Industrial Paint Marker Guide: Markal Paintstik, Welder Pencils, Lumber Crayons, Tempilstik Temperature Crayons, Low-Corrosion Stainless Markers & Layout Ink for Australian Trades

Industrial paint markers are the workshop consumable nobody thinks about until they pick the wrong one and spend an hour fighting a marker that won't write on oily steel, fades under a welding hood, or — worst case — leaves chloride residue that corrodes a stainless weld. This guide covers the eight marker categories that matter in Australian trades: solid paint sticks, liquid paint markers, welder pencils, lumber crayons, layout fluid, engineering chalk, temperature-indicating crayons, and china markers for slick surfaces. It covers what each one actually does, where each fails, the AU brand reality, and the low-corrosion and code-welding compliance content that international consumer-grade articles miss entirely.

AIMS is an established Markal distributor (see the Markal brand page) and stocks the Tempilstik range in depth (see the Tempilstik brand page). The markers, inks & refills collection carries the paint stick, liquid marker, welder pencil, lumber crayon, layout ink and chalk range. The temperature indicators collection carries the Tempilstik temperature crayons across the F-degree range from 38°C to 1093°C.

What is an industrial paint marker — and what this guide covers

An industrial paint marker is a marking tool designed for the contaminated, rough, hot, cold, oily, rusty or bright-metal surfaces that defeat office and craft markers. The category includes solid paint sticks (real paint formed into crayon-style holders), liquid paint markers (paint suspended in a pumpable carrier through a felt or fibre nib), welder pencils (silver-pigment metallic leads), lumber crayons (clay-based extruded sticks for rough surfaces), layout fluid (fast-drying blue dye for precision scribing), engineering chalk (semi-permanent steel marking), temperature-indicating crayons (phase-change sticks for preheat verification), and china markers (wax-based for slick non-porous surfaces).

This guide is for the industrial and trade workshop market — welders, fabricators, machinists, fitters, mechanics, builders, electricians, plumbers, agricultural, mining, forestry. Not in scope: scribers (covered in the Centre Punch & Scriber Guide), consumer paint pens (Posca, craft Sharpie Oil-Based), spray paint markers (different product class), or food-safe-only markers (specialty class for HACCP environments — flag to specialist supplier).

The eight marker categories — decision matrix

Most workshops carry three or four of these as standing stock: a Markal Paintstik B for contaminated surfaces, a Valve Action liquid marker for clean fabrication layout, a Silver-Streak welder pencil for layout under the hood, and a packet of engineering chalk for plate marking. Code welders add Tempilstik temperature crayons. Trades doing rough timber or concrete work add lumber crayons. Stainless-critical work adds low-corrosion markers (source on request).

Paint sticks — the Markal Paintstik variant range

Paint sticks are real paint formed into a crayon-style cardboard or twist-up holder. The real-paint formula gives them the property that defines the category: they mark through contamination. Oil, grease, moisture, ice, dust, rust, rough texture — the paint bonds anyway. This is why fabricators marking incoming raw steel and welders laying out parts before grinding both use Paintstik formats.

Markal makes five Paintstik variants, each tuned for a surface profile:

The B Original is the workshop default and the AIMS standing stock. The variants are tuned for specific applications — a fabrication shop doing nothing but rough castings benefits from B-E; a galvanising touch-up operation benefits from PAINTSTIK+ Galvanizer. AIMS can source the variants on request.

Paintstik colour selection matters more than most users realise. Yellow is the standard high-contrast colour on dark steel. Orange (the Markal Paintstik B Orange) is the alternative for visibility on darker substrates and for safety-tagged marking. White appears on rust, dark paint, asphalt. The colour range is built around contrast against common workshop surfaces, not aesthetics.

Liquid paint markers — Valve Action, Markpaint, Pro-Line, Stylmark

Liquid paint markers carry paint in a sealed body through a valve or pump-action nib. They mark a finer, more controlled line than a Paintstik but require a clean dry surface to bond properly. On oily, wet or rusty steel a liquid marker beads up and rubs off; on clean metal, plastic, painted surfaces or fabrication layout work it leaves a precise, fast-drying, weather-resistant mark.

