Suggestion for the tool favorite tool series a page on tested and or tested amazon affiliate link page listing all of the favorite tools to go back to find the list as a whole for the favorite tools.
I was a toolmaker/machinist for 30 yrs and dykem is one of the best inventions ever, it has many uses beyond layout of lines,and can’t go wrong with Starrett tools.
I expected Adam to break out in the song. I thought you had to to make it work. :) Pretty sure Alec has a T shirt. Ok just checked must have been special run. :(
In my first machine shop class, OMG, 43 yrs ago now, the instructor had us, as our first mid-term test, build a scribe body like the one Adam is using. Just the body and nothing else. One of the projects on the final was to finish the scribe, complete with the replaceable tip. I have had mine for 43 yrs. I was a very good at welding and so chose that life path, but my son now has all of my tools and still uses them to this day.
As an avid follower of Clickspring as well, I've seen so much beautiful deep blue marking fluid and layout (and even used a little myself) - so hearing Adam enthuse in detail is wonderful!
Aerospace machinist here, another very good way of marking parts, especially deep down in a pocket, is to use a Sharpie marker, blue or black and then spray your air gun on the tip of the marker and it acts like an airbrush. Been doing this trick for years as a machinist. 30+ years, and it works every time perfectly. Remember, hold your Sharpie marker point at an angle and spray with your air hose gun at an angle and it acts like an airbrush, it works amazingly well.
Have you ever seen stress-reveal lacquer? A lot like layout fluid, it covers the metal surface but it has a special party trick! The stuff dries extremely brittle, the slightest bend or flex to the base metal results in patterns of cracks in the lacquer, revealing the amount and direction of the flex. How sensitive is the stuff? A shotgun barrel seems pretty rigid, but this lacquer can 'see' the temporary bulge caused by the bullet/gasses passing through.
I love how even though how he's still trying to get people to buy the more expensive tool unlike most YTers Adam understand that $20 is still a lot of money to some people. Which is saying something when you think about how famous Adam is compared to most of them, he could've easily lost touch with what it's like for people just starting out.
Certain tools are worth getting the best, when they either are the only tool that will work well, or where the premium item does not really cost much more than the cheap alternative. A Common nail can be made into a poor man's scribe on a bench grinder and 30 seconds..... it will work just fine.
In reality Adam is not really all that famous. There are many many MANY UA-camrs out there, much much MUCH more famous than Adam is, and a whole hell of a lot wealthier than he is.
Adam, I've been a fan of yours for so many years, and you've helped inspire in me the desire to create and to build things. Thanks for keeping me company all these years, and especially during this pandemic.
Adam, You are one of my favorite tv personalities. I enjoy your spirit and positivity. You give legitimacy to my never ending desire to tinker and build. Be well.
Hi Adam, I’m a huge fan of yours. Maybe I’m kind of crazy but I cannot tell you how much I appreciate this tips, not only for the tip itself but because this content is a result of lot of experience, try and errors, etc. And that’s a shortcut, a way to build more experience on top of what you teach. Thank you
His enthusiasm reminds me of my pattern drafting teacher in fashion school. A lovely fellow as passionate about the most delicate work in pattern making
I love how you talk about a tool that just feels right, and talk Starrett making things that feel right. I recently found an old Starrett cabinet scrapper at a junk sale and found it to be a tool that just felt right in my hands. It was probably 70 years old and was well worn, but it was in good shape and just had that feel to it. Also interesting is another one of favorite UA-cam channels by Rex Krueger, who does a woodworking for humans series, also talks about how good Starrett tools are and how good they feel. Plus me being from Massachusetts, and Starrett being a local company gives me a small sense of pride. Thanks for your enthusiasm in what you do, and hope to see you out on the road do live shows again, you really are inspiring.
I made my first scribe in vocational school 25 years ago. It was the first final we had. I still have and use it to this day. Our instructor told us this is your most important too you’ll ever make or own. So true.
I first watched you use this in a build when I was probably in middle school, now I'm an engineer and use this stuff all the time. Keep up the great videos guys!!! I learn so much from your videos and cannot thank you enough for sharing your knowledge!
I bought some marking fluid and scribes earlier this year because I've seen Adam use it all the time. Made creating stuff so much easier and more precise.
I'm a machinist and one of my favorite projects was to make my own scribe. There are plenty of videos here on UA-cam, I manually turned a body on a lathe, knurled the handle, drilled and tapped a hole for a set screw so I could make replaceable tips from old carbide tools! Most little end mills come with 1/8 shanks so if you break one and have leftovers, chuck it in a drill and grind on a tip. One of my favorite tools to see the beauty of others, but making your own is just a little more satisfying.
I grew up watching you on mythbusters with my grandfather who is a macgyver type person and we loved watching the science and crazy fun every week. I also got to go to your exhibit at MOSI Florida and it was so awesome as a kid. It really got me into science and made it fun. I was your video and as I watched it I thought man he is a little crazy, but then I remembered to love science we all need that little bit of wild thought and energy. Thank you for all you do Adam 🙂.
Can highly recommend one of the latest videos on the main Clickspring channel, where he tries out different alternatives for what they might have used instead of marking fluid in the ancient world. a very informative video on what properties of marking fluid is important, and what could have been possible in the past.
Me after watching most tool tip videos: "Oh, that seems like a tool I could use... alright... time to figure out what the hell it's called in my language and if it's even a thing in my country..."
I've used nail polish for the vaguely related purpose of etching metal. Nail polish is also a paint that comes off with acetone and can be scratched into. If you have no luck finding the official stuff, you can at least find that.
Thanks, Adam. I am seeing you as not just a ‘myth buster’, but as an experienced, genuine and wise patriarchal Journeyman of your trade(s), Thank you for giving back this hands-on knowledge and wisdom!
