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Pencil marks

Joined
Sep 6, 2019
Messages
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Location
Dorset, VT
How do you remove pencil marks from projects. Sanding off seems to take forever. Is there a better way to remove same or perhaps a better way to mark lines on the wood.
 

brian horais

Beta Tester
TOTW Team
Joined
Dec 20, 2014
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Location
Knoxville, TN
Website
www.horais.com
I'm with Robo, erasers work very well. Get a good eraser, not the one on the end of the pencil. Also, try not to use the hard lead pencils - they leave a faint line and make an indentation in the wood. I like the softer lead pencils that make a mark without a lot of pressure.
 
Joined
Sep 24, 2009
Messages
98
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56
Location
Astoria, Oregon
I use 6B pencils as the "lead" is soft, and does not leave an impression in the wood. Learned this tip from Rolly Munro during his symposium demo years ago. They do wear down fast, so I buy several each time I go to the art supply store.
 

john lucas

AAW Forum Expert
Joined
Apr 26, 2004
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Location
Cookeville, TN
DNA works great.as.well.as.a.good.pencil.eraser. however #2.pencils.dent the wood and that has to be sanded out. Use a.2B or softer.artists pencil. They dont dent the wood and DNA takes it off very easily.
 
Joined
Aug 6, 2009
Messages
693
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497
Location
Lummi Island, WA
I'm with Rick - 6b or 4b either are nice and soft, don't leave an inprint and come off easily with dna or, better yet, a mars white eraser. I keep a bunch of clutch pencils around the shop loaded with 6b and 4b lead in 3mm and 5mm diameters - like the sketching or tool box pencil kits available at Craft Supply.
 
Joined
Jul 26, 2015
Messages
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429
Location
Hot Springs, AR
Marc I had the same issue,. erasers sometimes work, other times, not. DNA and Acetone were also hit and miss. But a month ago I discovered using isopropocol alcohol. It works great. I cleaned a piece of maple yesterday as well as used it to clean my erasers. it's cheap. get it at the drugstore.
 
Joined
Dec 5, 2015
Messages
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Location
Seattle, WA
Pencil on wood reminds me of Mr. Kendricks our high school wood shop teacher. We had required projects to complete before moving onto something we really wanted to make. He liked to keep the whole class at the same stage of the required projects. So if you were a fast worker when you showed him your work he would scribble all over it with his pencil telling you to sand the marks off before moving on to the next step. He was an awful teacher.
 
Joined
Sep 6, 2019
Messages
10
Likes
2
Location
Dorset, VT
I use 6B pencils as the "lead" is soft, and does not leave an impression in the wood. Learned this tip from Rolly Munro during his symposium demo years ago. They do wear down fast, so I buy several each time I go to the art supply store.
Thanks I’ll try the 6b , seems like I’ve spent hours trying to remove from ash wood
 
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