Valve Action markers need priming. Procedure: shake the marker vigorously for 30 seconds to mix the paint pigment, then press the nib down on a scrap surface or paper several times. Each press releases a measured paint dose into the nib through the spring valve. Once paint flows freely, write. The operating temperature range is -46°C to 66°C — performance drops outside this window, which matters on 50°C+ AU summer building sites in direct sun. Mark dries in approximately three minutes. Replacement nibs are available; if the nib remains dry after priming, the nib has dried out and needs replacement, not the whole marker.

Markpaint is the heaviest-duty liquid in the AIMS range — opaque, glossy, high-coverage, formulated for surfaces where contrast and visibility matter (under-vehicle marking, dark substrates, weathered metal). Pro-Line Fine and Micro is the precision option for layout work where Valve Action's 3mm bullet is too coarse.

Welder pencils — Silver-Streak (hot rolled, dirty) vs Red-Riter (cold rolled, stainless, sandblasted)

Welder pencils are pigmented mechanical-pencil-style markers designed for one job: leaving a mark on metal that survives torch heat, plasma arc and is visible through a welding hood filter plate. Standard pencil graphite isn't visible under the hood and would contaminate stainless welds anyway. Sharpies fade and wear out. Soapstone is useless on bright or oily metal. Welder pencils are the purpose-built answer.

Markal makes two welder pencils — and most fabricators only know about one of them:

AIMS stocks the Markal MK96101 Welders Pencil Silver-Streak (also available as the Markal Welders Pencil (Silver-Streak) format). Red-Riter is source-on-request — most AU workshops don't need it for general fabrication, but stainless and bright-metal specialists should keep one on the bench.

Markal also makes a Weld-Riter refillable mechanical-pencil-format welder pencil that takes either Silver-Streak or Red-Riter leads in the same body — the practical answer for shops that want both colours without two separate pencils.

Forum consensus on Silver-Streak (Practical Machinist, WeldingWeb, Welding Tips and Tricks, AWS forum): the silver pigment survives temperatures up to roughly 540°C (1000°F) and won't burn off under normal welding heat. The mark doesn't rub off easily and doesn't blow off in shielding gas flow. On dirty oily steel where soapstone fails completely, Silver-Streak still bites. Practical Machinist quote: "Silver Streak shows up while torching or tacking, and it's reflective enough to show up while welding."

Soapstone — where the traditional method still wins, where it fails

Soapstone is natural talc (steatite) — a soft mineral cut into flat sticks or round rods, used for welding layout for over a century. The marks survive welding heat (won't burn off), don't add carbon to the weld pool (no contamination on standard carbon-steel work), and the stick is dirt-cheap. The trade-offs are real:

• Wipes off easily. Marks survive heat but get rubbed off during handling, repositioning, or any contact with gloves. Some welders use this as a feature for temporary marks; others find it the killer drawback.
• Useless on oily, greasy or bright metal. Aluminium, stainless, chrome, polished steel — soapstone doesn't bite. Direct quote from Practical Machinist consensus: "soapstone is useless on oily, greasy or bright metal."
• Harder to spot on stainless — the white-on-bright contrast is poor.
• "Won't contaminate the weld except in high-purity applications" — fine for code welding on carbon and most stainless, but nuclear, aerospace and pharmaceutical-grade stainless fabrication requires certified low-corrosion marking instead.
• Sharpens on the side of a chop-saw blade or grinder — workshop convention. Standard pencil sharpeners don't work.

Where soapstone still wins: rough hot-rolled steel layout where Silver-Streak isn't needed, temporary marks where the wipe-off is desirable, and as a backup when the welder pencil runs out. Most welders carry both — soapstone for quick layout and Silver-Streak for marks that need to survive the job.

Lumber crayons — Markal MK80321 for rough surfaces

Lumber crayons are clay-based extruded wax sticks, much harder than artist's crayons, formulated to mark rough surfaces that defeat felt-tip and ball-point markers. The Markal MK80321 Lumber Crayon Yellow Clay-Based 12.7mm is the AIMS standard — yellow clay base, 12.7mm mark width, weather and UV resistant.

What they mark: rough sawn timber, treated and untreated wood, dressed timber, stone, concrete, asphalt, rebar, structural steel, rubber, brick, plasterboard. Weather conditions: wet, dry, hot, cold, dusty, muddy. The clay base bonds even where the surface is damp and won't wash off in light rain.