Adam Love my Starrett 70b, and a GREAT improvement/mode is to add a pocket clip so I keep it handy in my shirt/apron pocket, just use a pocket clip off a Pentel mechanical pencil, with a little careful bending it fits great on the Starrett. Also, the 70b uses a 3/16 in diameter scribe point unit, and I bought a 12in cobalt HSS aircraft drill bit, cut it into approx 3.5in lengths and grind the points, and you have a lifetime supply of replacements. You can also find 3/16 carbide rods on line for around $3-4 each, makes a super hard, long long lasting scribe point replacement as well. I know Starretts offers this scribe with a carbide point, but they really charge an arm and a leg for the privilege of having the carbide If you want a 3/16in x 3 carbide rod, drop me a line, I bought several to save on shipping and would be happy you send you want for YOU to sharpen John
Watching Chris of Clickspring applying this fluid to a slowly rotating part in the lathe is incredibly satisfying. I need to get some of this, I've had it on 'the list' for a while.
The scribe and layout fluid are two tools that experienced machinists use from so early in their education that they stop thinking about it. Thanks for making this video. I like and use the General Tools scribes. Those have replaceable carbide tips. The carbide tip stays really sharp for quite a while.
Back in the early 90's when I was an Engineering Technician - Sheet Metal Apprentice working at NASA Langley Research Center, we used the spray on Machinist's Blue layout fluid. Loved that stuff...worked awesomely.
at 6:00 mins in........... to about 7:00 mins..........that's the best explanation of how a maker progresses through their evolution of tools that I've ever heard. Well said.
if you are working with a mystery scrap pile you can also use marking fluid to tell what type of metal it is. steel and aluminum dry to different shades of blue but magnisum will dry to a more stark shade of purple. while you might say "oh I can tell by whats rusted" sometimes you don't have the time to wait 2-3 weeks for rust and oxide layers to form. plus it takes experience to eye ball that on old cuts just based off the patina that forms. taking a quick brush stroke on a fresh face will tell you what that metal is made of.
A height gage with a carbide scribing tip very valuable instrument to have, other measuring dimensions, you can use it to transfer scribed lines onto your part that has been coated with Dykem. A roller to apply the Dykem for flat surfaces is also another very usefull tool. I am in a CNC machining program at trade school. Last semester we were first on manual Bridgeports then conversatonal CNC Bridgeport style mills that could also be used in manual mode; the Dykem was used extensively to mark out locations for holes and features.
I forgot about this stuff! Back when I was a machinist, we used to use this with veneer calipers for precise hole drilling. Well as precise as you can get on an old clapped out Bridgeport from the 50's.
I still have a 40+ year old metal can of Dykem from an old love affair I had w/ a Bridgeport in the late 70s. We also had an old clapper in the shop but we used it as a hogger when needed. It was kept in the "rough room" next to an old convertible Cincinnati that could run as a vert or a horiz mill. Made 3 F-14 wing hinges on that big green ugly thing. I miss those days.
That's one of the very first things I was told *not* to do when I learned basic metalwork all those years ago. I guess that's the difference between being self-taught and having a formally trained teacher.
Some calipers are high precision measuring instruments. Some are semi-disposable tools for quickly marking parts to a useful degree of precision. Accuracy is time is money, and sometimes time is worth more than finding, "correctly" using, and maintaining a pair of calipers that's accurate to .0001".
@@5thearth That is about 50x more accurate than you should be using calipers for. A micrometer with vernier scale will read that low, but you should verify with gauge blocks.
I’ve heard this too but personally I don’t agree. Any precise measurements should be taken with a micrometer so I’ve never seen the benefit of high end calipers. I use the cheaper ones to scribe and do whatever, and get me close enough. From there I use the mic, but that’s just my take. Plenty of ways to do things and everyone has a right to their opinion.
When I started out as a machinist, I had to buy tools second hand. The Starrett stuff I got is by far the highest quality tools I’ve ever owned. The older stuff wears so well, they last several lifetimes.
My old man was a machinist in a workshop owned by my grandfather, and I remember them using blue marking fluid when I was a wee tyke. Seeing someone using it now makes me feel all sentimental.
True, it’s a cheaper alternative but if you are applying any heat to the piece then the ink will burn off, Dykem Blue (or Red) is heat resistant. It also creates a slightly thicker layer than a Sharpie so it marks a clearer line. It’s worth the investment if you are doing a lot of machining work. P.S. your spelling is fine, only one word ‘whole’, I don’t know what your mother tongue is but I guarantee that I couldn’t begin to write a comment in your language! 😀
Before the pandemic, I worked in an engineering shop, and not only do we use Dykem fluid quite regularly, but Dykem also sells a "Prep and Remover fluid", that is really good at cleaning the metal surfaces before applying the marking fluid, and also removing it afterward without any film or residue all in the same fluid, that I am sure can be purchased just about anywhere the marking fluid is also sold.
That stuff is also great for boat manufacturing. It helps show scratches and imperfection in the boat gel. And sometimes a guild cutting into stuff, but I always used it for tiny scratches.
One of the projects I had to do for training was to make a scribe. It was made to plan and was made up of several parts. Some were sent out for heat treat. It was a test for us to do small dia int. and ext. course and fine threading along with fit and finish and dimensional accuracy.
For the other readers (I'm sure Adam knows) it can also be really handy to level parts or ensure you've removed enough material. When you use a milling machine to flatten a surface painting it in marking fluid can tell you where you are in terms of depth. You paint the surface and start to run the mill or other flattening operation and the high spots are milled down first, removing the fluid, areas that still have coloration are lower than the milling head is set. After each pass you should see the area get smaller as successive passes level out the part, once there's no blue left, you're theoretically level, or level enough to start using finer processes like sanding.
