best thing for marking out on steel

[BrokenBiker]

I was just thinking, if you're using tig the ink could contaminate the weld. Should be fine with MMA though. Be sure to take a picture of the finished piece.

Nah mma doesn't care what's under the weld lol.

I am planning on making a rose arch when we move house and what to have a mixture of scrolls, steel roses and plates with stainless patterns on there. In my head it looks good but no idea how it will turn out yet lol. Have to find somewhere to live first though but want to get plenty of practice in first

 

[sardine]

I use a Pentel jumbo blue marker pen instead of marking out blue, just throw it in your tool box, it never leaks, and £1.50 carbide scribers from Screwfix/ eBay. Cheap enough to have few hanging around so I can always find one. ( sometimes find one )

 

[daleyd]

I was just thinking, if you're using tig the ink could contaminate the weld. Should be fine with MMA though. Be sure to take a picture of the finished piece.

He's making a sign, not a double overhead gangle shaft for a saturn five rocket!!

 

[Brad93]

Well I went on a mad stationary spree last night it would appear to anyone looking at my eBay purchases, but I've bought a bulk lot of Maral pencils in silver and red for aluminium, some of the aforementioned liquid chalk pens, and stocked up on sharpies. For scribing lines I use a sharpened 3.2mm tungsten in a piece of bored out round bar.

 

[Brad93]

Maybe I'll even do a little comparison/review!

 

[Brad93]

Markal welders pencils. Silver streak or something

They are ok, but don't drop them or you end up spending all day trying to sharpen it without the point dropping off

Aye, yes found that before. Wrapping them in a bit of electrical tape helps.

 

[Bill Edwards]

How do you stop them from stuffing up?
I find I have to spend 5mins trying to get them to work, shaking the livin bejesus out it and then heating up the tip to get the ink to flow.

I'd like to know this - I went off using them for this reason.

 

[Windy Miller]

I use a combination of most of the above, and I ralerly lose them as I have them clipped to the side of my toolbox!

I have some white coloured pencils from Axminster that are meant for marking dark hardwoods. They are pretty good but a little soft so they wear down quickly.

 

[jerrytug]

I'd like to know this - I went off using them for this reason.

To you and Depaugie: I know what you mean, it doesnt seem to happen with the Pentel ones, also I wipe off the excess tipex with my finger before putting the lid back on.
one thing I forgot, wipe it off with solvent before sending any work to be galvanised, incredibly the tipex withstood the acid dip and showed through the zinc. cheers Jerry

 

[Depaugie]

My brother marked up a crankshaft with Tipex.
When it was stripped down after thousands of miles the writing was still perfect.

 

[Brad93]

Photos are plain, shade 4 and shade 5 cutting glasses.

 

[Brad93]

Looks like the stationery island wet wipe chalk markers are winning. Haven't got any markal pens or pencils here ATM to do a comparison.