Trade applications:

• Timber framing and building sites — cut marks on framing timber, dimension annotations, component identification
• Lumber yards — log tally, dimension marking, identification, defect marking
• Forestry — tree marking for selective harvest, thinning, boundary marking
• Rebar and concrete — bar identification, cut marks, layout on the slab before pour
• Agricultural — livestock marking on bovine and ovine, equipment identification, paddock marking
• Asphalt and roading — line layout, hazard marking, repair area identification

Unlike felt-tip and fibre-tip markers, lumber crayons have no tip to wear out — you sharpen the end with a knife or just keep using the worn face. The clay base means they don't need refilling, don't dry out in storage, and work in sub-zero conditions where liquid markers fail.

Layout fluid / engineers ink — the precision scribe-through technique

Layout fluid (Dykem in the US, Dy-Mark in Australia) is a fast-drying blue dye painted onto metal before precision scribing. It looks like a dye and works like a layout aid: you paint a coat over the area you need to lay out, the dye dries in under a minute to a hard tacky finish, then you scribe through it. The scribed line cuts through the dye and shows up as a sharp bright streak of bare metal against the blue background — far more visible than scribing directly onto raw or oxidised metal.

The technique has been the standard precision machining marking method for over 70 years. Modern precision machinists still use it for laying out one-off and short-run parts, for transferring dimensions from drawings to metal, and for highlighting reference surfaces on castings before machining.

The workflow:

1. Clean and degrease the surface (any oil prevents the dye from bonding)
2. Apply layout ink with the bottle's built-in brush, sponge or by spray
3. Wait under one minute for the dye to dry to a tacky finish
4. Scribe layout lines with a hardened scriber — the line will appear as bright bare metal through the blue dye
5. Centre-punch intersection points if drilling will follow
6. Remove residual ink with thinner or solvent after machining

AIMS stocks the Dy-Mark Engineers Layout Ink Blue 1L — the Geelong-manufactured Australian equivalent of Dykem, same chemistry, same workflow. The 1L bottle is the workshop-standard format.

Layout ink is one half of a precision-machining marking workflow. The other half is the scribers and centre punches covered in the Centre Punch & Scriber Guide. For the dimensioning conventions and tolerance symbols that drive what gets laid out in the first place, see the Engineering Drawing Symbols Guide and GD&T Symbols Guide.

Engineering chalk — semi-permanent steel marking

Engineering chalk sits between layout ink (permanent precision marking) and soapstone (cheap temporary marking) in the marking hierarchy. The Dy-Mark Engineering Chalk is a clay-based marking compound that bonds well to steel, leaves a clear high-contrast mark, and washes off cleanly after fabrication — important when marking expensive plate stock or finished surfaces that cannot retain a permanent mark.

Standard applications:

• Plate cutting layouts where the mark must wash off after fabrication
• Inspection marking on finished surfaces
• Temporary identification on stainless steel before welding (washes off without leaving chloride or sulphur residue)
• Welder layout where soapstone is too easily wiped and Silver-Streak is too permanent

Bossweld Engineer's Chalk (50-piece tin) is the welding-supplies-channel alternative — same product class, similar formulation. Both AIMS-stocked.

Tempilstik temperature crayons — welding preheat & interpass verification

Tempilstik is a temperature-indicating crayon — a phase-change product, not a marker. Each stick has a known melting point, and the stick is used to verify that a metal surface has reached a specified temperature. Stroke the stick on the heated metal; the moment the metal reaches the stick's rated temperature, the mark melts from a chalky scratch to a glossy liquid smear. The colour of the stick is not the indicator — the melt is.

The product range covers 116 individual temperature ratings from 38°C (100°F) to 1093°C (2000°F), accurate to within ±1% of Fahrenheit rated temperature and ±3% Celsius rated. AIMS stocks the F-degree range including the Tempilstik 212°F (100°C) Indicating Stick 28310, Tempilstik 302°F (150°C) Indicating Stick 28318, Tempilstik 392°F (200°C) Indicating Stick 28327, plus the Tempilstik F Degree Temperature Indicator Kit 28600 (20 pcs) for shops that need bracket-temperature coverage. The full range across the temperature indicators collection.

