Striking a line

[Sweet Willy]

I just found out that I can get a really fine line by taking a ballpoint pen apart and using just the ink barrel to strike a line. What was more amazing was how much easier it was to remove a line made with a ballpoint pen then one made with a pencil or a marking pen. When I thought about the mechanics of those three instruments it all makes sense. A ballpoint pen "rolls" along the surface of the wood and lays down a line of ink. The ink in a ballpoint pen is thick enough that it doesn't soak into the wood, it just "sits" on the surface. A pencil needs enough pressure to break off minute particles of graphite which are imbedded into the wood. Marking pens soak into the wood making removal tricky at times. A lot of you guys already know this but we do get a lot of new guys who might want to try this.

[cwsmith]

Thanks for the post.

I use an old drafting "lead holder", which is a mechanical pencil of sorts. Basically it holds a 'stick' of lead about five inches long and aprox. 5/64th in diameter (0.080" actually). The leads come in a variety of hardnesses, with 5H being significantly hard and HB rather soft. (That's the hardest and softest leads in my inventory, but I do believe there are softer and harder grades too.)

With a proper sharpener (or even fine sand paper) you can get a very small point and I like HB-grade softness as it leaves a darker line and the results are both thinner and easier to erase than a ball-point.

My problem with ball-points (and I admit that I have often used them) is that they tend to clog up on me for some reason, and I find I have to press harder to keep them working... thus making a groove in the stock.

In my days on the drawing board, as an illustrator, I found that slightly rotating the lead holder while drawing a line, gives you a very consistant line width... at first it was challenging but after all these years, that rotation is natural.

Also, if you want a really thin, almost undetectable line, use an Xacto knife (I learned that from pasting up document pages, well before the advent of computers). While I have never used a true marking knife, I would think that would be somewhat similar, and perhaps better, than an Xacto knife for woodworking use. (Although I have to admit that as these eyes of mine have aged, seeing a very thin cut line requires me to grab a different pair of glasses!)

CWS

[scmhogg]

Lee Valley has pencil lead "blades" that fit a standard utility knife. I haven't tried them myself.

http://www.leevalley.com/us/Wood/pag...49&cat=51&ap=3

Steve

[cwsmith]

Expensive though, as are their lead holder and lead. I believe you'd be better off checking with a local art or office supply store, at least for the traditional drafting leads and holder.

CWS

[Sweet Willy]

Carbon Fiber for pencils. Who woulda thought.

[JimD]

I am transitioning away from making as many cuts as possible on the table saw and radial arm/CMS using stops. I used steel rules or when necessary a tape measure to set the rip fence or a stop for the CMS so I didn't need to mark the wood. I like that method of working but the new house doesn't have a shop for me to set up like that, at least yet, so I am using the track saw a lot more and cutting to marks on the CMS. So I am more interested in marking. The idea about pens is interesting and I may try it. I keep cheap ballpoints on-hand because I hate having to look very hard for a pen when I need one.

But any sort of mark using ink or lead is much less accurate than a knife mark. The track saw will cut exactly where you put the fence but you have to mark accurately if you want accurate cuts. So I am thinking more about marking with a knife. It is harder to see but more accurate if you are careful. Ideally you use a ruler with indentations at the markings and put the knife in those indentations. Very accurate but not my routine, at least yet. Maybe to facilitate finding the mark I could highlight the knife mark with an ink pen?

Jim

[phrog]

What was more amazing was how much easier it was to remove a line made with a ballpoint pen then one made with a pencil or a marking pen. ... The ink in a ballpoint pen is thick enough that it doesn't soak into the wood, it just "sits" on the surface.

Thanks, Sweet Willy. I would never have thought that a pen line would be easy to remove. I think I'm going to try it on my next project. (Or, with my eyes, perhaps, I should try a King Size Felt- Tipped Marker - so much easier to see than anything else. )

[frumper64]

I looked at these (the carbon fiber blades that go in a utility knife) on Amazon but the reviews aren't very good. Seems like a good idea, but some folks didn't seem to think it was executed very well.