Adam, what you said about buying a quality tool brought back a memory of when I first started in metal working, my boss told me the same thing . I bought my first micrometer 27 years ago , on his advice I spent more than I could really afford at that time and bought a Brown and Sharp . 27 years later it still is accurate to .0001 .
Adam, the other quick and convenient use for the Starrett scribe is to use the point as a quick alignment point in the mill by chucking it either in your drill chuck or collett to then center over a mark. Maybe not quite as precise as using an edge finder but can be pretty good and pretty fast.
Yet another excellent and informative video. Thanks, Adam! I have used Dykem for years. I use isopropyl alcohol to remove the dye. It works great and is less toxic than some of the alternatives.
Re: Starrett scribes - I was lucky enough to find one at a thrift shop. Then I was stupid and used the tip to pry something. Crack! Luckily replacement tips are available. Also the tip stores in the handle reversed, preventing puncture wounds and damage to pencil pockets! The more expensive ones come with a carbide tip rather than hardened steel. They are made for people who use them all day every day. The one in the link should be fine for most.
It’s also very helpful on the lathe when using multiple drill sizes in the same hole or form drills. The dye will let you know if your depths are correct and your leaving material for the finish tool or tools. Also for diameters to clean up. Dykem is a must for machinist, but it has many uses for other stuff.
I love it. It helps people make much more accurate marks! This is a wonderful thing to share. It’s so simple and so practical! I have to make parts for ww1/WW2 airplanes. This is what I do.
Dykem Blue marking fluid is great and resistant to high temperatures during machining, unlike Sharpie marker. I use both of them as needed. Thank You Adam.
Secret sharpie tip: useful for marking flame cuts on glasss. After initially burning off, the marks become visible again at a higher temperature. This second stage of visibility burns off at working temps. Super useful for component uniformity
As I got more experienced at wood work, I found that I usually the skill I needed to build what I wanted to build. But, if I wanted to level up the quality of the build, I needed to be more precise with my cuts. Which gets to the thing Adam has said before about what side of the line you cut to, but also taking care in measuring and marking out. It's the difference between using a blunt carpenters pencil, vs a fine mechanical pencil or marking knife. That's the time you're really going to get the best value from really good marking tools, when your skills let you cut to/on the line, and you now need to put the line in exactly the right place. Adam needs to take a trip to Montana to do a colab with Alec Steel. Every time I see Alec hand tool a collet into his mill, I think of the air tool kit Adam did a tested video on years ago. And both Adam and Alec have a fondness for making things and blue Dychem.
Thanks for this Adam! Just got my Starrett delivered! I have a smaller scribe which was my dads and looks almost identical but it’s not a Starrett, (inscription is from “ The General Hardware Co NY”). It’s quite old. The Starrett tool certainly does feel more substantial.
Adam They also make Dykem in a dauber format ( part #190523) which for small parts is a lot less messy than the brush form. You can also buy refillable dauber bottle on Amazon and fill from your big can of Dykem for a lower total cost than the pre-packaged dauber version John
For marking on layout fluid i use one half of an old jewelry compass with interchangeable tips In case of importend surfaces i dont want to scratch, even polished surfaces I have made tip inserts out of steel, copper, aluminum and brass wire
So weird. I use to watch mythbusters as an 11 year old kid. Now im a grown adult watching a hero of mine as a kid show some of his tips and tricks. Sooooo Cool Adam! Thanks so much for doing this content!!!
As a former machinists for 12 years. We used dykem daly. What was better for gags was transfer blue..bench hands used all the time for spotting. Us machinists used it to get laughs .lmao..had some great times and learned a ton...we custom wrote our programs and no lazy button pushing. Funny 24 years later my brother is still in the trade and ask me all the time.come back and work with him again.. i dont miss the slivers..
I've found that a tungsten electrode for TIG welding makes a perfect scribe, and making a scribe holder is a great project for a new lathe owner. even on a small lathe. totally worth it.
My wife and I came up with a concept years ago: cost per use. When you buy something don't necessarily think about the raw cost, but how much will it cost you every time you use it. When you buy a lifetime tool the cost per use will in many cases be much lower than the cost per use of a cheaper tool that wears out often and has to be periodically replaced. It also applies to how often you will use something. Don't spend a lot of money on tools, clothing, furniture, or whatever if you are only going to use it one or two times. If a cheaper option will sufficiently perform the job for a low use item, then it makes sense to get the cheaper item. The cost per use will be lower.
@@FantomZap Interesting comment. I come from a very poor farming family and considering these things is how we kept machinery running, etc. Although following this principle can allow you to make good choices and actually save money in the long run, hence becoming more wealthy.
Our shop uses Blue marking fluid to paint chisel bevels before grinding, particularly woodturning chisels. The Blue sticks to the steel better than a Sharpie or felt tipped marker.
I'm not a maker, but I'm a guy who has other hobbies where I need to consider the cost both in time and money. I agree with the idea that it's better to pay more for a lifetime tool rather than pay a little for a tool that will break immediately. Where I felt the sentiment was a bit out of touch was when he explained exactly what that meant. Actually, he didn't. He made it seem like it's all about just feel, when this is wrong. There are times when paying more means that you're paying for something made to last longer. This may be a $20 scry, but the way he said it made me think there's probably a ~$10 scry that will last a lifetime. While you shouldn't buy the cheapest tools, you also should know when you're paying more just because you like the nice intricate tooling on the handle, or you like the heft of the object. My father has no-name tools that are older than me, and will likely outlive me. He also has name brand tools that were the only ones at the time that would last, and they have.