Why temperature verification matters in welding:

Tempilstik complies with AWS D1.1 (Structural Welding), ASME Code Section I (Power Boilers), Section III (Nuclear), Section VIII (Pressure Vessels), and ANSI/ASME B31.1 (Power Piping) and B31.3 (Process Piping). For AU code work under AS/NZS 1554, AS/NZS 3992, AS 4458 and AS 1210, Tempilstik is the practical compliance tool — auditors accept the documented use of temperature-indicating crayons for preheat verification.

The bracket-temperature welding technique used by experienced welders: carry two Tempilstik sticks, one at the specified minimum preheat (must melt before welding starts) and one at the specified maximum interpass (must NOT melt during welding). The pair brackets the allowable temperature window. Example for AS/NZS 1554 pressure-vessel work on 1045 steel at 25mm thickness — minimum preheat 150°C (use Tempilstik 302°F), maximum interpass 230°C (use Tempilstik 446°F). Both sticks in the welder's pocket. Stroke and verify before each pass.

For the welding processes themselves, see the MIG Welding Guide, TIG Welding Guide and Stick Welding Guide. For helmet selection so you can actually see your Tempilstik marks, see the Welding Helmet Guide.

Low-corrosion markers — when standard markers are not safe on stainless

Most workshop work doesn't care about marker contamination. The mark gets cleaned off before welding, the carbon steel doesn't react with trace ink residues, and the joint behaves normally. On stainless steel — especially in critical service — the equation changes. Standard paint markers and ink markers contain trace chlorides, halogens (chlorine, fluorine, bromine, iodine), sulphur compounds, and low-melting-point metals (lead, zinc, bismuth). On carbon steel these are harmless. On stainless steel they cause stress corrosion cracking, sensitisation, and weld embrittlement.

The under-appreciated risk is sulphur. Sulphur on a stainless weld zone, in contact with water or steam at temperatures above 80°C, turns highly acidic — it forms a corrosive environment that degrades the metal and weakens the welded component. This is why food-grade stainless processing, pharmaceutical equipment, nuclear plant piping and aerospace tubing all require certified low-sulphur marking.

The industry threshold for a "low-corrosion" claim on a marker is below 250 ppm of corrosion-causing substances. Markal makes three certified products:

The honest scope statement: AIMS does not regularly stock the certified low-corrosion range at retail. Most Australian fabrication work does not need it — general carbon-steel and general stainless fabrication run on standard Markal Valve Action and Silver-Streak markers, with marks cleaned off thoroughly before welding. The certified range is for workshops doing nuclear-grade, aerospace, pharmaceutical-grade or food-contact stainless welding under formal QA programmes. AIMS can source the Paint-Riter+ Certified, SL.250 and ST.2100 PMUC on request through the supplier network. Call (02) 9773 0122 if your QA programme requires documented low-corrosion marking.

For stainless steel fastener and surface preparation context, see the Stainless Steel Fasteners Guide. For the cleaning side — the solvents and methods used to remove marker residue before welding — see the Industrial Degreaser Guide.

Galvanised steel marking — zinc surface chemistry

Galvanised steel is steel coated with zinc, applied either by hot-dip immersion or electroplating. The zinc surface has different chemistry to bare steel and reacts differently with markers and paints. Fresh galvanising — within roughly six to twenty-four months of application — has poor paint adhesion because the zinc surface hasn't yet developed the dense zinc patina that forms during weathering. Standard paint markers may wear off prematurely on fresh galv before the patina forms.

Markal's purpose-built solution is the PAINTSTIK+ Galvanizer — a solid paint stick specifically formulated to bond to fresh zinc surfaces. It's not regularly stocked at AIMS retail but can be sourced on request for galvanising touch-up and structural galv marking applications.

Workshop alternatives for general galv marking (less critical than touch-up):

• Markal Silver-Streak welder pencil — the silver pigment shows well on galvanised surfaces and survives subsequent grinding or welding heat
• Dy-Mark Engineering Chalk — semi-permanent, washes off, fine for temporary marking
• Markal Valve Action liquid marker — works on aged galvanising (patina formed), less reliable on fresh galv

An important welding note: zinc boils off at around 425°C, well below steel's melting point. When you strike an arc on galvanised steel, the zinc vaporises into the weld zone — producing zinc fume (toxic, requires extraction) and disrupting the weld pool with porosity, lack of fusion and cracking. The standard practice is to grind the galvanising off the weld line before welding, weld the bare steel, then touch up with zinc-rich paint (65–95% metallic zinc by dry-film weight) to restore corrosion protection. PAINTSTIK+ Galvanizer is a paint marker, not a corrosion-protective coating — for corrosion repair use a proper zinc-rich touch-up paint.

