Grease Pencil

[Steve Clarkson]

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I came across this picture online for some camera repair business.....they said that they used a "heated grease pencil" to get the color in the engraved areas. Has anyone used this technique? If so, how do you heat the pencil and how durable is the marking?

[Mike Null]

If I were attempting it I'd use a heat gun. That's what I have on hand and I'd try heating the lens holder first to see if that was enough to soften the pencil.

[Joe Pelonio]

Back when cars required a timing light when doing a tuneup, I used that method on the timing marks to make them easier to see when setting the timing on several vehicles. I just left the grease pencil in the sun for a while, rubbed it onto the indent d marks, then wiped off the excess with a rag. Have never tried it with laser work, always use paint fill.

[Kev Williams]

I can put actual paint in that lens ring they're painting, probably be done in 1/4 the time, and paint is permanent. Grease pencil isn't. First time someone leaves the camera that lens is attached to inside a locked car in the summer sun, guess where that yellow paint might end up? And simply handling it will embed dirt and grit from your fingers into the grease because it never hardens. I've also seen more than one engraved operator panel 'painted' with a Sharpie. First time someone cleans the part with a little alcohol....

Paint sticks and grease pencils are okay for some fill jobs, I only use them as a last resort, I'd never use them on a camera lens ring. To me, that's akin to painting a Bentley with Krylon.

The ONLY parts I currently engrave that I use paint sticks on are certain 2-way radios with mottled surfaces that paint just can't be cleaned up from afterward. Fortunately my customer is okay with it.

[Kim Vellore]

More common name for this pencil is "China marker"

[Glen Monaghan]

Probably pretty similar to results with Rub-n-buff, which is a waxy stuff. If the depth is great enough, the width of the engraved lines narrow enough, and the handling not too rough, it might work depending on your application. I had a problem with one application that was handled a lot and with sweaty and/or dirty hands and the gold fill (which initially contrasted very nicely with the black substrate) virtually disappeared over time as it became embedded with grime.