They also make Dykem bottles with a felt/marker like pad under the cap so you only need to rub it on the surface instead of having to paint it on with a brush! I know we use those all the time at the shop I work at.
its funny that I started studying engineering and during the workshops, I started using a similar method to make a plan for complicated parts by scratching the surface, but with no liquid. I think ill mark them with a blue sharpie and scratch them from now on. Its genius! thank u Adam :):):)
I'm in the Thai jungle, Adam. No layout fluid here but I've discovered a great substitute. China ink. It's jet black and a scribed line dazzles like a silver needle by contrast. It's fast drying, wipes off with alcohol and costs 40 baht for a small bottle... $1.35.
to piggy back off of what Adam was saying about investing in tools. CONFIDENCE in your tools is so important. regardless of how much you spend, you have to have confidence in your tools. and this is important in all aspects of my life from, making, to bow hunting, to jiu jitsu. i need to have confidence in the gear that im using. if spending a bit more money on a scribe is going to give me the confidence that this is the right tool for the job, then I feel like i have so much more freedom to be myself and perform the task as hand. A perfect example for this IMO is pencils. i'm a wood worker, and for a long time i would use any old pencil or marker lying around. well i was always questioning the accuracy of my mark, and that anxiety i feel manifested itself in the work. so i decided that i was going to buy a nice mechanical pencil, and a pack of 3b pencil lead to keep in my apron. in terms of investment it wasnt much... but it wasnt a $.50 carpenter's pencil from home depot either. but now i dont worry about marks, i have confidence that when i'm cutting on that line i'm making the right cut and that helps a lot.
As a machinist I can honestly say that you are only as good as your tools will allow you to be. The level of quality will equal the level of consistency sometimes regardless of price but always in the attention to detail
Yep! tools matters big time. But what matters most is to lesson from those with great experience and skills set. Knowledge here does not apply much, but knowing the tools yes, experience them, connect with them as one. So he gave you great tips that knowing your tools matters. And getting the right tools is the key or you end-up spending more to create less.
I worked with that blue in high school metal shop class one of the first thing we used for making a metal box. Year's later when welding for a shop they had the blue there but rarely used it.
On metal or wood (or anything else), I always mark the waste side of a cut, I learned that in the metal working class as an eleven year old in the 60s and have never forgotten it.
I personally have no idea about the half the stuff he talks about. But honestly I don’t care because the way he describes things you can hear his passion for his craft and that something worth watching.
Wow, as soon as he applied the fluid I was hit by a massive sense memory of the *smell* of the solvent evaporating from the fluid as it dries. I haven't used it in 25+ years, since I worked in a metal shop, but boy that's still in the neurons.
After vocational school during my apprenticeship I had to do metrology and drafting mechanical drawing ore on hardening metals. But I enjoyed laying out my materials to be machined. No CNC back then tape run machine was our first introduction to them. Had many big shops calling to hire on. He'll even the army offered grade E5to sign me up. Feels good to do layout its lost art now.
Mr. Savage, The twist scribe you have is for etching and engraving, a variation of the traditional Whistler's Needle. It is particularly old and irreplaceable. The value is entirely up to you.
Starrett machinist scribe: amzn.to/2Zeidzf
Dykem Blue marking fluid: amzn.to/332dTV4
Dykem Red spray marking fluid: amzn.to/334y6t7
I love your work Adam 🙂
Hey Adam I believe engineers blue can also be found in broad marker form. I find it can be quicker to apply and more even than painting it on.
Suggestion for the tool favorite tool series a page on tested and or tested amazon affiliate link page listing all of the favorite tools to go back to find the list as a whole for the favorite tools.
Adam, you have always been and will always be an eccentric and endearing character. Rock on!
I was a toolmaker/machinist for 30 yrs and dykem is one of the best inventions ever, it has many uses beyond layout of lines,and can’t go wrong with Starrett tools.
Alec steele youtube blacksmith has a comedic video about his love of Blue D. And his hatred for Red D. Its great.
what video was it in?
Probably FAQ
BLLUUUEE DYYYCUM
I expected Adam to break out in the song. I thought you had to to make it work. :)
Pretty sure Alec has a T shirt.
Ok just checked must have been special run. :(
Not just a video, it's a running gag
I can hear the singing of a young british blacksmith off in the distance.
BLUUUUUUUUUEEEEEEE DDDIIIIIIIIIIKAAAAAAMMMMM!
🤣🤣🤣🤣
who doesn't :-D
I love that someone at Tested knows him as well :) Would love to see what Mr. Steele and Mr. Savage could build together...
I can hear a fart at 4:18
In my first machine shop class, OMG, 43 yrs ago now, the instructor had us, as our first mid-term test, build a scribe body like the one Adam is using. Just the body and nothing else. One of the projects on the final was to finish the scribe, complete with the replaceable tip. I have had mine for 43 yrs. I was a very good at welding and so chose that life path, but my son now has all of my tools and still uses them to this day.
As an avid follower of Clickspring as well, I've seen so much beautiful deep blue marking fluid and layout (and even used a little myself) - so hearing Adam enthuse in detail is wonderful!
Thank you, Tom!
I'm convinced that the Venn Diagram of Clickspring, Alec Steele, and Tested viewers is pretty darn near a circle.
@@ERNesbitt Alec tends to grate on my nerves so don't watch him very often
You are most likely correct. I watch all three.
Haven't seen any new vids from clickspring in months.
Aerospace machinist here, another very good way of marking parts, especially deep down in a pocket, is to use a Sharpie marker, blue or black and then spray your air gun on the tip of the marker and it acts like an airbrush. Been doing this trick for years as a machinist. 30+ years, and it works every time perfectly. Remember, hold your Sharpie marker point at an angle and spray with your air hose gun at an angle and it acts like an airbrush, it works amazingly well.
Amazing stuff
Have you ever seen stress-reveal lacquer?
A lot like layout fluid, it covers the metal surface but it has a special party trick!
The stuff dries extremely brittle, the slightest bend or flex to the base metal results in patterns of cracks in the lacquer, revealing the amount and direction of the flex.
How sensitive is the stuff?
A shotgun barrel seems pretty rigid, but this lacquer can 'see' the temporary bulge caused by the bullet/gasses passing through.
