turbojoe

My Feedback: (8)

I'm starting to do a bunch of building from plans again and am running into the same frustrating problem I've had for years. I need a pen that will write well on soft balsa when outlining templates. Most ball point pens skip and gouge when they write at all. Especially when cross grain. Felt tips just bleed the line to the point of being useless. The best I've tried so far is a Uni-ball "Vision Exact" super fine point. It works great with sharp lines for about two parts outlines then quits feeding ink. There has to be something out there that works consistently well. I just haven't found it yet. Any suggestions?

Joe

dreadnaut

My Feedback: (5)

There are two methods I use. First works well in some situations is to use the wifes iron (when she's not looking) to transfer the patterns to the wood. This seems to work well with some toners, but not with others. Also Lite Ply and Birch Ply don't take the transfer well, so I sometimes stick accurate copies of the plans to the wood with spray contact cement and cut through both.

BMatthews

Check your stationary stores for roller ball point pens. They typically require a lot less pressure. In fact because they use a thinner ink that will bleed a little I found they work best with just the very lightest of a fairly fast drag around a template or along a straight edge. When used that way they leave a light, totally non marring line that is easy to follow and doesn't bleed into the wood. It's probably best to try a couple of the testers that places like Staples and Office Depot have out for this to find the one that is the lightest pressure option.

Lnewqban

I use a 0.9 mm mechanical pencil.

pmw

My Feedback: (1)

I agree about using a mechanical pencil. I've never found ink that will not bleed. Even on the softest balsa a pencil has always worked well. You can get softer lead at any craft store if you need it.

Paul

BMatthews

What grade of lead are you two using? I use HG pencils on regular wood all the time but not on balsa. The HB pencils dig furrows suitable for planting and still barely leaves a noticable mark of grey.

ARUP

I use the 'gel' ink pens. I am pretty sure that's what they are called. The one I have in my hand is the 'Pilot G-2 007'. It leaves ink on balsa with the lightest of strokes and doesn't bleed.

tdstaf

My Feedback: (11)

I have found that the uni ball micro .2 mm work quite well with little bleed and for a considerable amount of time. part # 60151

Tim

fokker fan

I use .5mm and .9mm pencils with 2B leads. From lightest to darkest the leads go 4H, 2H, H, HB, B, 2B. The leads also get softer as they get darker so you don't need to push so hard. 2B is the darkest/softest I've found, but there may be others out there.

turbojoe

My Feedback: (8)

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I've always like the Pilot gel pens for general writing and they would probably do what I want on balsa too. I just haven't been able to find them in less than a 6 pack in the last few years. I don't need that many. I'll have to try to go by Office Depot and see if they have them available as singles or maybe a twin pack. I'll also pick up some soft pencils as well.

Joe

scale only 4 me

My Feedback: (158)

+1 on the Deluxe Micro "uni-ball", I've used these for years

Bax

My Feedback: (11)

Hmmm....Once I've made my template from ply (wing rib, usually), I just either cut the part against it, or use a regular ball-point pen. So I get a bit of a furrow around the part. That furrow makes a good guide for cutting out the part, and it's going to be sanded-off anyway when I lay all the parts together and sand them to uniformity.

When I make the fuselage formers, if they are rectangles, I just measure the dimensions, transfer to balsa or ply, and use a good saw to cut them out. For fuselage sides, I use a roll of white shelf paper to make a template and then use 3M removable spray adhesive to tack it to the balsa sheet. I stack two together so that I can make two sides.

Sure, you may not get the pieces exactly to the sizes shown on the plans, but unless you're building a detailed, exact-scale model, small variances won't matter and can be adjusted with a bit of glue and/or sandpaper. Once the model's done, you won't notice a thing.

The biggest key is to make sure everything is built ABSOLUTELY STRAIGHT!

turbojoe

My Feedback: (8)

I probably should have been more clear in my first post. I usually make cutting templates from counter top laminate and then use an X-acto. There are times though that I want to do a one time only cut and I just trace out the part from the paper I've cut from a scanned copy of the plan part. Or maybe I want to copy a part from a kit. That's when a good pen comes in handy. I've seen a couple of replies now that like the "Uni-ball" pen. Kinda makes me wonder if mine has just gone bad. I have had it for a long time. I work nights and hours are so screwed up that it's hard to get anything done during the day so will have to go on the weekend. In addition to the other suggestions I'll try to find another Uni-ball as well. I love how it works when it works.

