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I've been given a bone china mug I'd like to take to work. Unless it has my name on it, it will get lost among all the other mugs. (I'd like to leave it on my desk and wash it myself, but some people are just too conscientious, and might think it is a work mug).

My understanding is that I can't:

  • Put a name label on with permanent marker on the bottom, as this will come off with subsequent washes
  • Put a sticker with my name on it for the same reason
  • Get my name engraved on it (because China doesn't engrave)

How can I put a dishwasher-proof name identifier on my bone china mug?

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  • write backwards on the sticky side of clear tape and super-glue the edges to the bottom of the mug? The ink won't wash off then. – J. Musser Dec 25 '14 at 19:53
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All markers, pens, labels are remarkably non-dishwasher-resistant if we wanted them to stay with the exception of those unwanted tags and stickers that for obscure reasons won't go off.

Having said that, there are a wide range of products especially designed for use on ceramics which survive many dish-washing procedures, or are even dishwasher resistant.

  • Colors used for painting on ceramics using a brush
  • Special pens or markers to label ceramics
  • Decals for printing on inkjet or laser printers
  • Ready made decals for use on ceramic

They all have in common that they need baking in an oven to make the colors heat- and dishwasher-resistant.

So when looking for such a product confirm it was designed for use on ceramics, and it needs baking as a last step.

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Make a pressure-sensitive mug holder that beeps when someone lifts the mug off of it. Put a switch on it so that you can turn it off when you are sitting at your desk.

Yes, I do have such a device on my desk. It took about two hours to make including finding the parts to use from other projects around the house. The beeping mechanism was the hardest part to find, I salvaged a children's bicycle siren for the job. One day I intend to add a mug heater to the device.

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  • Down voted because the answer has nothing to do with the question. – Jon Dec 25 '14 at 16:29
  • @Jon: Lifehacks are about out-of-the-box solutions. – dotancohen Dec 25 '14 at 19:14
  • The question was how to put an identifier that was permanent on the mug. The OP had a solution as to how to protect the mug and was asking about that solution. Read the question again, your answer had nothing to do with the solution or hack the OP was looking for. – Jon Dec 25 '14 at 22:37
  • @Jon That's not true. The OP had a problem, and thought that he might have a solution, but dotan said that there's a better solution to the problem presented. The OP is not guilty of the XY problem, but I think that reasoning applies to your logic here. – Shokhet Dec 31 '14 at 1:23

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