Shotguns don't shoot bullets. A slug would be the closest approximation. Cool product though. Never heard of it.
@@MrEazyE357 I shoot saboted 50 caliber bullets in mine.
Never heard of it, don't ever foresee needing it, yet now I'm headed to Amazon to order some!
.... sensitive to EXPLOSION INSIDE THE MATERIAL isn't very sensitive
@@MrEazyE357 shotguns can shoot whatever you stuff into a cartridge
I love how even though how he's still trying to get people to buy the more expensive tool unlike most YTers Adam understand that $20 is still a lot of money to some people. Which is saying something when you think about how famous Adam is compared to most of them, he could've easily lost touch with what it's like for people just starting out.
Certain tools are worth getting the best, when they either are the only tool that will work well, or where the premium item does not really cost much more than the cheap alternative. A Common nail can be made into a poor man's scribe on a bench grinder and 30 seconds..... it will work just fine.
In reality Adam is not really all that famous. There are many many MANY UA-camrs out there, much much MUCH more famous than Adam is, and a whole hell of a lot wealthier than he is.
@smallblockchevy1022 yep. You are absolutely right. But he is still more popular, wealthier and interesting than you
Adam, I've been a fan of yours for so many years, and you've helped inspire in me the desire to create and to build things. Thanks for keeping me company all these years, and especially during this pandemic.
I like how this show gives Adam a chance to really show his appreciation for the behind the scenes tools that make his everyday making life easier.
Adam, You are one of my favorite tv personalities. I enjoy your spirit and positivity. You give legitimacy to my never ending desire to tinker and build. Be well.
Hi Adam, I’m a huge fan of yours. Maybe I’m kind of crazy but I cannot tell you how much I appreciate this tips, not only for the tip itself but because this content is a result of lot of experience, try and errors, etc. And that’s a shortcut, a way to build more experience on top of what you teach. Thank you
His enthusiasm reminds me of my pattern drafting teacher in fashion school. A lovely fellow as passionate about the most delicate work in pattern making
Dykem also comes in a bingo-dobber style bottle. This is an awesome application that I find makes less of a mess for me. Your results may vary.
*dauber
Someone else makes one that looks like a large square end sharpie.
I have gotten countless ideas and new tool additions from watching you adam for along time. The time and fingers ive probably saved. Thanks my man
It's always fun to see someone so gleefully enthusiastic as Adam gets.
I love how you talk about a tool that just feels right, and talk Starrett making things that feel right. I recently found an old Starrett cabinet scrapper at a junk sale and found it to be a tool that just felt right in my hands. It was probably 70 years old and was well worn, but it was in good shape and just had that feel to it. Also interesting is another one of favorite UA-cam channels by Rex Krueger, who does a woodworking for humans series, also talks about how good Starrett tools are and how good they feel. Plus me being from Massachusetts, and Starrett being a local company gives me a small sense of pride. Thanks for your enthusiasm in what you do, and hope to see you out on the road do live shows again, you really are inspiring.
I love how passionate you are about the simplest tools.
I made my first scribe in vocational school 25 years ago. It was the first final we had. I still have and use it to this day. Our instructor told us this is your most important too you’ll ever make or own. So true.
I first watched you use this in a build when I was probably in middle school, now I'm an engineer and use this stuff all the time. Keep up the great videos guys!!! I learn so much from your videos and cannot thank you enough for sharing your knowledge!
I bought some marking fluid and scribes earlier this year because I've seen Adam use it all the time. Made creating stuff so much easier and more precise.
I'm a machinist and one of my favorite projects was to make my own scribe. There are plenty of videos here on UA-cam, I manually turned a body on a lathe, knurled the handle, drilled and tapped a hole for a set screw so I could make replaceable tips from old carbide tools! Most little end mills come with 1/8 shanks so if you break one and have leftovers, chuck it in a drill and grind on a tip. One of my favorite tools to see the beauty of others, but making your own is just a little more satisfying.
I grew up watching you on mythbusters with my grandfather who is a macgyver type person and we loved watching the science and crazy fun every week. I also got to go to your exhibit at MOSI Florida and it was so awesome as a kid. It really got me into science and made it fun. I was your video and as I watched it I thought man he is a little crazy, but then I remembered to love science we all need that little bit of wild thought and energy. Thank you for all you do Adam 🙂.
You don't understand how much I love this channel.
Adam Savage: I am a Machine Operator.
Hospital: We have the records to prove it! =P
And mister Hyneman 😂
No, but he does have the receipts for tape and gauze...
Indeed, and the machines have operated on him as well!
I am a safety man
Can highly recommend one of the latest videos on the main Clickspring channel, where he tries out different alternatives for what they might have used instead of marking fluid in the ancient world. a very informative video on what properties of marking fluid is important, and what could have been possible in the past.
That was fascinating 😍
Me after watching most tool tip videos:
"Oh, that seems like a tool I could use... alright... time to figure out what the hell it's called in my language and if it's even a thing in my country..."
USA! USA! USA!
@@hardpack187 buddy, I get to use the metric system...
REST OF THE WORLD! REST OF THE WORLD! REST OF THE WORLD!
I've used nail polish for the vaguely related purpose of etching metal. Nail polish is also a paint that comes off with acetone and can be scratched into.
If you have no luck finding the official stuff, you can at least find that.
@@HunterRodrigez "Get to"? Like it's a privilege?
@@hardpack187 compared to basically being forced to use the imperial system? Yes, yes it is.
Thanks, Adam. I am seeing you as not just a ‘myth buster’, but as an experienced, genuine and wise patriarchal Journeyman of your trade(s), Thank you for giving back this hands-on knowledge and wisdom!
He was the latter first, then got the tv gig. Now, he has come full circle.
I've never fantasized about having a machine shop until Adam's videos.