China markers / grease pencils — glass, plastic and slick surfaces

A china marker (also called a grease pencil or, in the UK, chinagraph) is a wax-based marking tool — paraffin wax, beeswax, ceresin, carnauba wax or similar — used to write on slick non-porous surfaces where paint markers and ink will not bond. It's a different product class to everything else in this guide.

What china markers mark:

• Glass — laboratory glassware, windows, mirrors, glass inspection plates
• Polished stone — granite, marble, polished concrete
• Ceramic — tiles, lab ceramic, porcelain
• Plastic — acetate, polycarbonate, polished plastic instrument panels
• Lacquered surfaces — instrument panels, varnished wood, lacquered metal
• Photographic paper and acetate film (legacy graphic-arts application)
• Polished metal — where standard paint markers won't bond

The mechanism: the wax melts slightly under writing pressure and deposits a coloured line on the surface. The mark is moisture-resistant, doesn't smudge under normal handling, and removes with a paper towel rub or solvent wipe.

Design feature: most china markers are paper-wrapped sticks with a peel-off string. Pull the string, the paper wrapper peels down to expose more wax — no pencil sharpener required. Some users find this awkward at first but the format is durable and works in any workshop environment.

Workshop niche applications: laboratory glassware labelling, glass inspection in fabrication shops, marking on acrylic or polycarbonate machine guards, optics work, slick instrument surfaces where conventional markers won't bite. AIMS does not regularly stock china markers but can source on request — common AU brands include Sharpie Peel-Off and Carmel Industries.

Surface compatibility matrix — which marker for which surface

Temperature ratings — marker survival from -50°C to plasma arc

Industrial Sharpie vs Markal — when each wins

Workshop forums (Practical Machinist, WeldingWeb, Bob Is The Oil Guy, mig-welding.co.uk) come back to this question repeatedly. The honest answer is that both have a place — and most workshops use both.

The realistic workshop kit: a Markal Paintstik B in the bench drawer for contaminated surfaces, a Markal Valve Action liquid marker for clean fabrication layout, a Silver-Streak welder pencil for layout under the hood, an Industrial Sharpie clipped to the apron for quick labelling. Each tool wins on its category.

Selection by trade — the practical kit

Removing paint marker from metal after fabrication

Paint marker removal depends on the marker chemistry. Match the solvent to the formulation:

Before welding stainless steel that has been marked, residue removal is critical — even certified low-corrosion markers should be cleaned off before the heat-affected zone is melted. The standard preparation is degrease with acetone or methyl ethyl ketone, then wipe with a dedicated stainless-cleaning rag (not a rag previously used on carbon steel — carbon transfer is its own contamination risk). For the broader cleaning workflow, see the Industrial Degreaser Guide and the Industrial Hand Cleaner Guide for the post-cleanup hand-care step.

Brand reality table — the AU marking-tools market

AIMS supply ladder — workshop to specialist

AIMS stocks the marking-tools range across the markers, inks & refills collection and temperature indicators collection collections, plus the dedicated Markal brand page and Tempilstik brand page brand pages.

For workshop fit-out advice including marker dispensers, stencil sets and specialist Paintstik variants, call AIMS on (02) 9773 0122 or use the contact form. Markal variants and Tempilstik bulk kits are sourced direct from the manufacturer; lead times for specialty items are typically two to four weeks.

Related AIMS guides

• Centre Punch & Scriber Guide — scribers, prick punches, centre punches and the workshop marking-out workflow that paint markers feed into
• Engineers Square Guide — the geometry tools that define what the markers lay out
• Engineering Drawing Symbols Guide — engineering drawing conventions, AS/NZS 1100 standards, dimension annotation
• GD&T Symbols Guide — geometric dimensioning and tolerancing reference
• MIG Welding Guide, TIG Welding Guide, Stick Welding Guide — welding processes that consume the welder pencils and Tempilstik temperature crayons
• Welding Helmet Guide — helmet selection so you can see the marks under the hood
• Stainless Steel Fasteners Guide — stainless steel fastener and surface preparation context for low-corrosion marking decisions
• Industrial Degreaser Guide — solvents and methods for marker residue removal before welding
• Industrial Hand Cleaner Guide — workshop hand-care after solvent and marker cleanup

Frequently asked questions

What is the best paint marker for marking metal?