Joe

BMatthews

Wipe the end clean quite aggresively from time to time. I found that the balsa dust would mix with the ink and dry on the tip. A good firm wiping with some paper towel seemed to get it working right again. Or dragging it at a low angle of roughly 30 degrees over some paper while spinning the body would "sand" the end clean on the paper.

BMatthews

Thanks for the info on the pencil lead Fokker Fan. I'd forgotten the grading (could easily have googled it of course) but it's good to know that some of you are having good luck with the softer 2B grades.

Lnewqban

The old trusty graphite can be found in many shapes and grades:

http://www.staedtler.com/Mars_micro_carbon_gb.Staedtler

http://www.staedtler.com/Mars_micro_...?ActiveID=2199

turbojoe

My Feedback: (8)

Got to work tonight and wonder of wonders there was a Uni-Ball pen in the bosses pen cup. I ummm... "liberated" it from the boring existence it would have had to endure on that God forsaken desk. I happened to have brought some balsa to work to cut some parts from if things slowed down. I got a chance to try out the "new" pen and it worked great. I guess mine was bad either from age or from too much use on balsa that clogged up the tip. In any case it looks like I'm back in business.

Joe

BMatthews

A bit of a review on one type of pen... er... pencil. After reading this thread I had to go to a Staples for some other things and was cruising the pens when I found a new product. A Sharpie brand Liquid Pencil.

I can tell you to save your money. They require a lot of pressure to leave much of a mark at all. I tried both of them on some card stock and various papers and it was the same thing. With light pressure no mark at all and even with heavy pressure the motion had to be slow. Total waste of money even as a plain writing tool. Thinking the ball in the end was too tight I even tried to punch it loose by letting the tip drop onto a ceramic tile a few times from first 2 inches up and then about 5 inches. No change at all.

A negative review to be sure but if it saves you folks making the same mistake it's worth it.

turbojoe

My Feedback: (8)

Good to know. Thanks!

Joe

CoosBayLumber

My Feedback: (1)

You may have a tough time.

I have just a few of the older leads for pencils that are noted above. These are flat not available at the local blueprint places of stationary stores. They can order you some but then you gotta wait, have and account and .....

What is most common today for the draughtman is the Pentel type of graphite "clicker" pen, that uses very thin and numbered leads. Ready to install each time. Insert lead, click the end and you can then write. Most all of the talkers at the county and city offices around here use such since the 1990's. They do not have the older "Coffee Grinder" type of pencils as shown in the drafting books any more.

Which is why I say you may have a hard time finding such. It usually takes a few seconds to telephone the place you are thinking of to check if in stock or not. May be better off thinking liquid ball point then.

Wm.

Michaelj2k

http://www.seetemp.com/. Trace it, score it with a sharp blade and flex the part to remove it from the sheet.

DIVERHERB

If you have a copier at home this is what I do. I but sticky paper from Office Max or any office supply store and place that in my copier and just copy my templates onto the sticky back paper. I then just cut them out peal off the back and place them over my balsa. No tracing needed and the it makes it very easy to duplicate without any errors.
Works great for me.

Avaiojet

Someone slap me accross the head, I guess I've been doing it wrong all these years. [sm=bananahead.gif]

I don't use a pen on balsa or plywood.

My cut out paper or card stock templates are placed on the wood. Held in place with T-pins. I use an aerosol can of paint and just spray the templates. A dust coat is fine. I use black.

Sure, I've used a pen also, but I find this way to be less time consuming. Works for me!

SleepyPete

After reading the above thread I traveled to Michael's craft store and picked up two 2B pencils.   Brought them home, sharped them up, used them for a few hours and subsequently put away my ball point Pen and #2 pencil.

Two 2B pencils @$2.99.  Should last awhile.   Very light pressure results in fine, dark line.  I'm converted.

scale only 4 me

My Feedback: (158)

I'm down to my last one, my wife used to sneak them home from her old work, this one is like gold right now