I know I saw an ad or a post somewhere about a marker that can be left open for days and not dry out, but I can't seem to find it. Unless the lead is something special, I may try a mechanical pencil with softer and/or colored lead in it. I'm still concerned about the pen drying out, though. They are about $10 for the mechanical pencil and some refills and about $4 for the pen, which is not in stock, but they can get it. The Dixon pencil is available at my local Lowes, so I may pick one up. The Pica pencils and the Markall mechanical pencils are pricey: about $30-$40 with refills. Probably a habit from using Sharpies, which dry out very fast if they are left open. Not sure if it stays wet with the cap open I've been good about putting the cap back on. The tip is really fine, so I can use that if I want a little tighter accuracy. The line can be a little thick for precision work if I press too hard, but good enough for a metal chop saw or wood saw cut on most of what I do.

I bought a Milwaukee Inkzall and it works pretty good, except it gets ink on my tri-square. There have been some good suggestions here and I'm going to try a few of them. The same pencil in black seems to work ok, but not on anything other than a really clean surface. I've used a white lead art pencil (they have softer lead) for a few items, and that works ok, but not on light-colored metal. The paint markers are too thick, Sharpies dry out too fast or don't work well if they get the least bit of dirt or oil on them and regular lead pencils don't show up well on metal. Metal cutting commonly heats material above this level.I want something that makes a really fine line on dirty/oily metal, wood, etc that doesn't dry out and is a reasonable price.ĭykem is too much trouble when all I want is an 'accurate enough' cut on a piece of metal. If heated above 250 degrees Celsius it will give off toxic Cyanogen gas. To obtain the best results in scribing, hold the scale or straightedge firmly in place, and set the point of the scriber as close to the edge of the scale as possible by tilting the scriber outward.

A solution of copper sulfate, distilled water, and a few drops of sulfuric acid can be used on machined surfaces. Scriber Lines are scribed on sheet metal with a SCRATCH AWL, coupled with a STEEL SCALE or a STRAIGHTEDGE. On rough structures, such as castings or forgings, whitewash or a mixture of chalk and water can be used.

Alternatives Ī felt tip marker can be used as they are convenient and tend not to dry up as quickly. Marking blue is made by mixing methylated spirits with shellac and gentian violet. Dykem, layout fluid dries and is mostly used to provide bright lines when using a scribe to mark hard surfaces or point of contact between two surfaces. Prussian blue is transferred to the surface. Prussian blue is non drying and used to mark place of pressure contact between two surfaces. Prussian blue and Dykem or layout fluid are not the same. The advantages are that any existing scratches are covered with the dye and the new lines have a contrasting background. It is used to stain or paint a metal object with a very thin layer of dye that can be scratched off using a scriber or other sharp instrument to reveal a bright, yet very narrow line in the metal underneath. Marking blue or layout stain (sometimes called Dykem after trademark erosion of a popular brand, or Prussian blue after the blue pigment) is a dye used in metalworking to aid in marking out rough parts for further machining.

Sheet metal scribe use marker