There is no single best — it depends on the metal and the job. For general workshop layout on clean steel, a Markal Valve Action liquid paint marker works well. For oily, rusty or wet surfaces, the Markal Paintstik B solid paint marker is the standard answer because its real-paint formula ignores contamination. For welding layout you want a Markal Silver-Streak welder pencil because the silver pigment is reflective and visible through a welding hood filter. For stainless steel work, use a Markal Red-Riter (red pigment shows on bright surfaces) or — for code work or critical applications — a certified low-corrosion marker.

What's the difference between Markal Paintstik B and a liquid paint marker?

A Paintstik is a solid stick of real paint formed into a crayon-style holder; a liquid paint marker is paint suspended in a pumpable carrier that flows through a felt or fibre nib. The Paintstik wins on contaminated surfaces — it works on oily, rusty, wet, icy, dirty and cold metal where liquid paint either beads up or won't bond. The liquid marker wins on clean, smooth surfaces where you want a fine controlled line, fast-drying and writable detail. Most workshops carry both.

Does Markal Silver-Streak melt off when welding — and when should I use Red-Riter instead?

Silver-Streak is rated to roughly 540°C (1000°F) and the silver pigment survives torch and plasma temperatures without burning off — it's purpose-built for welding layout. Use Silver-Streak on hot-rolled steel, dirty surfaces, oily metal, anywhere the metal is dark and the silver contrasts well. Use Markal Red-Riter (red pigment) on cold-rolled steel, stainless steel and sandblasted material — bright reflective surfaces where the silver of Silver-Streak loses contrast and disappears. Many welders carry both.

What is Dykem (or Dy-Mark) layout fluid used for?

Dykem layout fluid (and its Australian equivalent Dy-Mark Engineers Layout Ink) is a fast-drying blue dye painted onto metal before precision scribing. The metal goes blue, the dye dries in under a minute, then you scribe layout lines through it — the scribed line cuts through the dye and shows up as a sharp bright streak of bare metal against the blue background. It's the standard precision machining marking technique that has been in use for over 70 years. AIMS stocks Dy-Mark Engineers Layout Ink Blue in 1L containers as the AU equivalent.

Can I use a Sharpie permanent marker on metal for welding?

Yes, for general shop marking on clean metal, an Industrial Sharpie works fine. Standard Sharpies wear their tips out within days under heavy layout work — Industrial Sharpies have harder pigmented ink and abrasion-resistant tips and last longer. But Sharpie loses to Markal Silver-Streak under a welding hood (silver pigment is reflective, ink is not) and loses to Paintstik on contaminated surfaces. The honest answer is that Sharpie is fine for labelling and quick marks but isn't the right tool for welding layout or oily/rusty surfaces.

What are low-corrosion or low-chloride markers — when do I need one?

Standard paint markers and ink markers contain trace chlorides, halogens, sulphur and low-melting-point metals. On most carbon-steel work these residues are harmless. On stainless steel, especially in critical service (nuclear, pharmaceutical, food processing, aerospace, high-purity stainless fabrication) those residues can cause stress corrosion cracking — sulphur in particular turns highly acidic above 80°C and attacks the weld zone. The industry threshold for 'low-corrosion' marking is below 250 ppm of corrosive contaminants. Markal Paint-Riter+ Certified and ST.2100 PMUC (less than 200 ppm halogens, less than 200 ppm sulphur) are the certified options. AIMS does not stock these at retail but can source on request for stainless-critical work.

What is a Tempilstik used for and how does it work?

A Tempilstik is a temperature-indicating crayon used to verify welding preheat and interpass temperature. It works by phase change — each stick has a known melting point, from 38°C up to 1093°C across 116 individual temperature ratings. Stroke the metal surface during heating; the moment the metal reaches the stick's rated temperature, the chalky scratch mark melts into a glossy liquid smear. The colour of the stick is not the indicator — the melt is. Tempilstik is required for AWS D1.1, ASME Code Sections I/III/VIII, ANSI/ASME B31.1 and B31.3 code-welding preheat verification. AIMS stocks the full F-degree range and the 20-piece bulk kit.

Can I mark stainless steel with a regular paint marker?

