Paint Marker Selection For Steel Service Centers

Steel Service Centers marking requirements use of a wide variety of markers for a variety of conditions. Below is a summary of marking requirements and the marking options available.

Cold, oily or rough surfaces. Most Steel Service Centers are not heated so markers need to perform at temperatures as low as -30 deg F or colder. At these extreme temperatures, conventional solid paint markers become brittle and break. Felt tip, liquid paint pens take several minutes to dry in extreme cold. Newly formulated solid paint markers from Sakura remain soft in extreme cold and dry in 5 to 7 minutes. Xylene based liquid paint pens from Competitive Advantage, Unipaint and ArroMark cure up to 80% faster at low temperatures. Click Here For More Info On Sakura Low Temperature Markers

Stainless Steel, Titanium, Nuclear Grade Metals. Many standard paint markers contain solvents Steel Service Centers need to be aware of what the chemical make up of markers is before marking these metals. Halogens that corrode stainless steel and titanium, weakening the structure of the metal. Solid paint markers are liquid felt markers both come in Low Halogen or Low Chloride versions. Sakura recently introduced a low halogen, certified solid paint marker and low chloride felt tip markers are available from a variety of manufacturers: Dykem, Markal, ArroMark, and JP Nissen. Online distributors such as MarkingPenDepot offer a variety of brands and types of markers. Click Here To View Low Chloride Markers

Bleed Thru and Semi Permanent Marks. Bleed Thru markers are designed to leave a legible identification mark after the Steel Service Center has painted the metal. Markal BL is a solid bleed thru marker available in black and blue. Arro Mark Bleed Thru is a felt tip  version bleed thru paint pen and available in black, blue, red and green. Removable and Semi Permanent paint pens mark metal and are easily removed at galvanizing facilities in the cleaner bath. Conventional paint pens do not come off in this cleaner bath and require grinding or strong solvents to remove them. Galvanizing paint pens are available from SKM and Arro  Mark, a solid paint marker is available from Markal. Click Here For More Info On Bleed Thru Markers.

Paint Marker Selection For Precast Concrete

The Precast Industry uses permanent markers of various types for marking finished product. The marker requirements are stringent; must write on damp or wet surfaces, must withstand use on rough surfaces, must be UV resistant and withstand weathering and must be capable of writing legible instructions and numbers on finished products. The industry uses several different types of markers to accomplish these requirements.

Solid Paint Markers

Solid paint markers are solidified paint and an excellent choice for rough surfaces. Solid paint markers such as the Markal B Paint Stik and Sakura Solid Paint Marker are available in 19 colors and write on rough and wet or damp surfaces. These permanent markers are also an excellent choice for enclosed or underground areas because they do not contain any solvents.

Felt Tip Paint Markers

Felt tip paint pens are alcohol or xylene based markers for writing detailed messages. The tips are 1/8″ wide and capable of writing on most smooth surfaces. Xylene based markers such as The Pumper from Genpack or MPD X from Competitive Advantage are an excellent choice for wet surfaces and also dry quickly in extreme cold.

Steel Tip Markers

Steel tip markers are ideal for rough surfaces that require detail. The tips are 1/8″ wide and use a stainless steel roller ball to deliver the paint. Dalo and Texpen markers from ITW Dykem are ideal because the work on wet surfaces and the stainless steel roller ball is abrasive resistant. The Dalo and Texpen markers also use a pressurized barrel so users can write at a variety of angles without losing paint delivery.

MarkingPenDepot carries the largest selection of paint markers and pens in the industry and represents leading companies such as Markal, Dykem, Sanford, Sharpie, Markline, Sakura, Artline, SKM, Dixon and Uni Paint.

Low Chloride Permanent Markers

Low chloride markers are available in felt tip, steel tip or solid paint markers. Low chloride markers contain less than 200 ppm of halogens and should be used on stainless steel, titanium and other materials subject to stress corrosion from chlorinated chemicals. MarkingPenDepot carries low chloride markers from Markal, Dykem, Arromark, Sharpie, and Sakura. All markers are available with certification so you can document chloride levels.

Permanent Paint Pen Selection

Several factor must be considered when selecting a permanent paint pen.

• Type Style-felt tip markers come in extra fine, fine, medium and broad tips ranging from .8mm to 5/8″.  Some markers come with replaceable nibs that can save you up to 40% . Steel tip markers are available in 3mm, 6mm and 8mm. Use steel tip markers when writing on rough surfaces such as rusty metal, aluminum castings and concrete.
  
• Chemical Composition-permanent paint pens are either alcohol or xylene based. If you’re marking on extremely oily metals, frosted windows, or wet parts, you need the enhanced adhesion properties that xylene gives.
• Fill Rate-Medium tip markers contain between 7 cc’s and 10 cc’s of paint. That’s 40% more paint in one marker over another. Most manufacturers do not publish the contents but the tops are relatively easy to remove and the contents can be measured.
• Temperature resistance (standard markers work well up to 150 deg F and fade faster in temperatures above 150 deg. High temperature markers use colored glass pigments that resist temperatures up to 2000 deg F.
• Low chloride levels for marking stainless steel, copper or aircraft materials such as titanium engine parts.
• Qualified Supplier-distributors that focus on markers offer a variety of brands, tip sizes, and as many as 20 different colors. If you select the proper distributor they will assist you with samples to evaluate and support you with inventory once you select a brand.

Weiler Wire Brush Products Now Available

Use Weiler Wire Cup brushes on any 4 inch grinder for rust, paint and slag removal.

 

MarkingPenDepot recently added wire cup brushes and weld brushes from Weiler brush. If you’re in metal fabrication, take a look at our new offerings. You can find them in the Abrasives-Wire Brush category in the left column.

 

 

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