Dykem alternative

Another vote for the giant sharpie. When I started out, an experienced maker gave me a red one. It helped me a lot to see where I was contacting the belt first, leaving facets, etc. I still have it next to the grinder. It’s just so easy to mark up the whole side of the blade to help me see what I’m doing and I can stick some on each pass if I really wanted to. I also have a bottle of dykem now, but I keep the marker around for the little stuff.

Jeremy
 
Thanks for all the replies guys. I had no idea dye was so toxic. I'll give the big sharpy a go. Always looking for ideas to refine my process.
 
Not sure getting it to Canada would be any cheaper but there is Seymour 620 spray and Osborne Layout spray.
 
BIg at marker for me as well. spray paint is way to thick for layout. nice thing about a marker is you can put it where you want it and not over everything else.
 
samuraistuart said:
Hmmm. Maybe I’m missing a key point, but how will dykem ensure you removed all the scratches from the previous grit?
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. for me it does not ensure either, it just helps assure that i did not miss any spots. i always do a few passes across the platen at each particular angle i happen to be holding my wrist at, to make sure i got all the scratches. if you are still having trouble, spray it twice during each belt. a trick with no spray is to turn off the machine, and move the knife across the platen/wheel left to right a few times to make a different scratch pattern than when the machine is running. make sure you get rid of all those with the next grit belt and repeat.
 
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