For non-critical fabrication and general workshop layout on stainless, a Markal Valve Action liquid marker or Markal Red-Riter welder pencil works fine. Clean the marker off thoroughly before welding to remove ink residue. For critical applications — food contact surfaces, pharmaceutical equipment, nuclear, aerospace, high-purity process piping — use a certified low-corrosion marker (Paint-Riter+ Certified or ST.2100 PMUC) with documented chloride, halogen and sulphur content below 250 ppm. The risk is stress corrosion cracking from contaminant residue during welding.

What's the best marker for galvanised steel?

Galvanised steel has a zinc surface that resists paint adhesion until a patina forms — typically 6 to 24 months of weathering. Standard paint markers may wear off prematurely on fresh galv. Markal makes a purpose-built PAINTSTIK+ Galvanizer variant specifically formulated to bond to fresh zinc surfaces; this isn't regularly stocked at AIMS retail but can be sourced on request. For temporary marks on galv, a Markal Silver-Streak welder pencil or Dy-Mark Engineering Chalk both work as workshop alternatives.

What is a china marker or grease pencil?

A china marker (also called grease pencil or, in the UK, chinagraph) is a wax-based marking tool — paraffin, beeswax, carnauba or similar — used to write on slick non-porous surfaces where paint markers and ink won't bond. Glass, polished stone, ceramic, lacquered surfaces, plastic, optics, photographic paper. The paper-wrapped sticks sharpen by pulling a string to peel the wrapper down (no pencil sharpener required). Marks wipe off with a paper towel. Workshop niche: lab work, glass inspection, optics, marking on slick surfaces where Markal won't bite.

Why won't my Valve Action marker write — how do I prime it?

Markal Valve Action markers have a spring-loaded valve at the nib — they need shaking and priming before each session. Procedure: shake the marker vigorously for 30 seconds to mix the paint, then press the nib down on a scrap surface or paper several times. Each press releases a measured paint dose into the nib. Once paint flows freely, write. If the nib remains dry, it may have dried out — replacement nibs are available. Operating temperature range is -46°C to 66°C; on a 50°C+ AU summer site in direct sun, performance drops at the upper end.

What is a lumber crayon and what surfaces does it work on?

A lumber crayon is a clay-based extruded marking stick — Markal MK80321 (yellow, 12.7mm mark size) is the AIMS standard. It marks rough surfaces that defeat conventional markers: rough sawn timber, treated and untreated wood, stone, concrete, asphalt, rebar, metal and rubber. Works on wet, dry, hot and cold surfaces. The clay base resists weather and UV. There's no felt or plastic tip to wear out — you sharpen it like a pencil or just keep using the end. Standard in lumber yards, building sites, forestry, agricultural marking and rebar identification.

Can paint markers mark on oily, wet or rusty surfaces?

Solid Paintstiks can; liquid paint markers generally cannot. The Markal Paintstik B Original uses a real-paint formula that bonds through grease, oil, moisture, ice and surface contamination — it's the standard answer for marking incoming rusty/oily steel before fabrication. The Markal QUIK STIK+ variant is specifically formulated for oily surfaces. Liquid paint markers (Valve Action, Markpaint) need a clean, dry surface to bond properly; on oily or wet surfaces they bead up and rub off. If you regularly mark contaminated surfaces, keep a Paintstik on the bench.

What's the AU equivalent of Dykem layout fluid?

Dy-Mark Engineers Layout Ink Blue is the Australian-made equivalent of Dykem layout fluid. Manufactured in Geelong, sold in 1L containers, same chemistry — a fast-drying blue dye for precision metal layout. Apply, let dry under a minute, scribe through it for a sharp visible line. AIMS stocks this as the AU layout-ink standard. Dy-Mark also makes Engineering Chalk for semi-permanent steel marking that washes off after fabrication.

How do I remove paint marker from metal after fabrication?

Method depends on the marker type. Solvent-based and citrus-based paint markers respond to a citrus terpene cleaner (Loctite SF 7850, Permatex Fast Orange) or acetone for stubborn marks. Water-based markers wipe off with methylated spirits or a mild industrial degreaser. Markal Silver-Streak pencil marks wipe off with a rag soaked in solvent or hand cleaner. Engineering chalk wipes off with a damp cloth. For the cleanup workflow including barrier cream and hand protection, see the Industrial Hand Cleaner Guide.