like nothing else. as a bonus, the cooked CD is a work of art you can proudly hang from the wall, place under your favorite candle, or shine a flashlight beam through some time when you're not sober enough to think of anything better to do.

Only The Snoutinator would not only consider the possiblities of microwaving a CD, but would actually get it down to a fine art....or science.... :hail
John

[Kevin Bresnahan]

For the record, when you microwave anything metal in a microwave oven, you run a real risk of damaging the oven as well as yourself. The microwave energy is not absorbed by the metal but rather, reflected. Hopefully your oven has a nice, tight seal around the door or your extremities may get warm (just kidding). However, you really, really should be careful microwaving metals.

In case you're wondering, I'm an electrical engineer with a job in the microwave industry. I have worked with microwaves for more than 20 years now. Just because they're invisible doesn't mean they can't do damage. I once melted a thick chunk of aluminum by accident when I transmitted a lot of microwave energy into a mismatch. Dangerous stuff at the levels I was working at.

Later,
Kevin

[shawn·m]

Hmm… I haven’t had trouble with hairy sharpie writing yet. Is there any other side effect besides letters visibly growing fur? I can’t imagine a healthy crop interfering as long as it stayed on the non-playing side.

Do audiophiles prefer microwaved vinyl over CDs?

[snoutinator]

However, you really, really should be careful microwaving metals.

exactly. don't sue me if something goes wrong. i never told you to do anything. maybe i should write a disclaimer or something. kevin's sorta done that already.

i've done this hundreds of times (yeah, there's a lot of music i don't like, and a lot of cdrs that don't deserve the shelf) and i have yet to immolate myself, but maybe the brain damage is just setting in.

don't do this at home, kids, just because snout said it was fun. and don't play games with grocery bags, either. and most definitely don't try to hide in the refrigerator. it's not good for you.

note: dvd's don't work the same as cd's in the microwave and are not even theoretically recommended. dunno why, but they just don't do the same thing.

[jkelman]

Do audiophiles prefer microwaved vinyl over CDs?
I believe that microwaving vinyl yields a more pleasant bouquet.... :cool:
John

[clave]

I hate to crash the party, but there's tons of stuff out there on microwaving CDs -- see CD-ROMs in the Microwave (http://hamjudo.com/notes/cdrom.html), for example. I 1st ran across this site back in 2001, when www.cdrfaq.org had info. on how to create your own light show -- see How do CDs behave when microwaved? (http://www.cdrfaq.org/faq07.html#S7-8)

I haven't tried it myself, but must admit it looks like fun....

Oh, here's an example of what happens when you put a CD on top a tesla coil and zap it:

http://www.redremote.co.uk/electricstuff/cd2.jpg

(More at http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/cdzap.html )

[snoutinator]

clave, if you believe those people, your microwave will stink forever. smoke? shit, you need to hit "stop" long before the cd ever thinks about smoking. when the light show ends, the party is over. wait any longer and you're asking to need a new microwave. it's like microwave popcorn, really.

anyway, i'm surprised people would actually believe that crap. that and the part about putting something else in the machine along with the disc. but whatever, if it causes psychological benefit.

[clave]

Oh hey, I didn't say I believed them, but I find the whole thing very amusing! (Especially the tesla coil page.) I'm amazed at the amount of time people spend on this stuff, really. (Pictures, videos and so on.)

I actually found a page (not far along in Google hits) where someone put a CD in a toster, with pics, etc. ???? is my reaction to that one.

[snoutinator]

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/photos/burnt.jpg

[clave]

Very impressive!