Workshop Pencils and Markers - share your thoughts!

[FMC1959]

absolute best pencil sharpener !

I have a Carl, great pencil sharpener.

 

[BigSalNY]

I bought an arsenal of Pica products when i redid my kitchen 3 years ago..... never imagined I would place a 100 dollar order for mechanical pencils.... But now I cant live without them.

2 Pica pencils
Pica XL Ink Markers
Pica Deep Hole ink marker

Silver or Gold Sharpies for laying out metalwork

Paint pens, ive been thru a bunch of brands until I found the Mighty Markers by Arro-Mark

PM-24 is the Fine Line tip
PM-16 comes in 3 tip styles, bullet, chisel or stepup. I prefer the bullet

Love to see other people geek out on stuff like this also

 

[RTM]

Dang, got a chance to use a Pica deep hole fine point marker at work Very nice, but not nearly fine enough for most WW tasks. But beat the heck out all the paint pens I've ever used, need to see about colors.

 

[Dave455]

Dang, got a chance to use a Pica deep hole fine point marker at work Very nice, but not nearly fine enough for most WW tasks. But beat the heck out all the paint pens I've ever used, need to see about colors.

I’ve got a fair bit of experience with the Pica stuff now.

The fine point markers (orange sheaths) are great for marking the positions of holes to be drilled, no matter what you are marking on.

I find them good for metalwork too.

For woodworking you are better off with either classic “Pica Dry” or the “Big Dry” pencil (green sheaths), unless you are doing construction work!

 

[f121]

Loving the pica pencil. Mostly because it has a holster so it always gets put back in my pocket rather than being left near the last thing I was drawing on. Had mine for a year or so now, still very happy with it.

 

[F-22]

I have a Carl, great pencil sharpener.

I ordered the Carl Angel 5 Royal model from amazon.co.jp.

They cost about the same except for the extra postage from Japan. The difference is mine is made in Japan and does not harm the pencils with its teeth and I think is more adjustable (if the normal angel 5 even is adjustable). At least I think that's what the differences were at the time.

Probably the best new manual pencil sharpener on the market. Mitsubishi makes a very nice one but they're all plastic, the Carl is metal.

Recently ordered the Markal Silver-Streak pencil. It marks steel tubing very well if it is not painted on. I think the red version also exists that is more visible on certain other types of tubing (maybe coated or stainless? not sure). But if it painted, it is hardly visible. Still, very cool and I love the simple design. It says made in USA on it.

 

[Ton ton]

I just use lumberyard pencils. I know that they are not cool like some of these other options but they work for me for use on wood. I could use a metal marker though.

 

[f121]

Loving the pica pencil. Mostly because it has a holster so it always gets put back in my pocket rather than being left near the last thing I was drawing on. Had mine for a year or so now, still very happy with it.

Update on this - I lost my original pica, no idea where, I still have the holster. It’s now such an important part of my workflow, I replaced it after a couple of days

 

[BiaoBamosux]

For wood and metal, I’ve had a lot of luck with Pica markers; they’re my go-to for anything that needs bold, clear marks. I like the Pica “Visor” markers too for general labeling, since they’re super visible and work on pretty much any surface.
If you’re looking to try out other brands, sites like https://hickmandesign.co.uk/buy/ have a good selection of workshop-friendly supplies. I found a lot of good stuff there.

 

[Dave455]

For wood and metal, I’ve had a lot of luck with Pica markers; they’re my go-to for anything that needs bold, clear marks. I like the Pica “Visor” markers too for general labeling, since they’re super visible and work on pretty much any surface.

I totally in agreement with that.

I was just labelling up a load of vehicle spares and the Pica Visor were superb - write on anything and don’t dry up.


The other option are spirit markers. Pentel seem to be the “go to” and they are good, but I’ve been using these Pilot Twin Markers, which have lasted exceptionally well.


My local engineers tooling supplier keeps the smaller versions, he says due to customer demand! Made in Japan, but inexpensive.

 

[username2]

If I can just find the thing, I'll tell you what I use.

 

[Beerhippie]

Lots of great suggestions here!

I use these:

https://www.amazon.com/BIC-Wite-Out-Squeeze-Correction-WOSQPP418/dp/B00YR8G62W/?tag=atomicindus08-20

for marking on dark metals--hot rolled, etc. They're basically heat-proof for things like free-handing with a torch or plasma cutter. Also great for highlighting those irritatingly shallow size stampings on sockets and such.

 

[Cyclotronguy]

Im a metal guy, I use the Markall silver streak leads. They sharpen up pretty good and I can see them clearly under the tig torch or plasma arc, they are highly refective. Lathe and mill work, strictly by the numbers. When I do woodworking and need a mark a fine pentel mechanical pencil is my go too, but I do very little wood working