Engineers blue alternatives

Did you not see my link above to the Rocol that is available in teh UK

Couple more photos to look at. They're the same mild steel plate at different angles to the light. The plate was degreased and wiped with meths.

From left to right they are:

• Unbranded Layout Blue bought at an Exhibition
• Dykem Blue bough recently in the UK, I think via Amazon
• Home-made by mixing Stuarts Micrometer Blue and Meths (bit thin)
• Berol Blue Permanent Marker (bit streaky)
• Unbranded Blue Whiteboard Marker (terrible; it works much better on a Whiteboard!)
• Sharpie Black Permanent Marker (faded to brown as it dried but usable)
• Sharpie Blue Permanent Marker (best of the felt tips I have)

When the plate is rubbed with kitchen paper, all the felt tip markings come away within 8 strokes. The Dykem is still solid after another 8, but the unbranded layout blue is beginning to show signs of wear.

So for best density and wear resistance buy the real thing BUT a decent felt tip is good enough for most work. You may need to experiment before finding a good felt tip.

Dave

Why would I bother? It's not my problem. Best of luck with the search. (And with using the "cream" for layout work. )

Edited By Hopper on 19/05/2017 12:38:34

Missed it Jason, thanks

I see the spray version DOES NOT comply with EU regs so looks like you won't find it locally in the UK or Europe. No problem getting teh Rocol one.

That would explin it. I have found some Rocol on ebay **LINK** which is about £6 cheaper than the link due to having to add VAT and delivery bringing it to over £40.

Thanks again Jason for pointing me towards Rocol

Edited By petro1head on 19/05/2017 13:30:19

Do you really need a spray? how big are the areas you want to cover? a bit of foam on a stick or even a folded rag will cover a large area quite easily

Prob not but will find it more usefull than what I currently have

Or Cromwell Industrial Supplies if there is one near you

**LINK**

I just use whatever spray paint I have kicking around the shed. Blue hammertone works well. If you don't prep the surface it wipes off afterwards with acetone, thinners or whatever is around and a bit of elbow grease..

Sharpie for laying out small things, spray primer for big things - dries quicker tahn topcoats.

Stuart's Micrometer blue for my rare excursions into 'scraping'.

Neil

Earlier this evening I was glancing thru a 'Tilgear' catalogue that is about 15 years old and wedged under the top of a bench.....it showed Edding 850 blue permanent marker for metal marking. The tip is (was?) 18mm wide and they had refills of the blue ink available.

Tip is 1/2" wide.

Geoff - Works fine for my needs.

Edited By OuBallie on 20/05/2017 11:00:11

^^^^ That's why he's the editor.

If I spend my working hours editing other people's writing, I'm blowed if I will waste my leisure hours editing my own!

I have been trying out some scraping lately and saw on youtube that some people use a roller on the surface plate to spread the blue indicator over the surface. I was thinking about trying that but can't find any reference for the type of roller needed. There seem to be hard rubber rollers and soft rubber ones and probably ones in between. Is there a scraping mastermind out there that can recommend a suitable type of roller?

Doug

My experience of scraping goes back to my apprenticeship in the 60s. Way back then the best results were had with a VERY light application of blue, it seems to me that any sort of roller would put on far too much. But I may be wrong, it has happened before according to The Boss.

cheers

Bill

What sort of mix of Meths and Micrometer blue? Does it actually set then? It's very oily as stock... just wondering if I can mix some before buying Dykem

Seems to me that folk here are confusing two totally different products. One "engineers blue" or "layout blue", which dries to a film that them can be scribed through so that layout marks show up, and "micrometer blue" which is a greasy blue paste, doesn't dry as far as I know but remains as a greasy blue film, and which is used to determine fits between mating surfaces and in scraping. The latter would be of no use for marking out as it will rub off very easily (if messily), while the layout blue (or felt tip pen) can be used to find interference between parts as well as used for marking out.

Not critical. My sample was mixed in an eggcup with a blob of Stuart's on the end of a table-knife. The dye is almost certainly Methylene Blue which dissolves readily in alcohol. Stuart's slow-drying paste is formulated stiff for scraping, but adding Meths thins it down considerably and it becomes quick drying. You can experiment for best results. Not as good as real marking blue or a decent felt tip, but worth a try. My tiny tin of Stuart's looks as if it will last me forever and I didn't feel bad about repurposing some of it.

In theory it should be possible to dissolve ball-point pen ink in the same way. In practice, more trouble than it's worth!

Dave

Edited By SillyOldDuffer on 16/07/2019 12:19:34