Techniques for lettering a globe?

Put your names and labels into Microsoft Word, adjust fonts and sizes to your liking, then print them onto decal paper. Seal the sheet with fixative spray and apply the decals where needed when ready. 

I think your dilemma is the curved surface and longer text strings, which as you know want to follow "latitude" lines.

As a sign designer and sign maker, I'd suggest the following. 

1. Get a really good durable finish onto the globe. It's going to get a lot of handling.

2. Mount the globe securely in a poles-vertical support. It'd be nice if you can get it to revolve, but not neccesary. Put this on a flat surface, like a table, with plenty of room around it to work.

3. Lay out the locations of the text, in the way a waterline is located on a ship model. Assuming you want the text lines to be level when viewed, the best way to do this is to make something stable that you can move around on the table, and clamp a pencil to in a way that's adjustable.

You probably don't want to draw baselines on your globe since it's already painted, but you can place a piece of Tamiya tape where you want your copy to go. Make marks where either the center, or the beginning/ end of the text would go.

4. I'd probably unspring the globe at this point from its clamps. You'll want to be able to lay down your type with the area you are working on up and easy to get to, well lit. Maybe lay iot down on a rolled up donut of towel.

5. I would suggest using either home made decals, or rub down type. Myself, the latter. Look at the available type you can buy from Woodlands Scenic. There are only a couple of fonts, but lots of sizes and a number of colors, including some metallics.

6. After some practice, unless you've got experience, lay down your copy one letter at a time. I like to start in the middle, but you can run from one end or the other. 

7. After you've finished, and NOT to minimize what it will take to get there, seal it all. Again, I strongly urge you to practice on a sample to make sure your clear coat doesn't dissolve your letters.

Nice project, sorry to go on so long. I did a project like this once, bigger object a number of feet in diameter. I used a laser level. I glued on dimensional copy. It was really fun.

Bill

Hmm;

  I think the Woodland Scenics suggestion is a winner .That way any Capitol Cities can be in gold or in a different font . T.B.

I often use Microscale decals to make my own signs and truck placards. The trick is to get the letters to line up. I draw a pencil line very faintly along where the letters will go and apply them one at a time. I use The  bottom of the decal film,lined up with the pencil mark to keep it all straight. When done GENTLY remove the pencil line with water and a paper towel. Then glosscote the whole thing.

Just so you will be prepaired... lettering this way can be tedious... boring... and maddening as all heck!

I have lost a good patch of hair because of this! But the results are worth it! 

Decal paper? Where has this been all my life? I knew you folks would be able to help. I'm going to try all of these suggestions and I give you an update later on, but as noted, this may take some time. I want to keep my hair! Thank you, all.

When you buy decal paper, there are two kinds. Ink jet or laser print. Also white or clear.

Use the fix that matches the paper manu.

Also, the stuff comes in a largish sheet like 6" by 9" or such. You don't really get the use of it more than once through the printer, so plan accordingly to use it all up.

An example might be that if you are using white, cover the rest of the sheet with stars of various sizes, with Olive Drab outlines.

Also when you spray fix the thing, youll then need to carefully cut out your decal around the edges of the image because it's all one big decal to start with.

I'm actually looking forward to this now! The funny things is I have a spreadsheet of places for my world, but I only have about 20 names because I knew this would be tedious. I'm thinking now that with your input (and inspiration) I might ratchet this up to 100 places (cities, mountains, rivers, etc.). We'll see!

While I ordinarily am a big advocate of homemade decals, for simple letters on a compound curve surface I'd suggest dry transfer lettering.  The two brands I am most familiar with are Letreset and Woodlands.  Each letter is a seperate piece, so it is easy to place them on curves.  The adhesive is wax, so they can be removed easily, usually just with a piece of tape.

Dry transfer lettering is available in black, white or gold, and in several fonts and sizes. It is rubbed on by running a pointed tool over the backing (actually, the fronting) paper- the letters are on the back and stay stuck to your surface.