talc is also a mineral (which is a naturally occurring inorganic crystalline solid)

Is it not in the same group as soapstone, etc.?

Frosty The Lucky.

soapstone is the rock, talc is the mineral.  Lots of other stuff can be in a rock.  Soapstone is the massive form of talc

soapstone is the rock, talc is the mineral.  Lots of other stuff can be in a rock.  Soapstone is the massive form of talc

Okay, that's what I thought even if I didn't say it. Aphasia makes keeping the details straight a . . . what was that?

Frosty The Lucky.

I have taken to using Bic correction pens for some markings. The marks are visible into an orange heat.

If you have problems finding your mark but you know it should be there this helps:

I make 2 marks, one where I need it and the second is to assist me finding the first fast. They are the depth of my anvil face apart.

The distance has to be long enough so the second mark is not glowing bright.

Placing the Iron on the anvil, lining up the second mark on the edge I know exactly where I have to look for the real mark.

For more distance between the marks because of a long heat use a hammer, compass or a whatever you have available

If you have problems finding your mark but you know it should be there this helps:

I make 2 marks, one where I need it and the second is to assist me finding the first fast. They are the depth of my anvil face apart.

The distance has to be long enough so the second mark is not glowing bright.

Placing the Iron on the anvil, lining up the second mark on the edge I know exactly where I have to look for the real mark.

For more distance between the marks because of a long heat use a hammer, compass or a whatever you have available

I do this as well.

It is not the length that is so difficult to find most of the time though…the mark is often at one end or in the centre of the heat. It is more a problem of "which face?" on a flat or square bar or whereabouts on the perimeter of a round one.

I always put a wiggly line down the marked face or edge of the bar. This is really useful both to find the mark, and keep track of which side you started on if you are doing a sequence of heats in a process. Punching and drifting holes for instance. You don't have to try and figure out which side of the bar should be up at any point in order to keep the "barrel" swelling central.

When I am punching I also put a chalk mark 180mm (7") from the centre of the hole, and this mark is aligned with my 360mm (14") wide furnace edge. this ensures the hole is centre of chamber.

If a mod reads this could they add this thread on to Joels' Pens and Pencils thread please. I started it because I was confronted by the "forbidden" glitch and it refers to the discussion under way in that one.

Alan

Edited July 16, 201510 yr by Alan Evans

I put a soapstone mark on the anvil based on some fixed point on the piece to indicate  where to look

One trick I've learned.....

If you mark your work with a center punch, make the punch a 4-sided pyramid rather than a conical taper.  The flat angles show up a lot easier on the glowing metal, though I can't explain the science of why.