Check out "This Old Tony", "Ca Lem", and "Clickspring" on YooToob. I think you'll like them.
Adam
Love my Starrett 70b, and a GREAT improvement/mode is to add a pocket clip so I keep it handy in my shirt/apron pocket, just use a pocket clip off a Pentel mechanical pencil, with a little careful bending it fits great on the Starrett.
Also, the 70b uses a 3/16 in diameter scribe point unit, and I bought a 12in cobalt HSS aircraft drill bit, cut it into approx 3.5in lengths and grind the points, and you have a lifetime supply of replacements. You can also find 3/16 carbide rods on line for around $3-4 each, makes a super hard, long long lasting scribe point replacement as well. I know Starretts offers this scribe with a carbide point, but they really charge an arm and a leg for the privilege of having the carbide If you want a 3/16in x 3 carbide rod, drop me a line, I bought several to save on shipping and would be happy you send you want for YOU to sharpen
John
Ha “peeking above the clouds” is such a great way to describe using a good tool!
Watching Chris of Clickspring applying this fluid to a slowly rotating part in the lathe is incredibly satisfying. I need to get some of this, I've had it on 'the list' for a while.
The scribe and layout fluid are two tools that experienced machinists use from so early in their education that they stop thinking about it. Thanks for making this video.
I like and use the General Tools scribes. Those have replaceable carbide tips. The carbide tip stays really sharp for quite a while.
Back in the early 90's when I was an Engineering Technician - Sheet Metal Apprentice working at NASA Langley Research Center, we used the spray on Machinist's Blue layout fluid. Loved that stuff...worked awesomely.
at 6:00 mins in........... to about 7:00 mins..........that's the best explanation of how a maker progresses through their evolution of tools that I've ever heard. Well said.
Mr Savage, you truely make me a better maker with your tips. Much love from The Netherlands.
if you are working with a mystery scrap pile you can also use marking fluid to tell what type of metal it is. steel and aluminum dry to different shades of blue but magnisum will dry to a more stark shade of purple. while you might say "oh I can tell by whats rusted" sometimes you don't have the time to wait 2-3 weeks for rust and oxide layers to form. plus it takes experience to eye ball that on old cuts just based off the patina that forms. taking a quick brush stroke on a fresh face will tell you what that metal is made of.
Thanks, Ryoku, that's good to know.
A height gage with a carbide scribing tip very valuable instrument to have, other measuring dimensions, you can use it to transfer scribed lines onto your part that has been coated with Dykem. A roller to apply the Dykem for flat surfaces is also another very usefull tool.
I am in a CNC machining program at trade school. Last semester we were first on manual Bridgeports then conversatonal CNC Bridgeport style mills that could also be used in manual mode; the Dykem was used extensively to mark out locations for holes and features.
I forgot about this stuff! Back when I was a machinist, we used to use this with veneer calipers for precise hole drilling. Well as precise as you can get on an old clapped out Bridgeport from the 50's.
I still have a 40+ year old metal can of Dykem from an old love affair I had w/ a Bridgeport in the late 70s. We also had an old clapper in the shop but we used it as a hogger when needed. It was kept in the "rough room" next to an old convertible Cincinnati that could run as a vert or a horiz mill. Made 3 F-14 wing hinges on that big green ugly thing. I miss those days.
Adam: Good tools will last a lifetime.
Also Adam: Uses perfectly good calipers to scribe a line.
That's one of the very first things I was told *not* to do when I learned basic metalwork all those years ago. I guess that's the difference between being self-taught and having a formally trained teacher.
Some calipers are high precision measuring instruments. Some are semi-disposable tools for quickly marking parts to a useful degree of precision.
Accuracy is time is money, and sometimes time is worth more than finding, "correctly" using, and maintaining a pair of calipers that's accurate to .0001".
@@5thearth That is about 50x more accurate than you should be using calipers for. A micrometer with vernier scale will read that low, but you should verify with gauge blocks.
I’ve heard this too but personally I don’t agree. Any precise measurements should be taken with a micrometer so I’ve never seen the benefit of high end calipers. I use the cheaper ones to scribe and do whatever, and get me close enough. From there I use the mic, but that’s just my take. Plenty of ways to do things and everyone has a right to their opinion.
Yes. That was 20 pushups of punishment in our high school shop.
When I started out as a machinist, I had to buy tools second hand. The Starrett stuff I got is by far the highest quality tools I’ve ever owned. The older stuff wears so well, they last several lifetimes.
My old man was a machinist in a workshop owned by my grandfather, and I remember them using blue marking fluid when I was a wee tyke. Seeing someone using it now makes me feel all sentimental.
One alternitive is to use the sharpy to paint the houle thing and then scribe that. Works the same way. Sorry for my spelling.
True, it’s a cheaper alternative but if you are applying any heat to the piece then the ink will burn off, Dykem Blue (or Red) is heat resistant. It also creates a slightly thicker layer than a Sharpie so it marks a clearer line. It’s worth the investment if you are doing a lot of machining work.
P.S. your spelling is fine, only one word ‘whole’, I don’t know what your mother tongue is but I guarantee that I couldn’t begin to write a comment in your language! 😀
Before the pandemic, I worked in an engineering shop, and not only do we use Dykem fluid quite regularly, but Dykem also sells a "Prep and Remover fluid", that is really good at cleaning the metal surfaces before applying the marking fluid, and also removing it afterward without any film or residue all in the same fluid, that I am sure can be purchased just about anywhere the marking fluid is also sold.
That stuff is also great for boat manufacturing. It helps show scratches and imperfection in the boat gel. And sometimes a guild cutting into stuff, but I always used it for tiny scratches.
My Starrett scribe came in the mail today and it is a beast!
Definitely recommend.
I took 3 years of machine shop in high school. It’s one of the first things we learned to use. It’s good stuff.
