Good temporary marking device for finished surfaces
Riffler
| Posted in Jigs, Fixtures, Tips & Tricks on
I recently needed to mark a finished cherry plywood bookcase for the installation of biscuits to align the case with a separate base. After finding that a pencil could not visibly mark the surface without damage I tried my wife’s Derwent Watercolour Pencils(Acco-Rexel, Ltd., Great Britain). The #67 Ivory black color takes a good sharp point, is not as hard as #2 pencil lead so does not indent the surface, and leaves a clear mark which can be easily removed by water. The pencils are available singly or in sets at any good art supply store.
Replies
good tip
Good tip, sir.
Making marks on a finished surface always makes me nervous, especially with a new product. I haven't found blue masking tape to damage cured finish, and a light soft pencil can make a fairly dark mark. Next choice would be to use the mentioned coloring pencils on the blue masking tape. Just my two cents.
tape debacle
using polyurethane grout right up to a finished oak floor, I masked off the floor with green painters tape and paper, did my grouting and clean up and peeled off the tape, and the finish on the floor too!!!
Whodathunk it.....a finish in place for about 10 years, destroyed in seconds.....I'm thinking that this is a characteristic of waterborne finishes over solvent based stains., ie low adherence
Eric in Calgary
Nice to live in modern times.
I like these. A bit soft but does the job well. I use them to make notes in my claycoat paged magazines mostly but works as you described as well.
http://www.artsuppliesonline.com/catalog.cfm?cata_id=1456
use post-it note paper
post-its don't leave residue, are readily available, can be moved slightly if the mark needs to be adjusted, come in a rainbow of colors, are cheap, don't need sharpening, ......
nice post-it
wow this is a great idea.
Will solve the problem of marking the dark wood of walnut too! Thanks Sapwood.
Robert.
Markers
While we are on the subject of making marks, let me add another tip. White grease pencils, sometimes called china markers, are great for writing on black plastic. I use them on the black plastic head of my Delta drill press to note the current speed setting (I have the old fashioned three pulley stacks) and the max speed settings of things that fly apart when going too fast, like wire brush wheels and adjustable beam hole cutters.
marking fine surfaces
I use kid's chalk, it comes in colors and a piece of sandpaper will make a decent chisel edge on it. wipes right off/
When I have to erase a mismarked piece of unfinished wood I find that the big blocks of stuff I use to clean sandpaper with make great erasers when rubbed with the grain. I forget what they are called, I've had them for so long.
Swnson,
I think what your talking about are called Crape Blocks, used to clean sanding drums and such.
Robert
Crape blocks.
Right, crape blocks. They work great on drums and belt sanders. Even palm sanders and RO sanders. They erase pencil lines like they were made to do that. I have two that have lasted 25 years, one with a bunch of curves sanded into them by drums and one still flat.
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