trax99
Well-Known Member
not alone there, my welding is structural but not cosmetic - dont do enough these days to keeps the skill level up,
nrgserv
Well-Known Member
basically it does nothing
methylene blue, engineers blue, engineering ink, marking out ink, or probably other names its known by, is methylated spirits with a blue dye added. the spirit evaporates quickly leaving the dye on the working surface, ready for markings produced by a scriber (or other sharp pointed implement)
its applied by brush to fresh steel prior to marking for cut lines or hole positions.
the measuring out is done by a rule (ruler), height gauge, odd leg callipers, dividers, sliding square, set square, protractor, or any other measurement device applicable.
using a measuring device, a scriber is used to produce scribe lines which show up as a scratch line the thickness of the scriber, usually a ground hardened point on a pen like steel. they are easier to see than a scribe line on bare steel, and more accurate than a line drawn with a marker pen that is the size of a cow's tit, and more durable than a line drawn by a lump of French chalk ground to a point.
the coating I put on afterwards serves no purpose other than to make it look uniform, and mebe offer a bit of protection until painting commences.
the methylene blue will be removed by wiping over with neat methylated spirits, which will dissolve the dye and evaporate, leaving a surface ready for further work.
hope this explanation helps
nrgserv
Well-Known Member
practice, that's all I can say.
I aint a coded welder, but I do have an enthusiasm for collecting kit that helps what I do.
I've bolloxed plenty of stuff up over the years