One of the projects I had to do for training was to make a scribe. It was made to plan and was made up of several parts. Some were sent out for heat treat. It was a test for us to do small dia int. and ext. course and fine threading along with fit and finish and dimensional accuracy.
I'm not a machinist, I do not own any type of machines, but I certainly know quite a bit about Dykem Blue thanks to Adam and all these videos
For the other readers (I'm sure Adam knows) it can also be really handy to level parts or ensure you've removed enough material. When you use a milling machine to flatten a surface painting it in marking fluid can tell you where you are in terms of depth. You paint the surface and start to run the mill or other flattening operation and the high spots are milled down first, removing the fluid, areas that still have coloration are lower than the milling head is set. After each pass you should see the area get smaller as successive passes level out the part, once there's no blue left, you're theoretically level, or level enough to start using finer processes like sanding.
Adam, what you said about buying a quality tool brought back a memory of when I first started in metal working, my boss told me the same thing . I bought my first micrometer 27 years ago , on his advice I spent more than I could really afford at that time and bought a Brown and Sharp . 27 years later it still is accurate to .0001 .
Adam, the other quick and convenient use for the Starrett scribe is to use the point as a quick alignment point in the mill by chucking it either in your drill chuck or collett to then center over a mark. Maybe not quite as precise as using an edge finder but can be pretty good and pretty fast.
Yet another excellent and informative video. Thanks, Adam! I have used Dykem for years. I use isopropyl alcohol to remove the dye. It works great and is less toxic than some of the alternatives.
Re: Starrett scribes - I was lucky enough to find one at a thrift shop. Then I was stupid and used the tip to pry something. Crack! Luckily replacement tips are available.
Also the tip stores in the handle reversed, preventing puncture wounds and damage to pencil pockets!
The more expensive ones come with a carbide tip rather than hardened steel. They are made for people who use them all day every day. The one in the link should be fine for most.
It’s also very helpful on the lathe when using multiple drill
sizes in the same hole or form drills. The dye will let you know if your depths are correct and your leaving material for the finish tool or tools. Also for diameters to clean up. Dykem is a must for machinist, but it has many uses for other stuff.
He's got so many "favorite" tools that he really should make a video about the only tools he hates lol!
willprogresivo that would be worthy!
I'd love that series!
Just bought some for the first time. Was tired of painting sharpie as fluid to scribe on. worth every dollar.
I love it. It helps people make much more accurate marks! This is a wonderful thing to share. It’s so simple and so practical! I have to make parts for ww1/WW2 airplanes. This is what I do.
Dykem Blue marking fluid is great and resistant to high temperatures during machining, unlike Sharpie marker. I use both of them as needed. Thank You Adam.
Secret sharpie tip: useful for marking flame cuts on glasss. After initially burning off, the marks become visible again at a higher temperature. This second stage of visibility burns off at working temps. Super useful for component uniformity
As I got more experienced at wood work, I found that I usually the skill I needed to build what I wanted to build. But, if I wanted to level up the quality of the build, I needed to be more precise with my cuts. Which gets to the thing Adam has said before about what side of the line you cut to, but also taking care in measuring and marking out. It's the difference between using a blunt carpenters pencil, vs a fine mechanical pencil or marking knife. That's the time you're really going to get the best value from really good marking tools, when your skills let you cut to/on the line, and you now need to put the line in exactly the right place.
Adam needs to take a trip to Montana to do a colab with Alec Steel. Every time I see Alec hand tool a collet into his mill, I think of the air tool kit Adam did a tested video on years ago. And both Adam and Alec have a fondness for making things and blue Dychem.
What to do today... ooh, a video on blue dye. I'm in! That's why Adam is the king.
I used a spray version when I worked at ThyssenKrupp cutting circles and rings.
2:12 those wheel squeeks were genuine. Adam is awesome!
Great to see this, it teaches the basics. We use to claim 0.010” accuracy on small layouts. 0.030” was easy.
I remember using that stuff in metal shop in the early 70s, Man, what a buzz we got from it.
Thanks for this Adam! Just got my Starrett delivered! I have a smaller scribe which was my dads and looks almost identical but it’s not a Starrett, (inscription is from “ The General Hardware Co NY”). It’s quite old. The Starrett tool certainly does feel more substantial.
Every time I learn something new!! Thank you, Adam!
Adam
They also make Dykem in a dauber format ( part #190523) which for small parts is a lot less messy than the brush form. You can also buy refillable dauber bottle on Amazon and fill from your big can of Dykem for a lower total cost than the pre-packaged dauber version
John
For marking on layout fluid i use one half of an old jewelry compass with interchangeable tips
In case of importend surfaces i dont want to scratch, even polished surfaces
I have made tip inserts out of steel, copper, aluminum and brass wire
So weird. I use to watch mythbusters as an 11 year old kid. Now im a grown adult watching a hero of mine as a kid show some of his tips and tricks. Sooooo Cool Adam! Thanks so much for doing this content!!!
I like the extra weight in quality small hand tools like awls picks and scribes. More stable in the hands and just feels not flimsy.
As a former machinists for 12 years. We used dykem daly. What was better for gags was transfer blue..bench hands used all the time for spotting. Us machinists used it to get laughs .lmao..had some great times and learned a ton...we custom wrote our programs and no lazy button pushing. Funny 24 years later my brother is still in the trade and ask me all the time.come back and work with him again.. i dont miss the slivers..
I Really like this video, Adam. Your passion for tools is infectious. Cheers!
I've found that a tungsten electrode for TIG welding makes a perfect scribe, and making a scribe holder is a great project for a new lathe owner. even on a small lathe. totally worth it.
10:07
"How do you not know?"
It also happens in the operating room, and why doctors mark you up... so that they don't cut off the wrong leg.
I almost got the wrong leg marked once...
