Decorate With Runes

Enhance the edges of shelves with runes! Easily add a medieval touch to any room.

you need:
printout of runes
a pencil
a Sharpie marker
optional clear polyurethane finish 


To pinstripe the edge: I hold the marker in such a manner that I can use the tip of my middle finger to maintain the distance from marker tip to edge of shelf. Leave a space about equal the width of the line. Outline around the entire edge.

Choose your words carefully:  I figure about twenty words per foot, which I can fudge a little by squishing and stretching.  I found great words in Havamal, but you can write gobbeldy goop and it'll still look hella viking.   I'm writing - instructables rocks -  on my example.

Pencil it in: Lightly pencil your words in regular english letters first, lightly so you can erase and start over if you need to, english so you can check your spelling before moving ahead.  It typically takes me a few tries to make it fit evenly.  I always put a dot between words, I don't punctuate, and don't worry about the "combinations" like TH, GH, and NG.   Best to PRINT LIKE THIS IN BLOCK LETTERS. (i'm not yelling, that's an illustration) Write very lightly.

Convert to Runes: Again using a pencil, draw the appropriate rune over the top of each english letter, dark enough that you won't get confused when you go back over with the marker.   The missing runes J and V are no-brainers.  I haven't had need of Q yet, not sure what I'll do if that ever happens.

Mark 'er Permanently: Carefully go back over the penciled-in runes with the Sharpie.  I put one thin coat of poly on just the edge of my shelves, to protect the words and make them shine.  Those shelves look so good now I don't want to put my ordinary crap on 'em!