Fortunately that was only "almost".
My wife and I came up with a concept years ago: cost per use. When you buy something don't necessarily think about the raw cost, but how much will it cost you every time you use it. When you buy a lifetime tool the cost per use will in many cases be much lower than the cost per use of a cheaper tool that wears out often and has to be periodically replaced. It also applies to how often you will use something. Don't spend a lot of money on tools, clothing, furniture, or whatever if you are only going to use it one or two times. If a cheaper option will sufficiently perform the job for a low use item, then it makes sense to get the cheaper item. The cost per use will be lower.
This is a known thing. TCO. Total cost of ownership. It should be applied to everything from cars to computers.
@@chuxmix65 and clothes, and ...
This is the sign of a wealthy individual. This is the way.. (mandalorian reference)
@@FantomZap Interesting comment. I come from a very poor farming family and considering these things is how we kept machinery running, etc. Although following this principle can allow you to make good choices and actually save money in the long run, hence becoming more wealthy.
Our shop uses Blue marking fluid to paint chisel bevels before grinding, particularly woodturning chisels. The Blue sticks to the steel better than a Sharpie or felt tipped marker.
When I upgraded my layout tools, l went with all vintage Starrett squares, scribes, and dividers.
I'm not a maker, but I'm a guy who has other hobbies where I need to consider the cost both in time and money. I agree with the idea that it's better to pay more for a lifetime tool rather than pay a little for a tool that will break immediately.
Where I felt the sentiment was a bit out of touch was when he explained exactly what that meant. Actually, he didn't. He made it seem like it's all about just feel, when this is wrong. There are times when paying more means that you're paying for something made to last longer. This may be a $20 scry, but the way he said it made me think there's probably a ~$10 scry that will last a lifetime. While you shouldn't buy the cheapest tools, you also should know when you're paying more just because you like the nice intricate tooling on the handle, or you like the heft of the object. My father has no-name tools that are older than me, and will likely outlive me. He also has name brand tools that were the only ones at the time that would last, and they have.
They also make Dykem bottles with a felt/marker like pad under the cap so you only need to rub it on the surface instead of having to paint it on with a brush! I know we use those all the time at the shop I work at.
Got a Starrett 4 inch tri square for about 20 bucks one time,the guy who messed up figured it out as he was ringing me up!
its funny that I started studying engineering and during the workshops, I started using a similar method to make a plan for complicated parts by scratching the surface, but with no liquid.
I think ill mark them with a blue sharpie and scratch them from now on. Its genius! thank u Adam :):):)
I'm in the Thai jungle, Adam. No layout fluid here but I've discovered a great substitute. China ink. It's jet black and a scribed line dazzles like a silver needle by contrast. It's fast drying, wipes off with alcohol and costs 40 baht for a small bottle... $1.35.
to piggy back off of what Adam was saying about investing in tools. CONFIDENCE in your tools is so important. regardless of how much you spend, you have to have confidence in your tools. and this is important in all aspects of my life from, making, to bow hunting, to jiu jitsu. i need to have confidence in the gear that im using. if spending a bit more money on a scribe is going to give me the confidence that this is the right tool for the job, then I feel like i have so much more freedom to be myself and perform the task as hand. A perfect example for this IMO is pencils. i'm a wood worker, and for a long time i would use any old pencil or marker lying around. well i was always questioning the accuracy of my mark, and that anxiety i feel manifested itself in the work. so i decided that i was going to buy a nice mechanical pencil, and a pack of 3b pencil lead to keep in my apron. in terms of investment it wasnt much... but it wasnt a $.50 carpenter's pencil from home depot either. but now i dont worry about marks, i have confidence that when i'm cutting on that line i'm making the right cut and that helps a lot.
It looks like it feels good. Weigh, balance are really critical. Price is often important but not always. It’s what makes the best of your skills
As a machinist I can honestly say that you are only as good as your tools will allow you to be. The level of quality will equal the level of consistency sometimes regardless of price but always in the attention to detail
oh and the Starrett 18-A automatic center punch with replaceable tip, a lifetime tool! Been using the same one for 30 years!
Yep! tools matters big time. But what matters most is to lesson from those with great experience and skills set. Knowledge here does not apply much, but knowing the tools yes, experience them, connect with them as one. So he gave you great tips that knowing your tools matters. And getting the right tools is the key or you end-up spending more to create less.
We called it engineers blue when I did metalwork in school many years ago.
I worked with that blue in high school metal shop class one of the first thing we used for making a metal box. Year's later when welding for a shop they had the blue there but rarely used it.
A very good tool tip for anyone who uses a knee mill or a metal lathe.
On metal or wood (or anything else), I always mark the waste side of a cut, I learned that in the metal working class as an eleven year old in the 60s and have never forgotten it.
I personally have no idea about the half the stuff he talks about. But honestly I don’t care because the way he describes things you can hear his passion for his craft and that something worth watching.
Wow, as soon as he applied the fluid I was hit by a massive sense memory of the *smell* of the solvent evaporating from the fluid as it dries. I haven't used it in 25+ years, since I worked in a metal shop, but boy that's still in the neurons.
It's such a nice blue. I've always liked it.
I've also used a chisel tip permanant marker and a scribe to layout aluminum parts, if you don't have marking fluid on hand.
After vocational school during my apprenticeship I had to do metrology and drafting mechanical drawing ore on hardening metals. But I enjoyed laying out my materials to be machined. No CNC back then tape run machine was our first introduction to them. Had many big shops calling to hire on. He'll even the army offered grade E5to sign me up. Feels good to do layout its lost art now.
Mr. Savage, The twist scribe you have is for etching and engraving, a variation of the traditional Whistler's Needle. It is particularly old and irreplaceable. The value is entirely up to you.
I'm an electrician but man, i could watch you talk about tool like its a movie lol, respect A.S