Scribe lines

peter nap

peter nap

Joined
Nov 27, 1999
Messages
3,745
I really hate to admit it to myself but my vision has degraded to the point where it is difficult to see normal scribe lines now.

I started to cut a sight dovetail tonight and just can't see my lines well enough.

Does anyone else have the same problem and how are you dealing with it?
 
i went to the Dollar store and got a couple pair of thier reading glasses for $1 each, powers of 1.5 and 2, they help a lot. :D
 
Thanks Guys.
Terry, I have at least 50 pairs of them that I can never find when I need them.

Kit, I hadn't thought of Dykum. It's funny how you can miss such a simple solution!
 
I've been using regular old brush on Dykem for years, but just bought a can of the spray stuff. It's much better for large area coverage. I'd add in a carbide tipped scriber as a small upgrade to the exacto blade as it will remain sharp a lot longer and they're only a couple bucks from Enco.

John
 
I got something from Brownells ,1 3/4 x just enough to help out a bit. They're made by Donegan Optical.Good for engraving.
 
some days are better than others but I had to really up the light level in my shop and I frequently use opti-visors when I'm working on hitting a fine line. when that quits working, I'm not sure what I'll do.
 
Peter, I have that nemesis "aging vision" bad, too. I wear a set of readers AND various optivisors at the same time. In my avatar you can see I even wear readers to forge! I also try to remember a baseball cap cuz that puts you way too close to the work when grinding. ;)

I agree wholeheartedly with Tracy about the lighting being key. What I posted to say is that my ability to see detail increased dramatically when I switched to new lighting and bulbs from a company called Full Spectrum Solutions. We first got it for some sun-analog lighting in winter, but it quickly got pirated for the shop. It provides the best clarity of any light I have ever used. Reading is much easier, and detail on knifework improved substantially.

I often burn a combination of incandescent, halogen, and this new fluorescent in the shop for the finest detail work.

Good luck. Golden years my ass.... :D
 
Don't know why but I never could get Dykem to go on evenly and completely cover my steel so I just went to using black Sharpee markers. A scribed line stands out like a sore thumg through that. Thankfully, I found some fat tipped Sharpees at Walmart so it's no problem at all covering a large section of steel or ti.
Michael
 
I'm 31 and have 20-20 vision and would have a hard time without dyechem and a swing arm 100 watt lamp shining on the work surface. Espcialy after getting hot and sweaty and sweat getting in my eyes, it makes my eyes slightly blurry for several hours even after cooling off.
 
Well I've never felt alone in this particular regard but it's nice to hear that I've found many of the same solutions you folks have. Lucky for me I discovered reading glasses about the time I started having trouble hitting the punched mark when drilling...and my vision quickly devolved from there. Like Fitzo I have multiple types of lights in my shop and use a lot of broad spectrum lighting - at the vises and grinders especially. There's so much light in my shop it gets hot in the basement! :D But even at that I discovered last week, looking at some recent work in the light of my workplace, I need more light in my shop! So more fluorescents are in my immediate future. (Fitzo, thanks for saving me having to look up how to spell "fluorescent." :D ) Dykem is a lifesaver; I couldn't live without it. I just can't decide whether I prefer the red or blue. Some projects take on a decidedly patriotic hue...

Another thing coming soon will be an optivisor. That's something I've procrastinated buying but given that I need to take my work to another level, it's quickly becoming mandatory.

Take heart Don, failing eyesight is just one of the facets of growing more distinguished - or as some of my coworkers have taken to calling my own ripe age: wisened. (They're really not very amusing. And they'll never see me wearing an optivisor! :D )
 
I am a bit older than most of you guys but luckly very far sighted so I can get by with just reading glasses. I run a Bridgeport almost every day and also have the need for a LOT more light. I find I can't stand the smell of Dykem blue in a closed in area so I use a wide felt marker and a carbide scriber -- works well for me. Getting old aint all it's cracked up to be.
 
old aint all it's cracked up to be.

That's an understatement Pete. BTW, I posted this on long rifles too. It's amazing how close the answers are. It amazes me sometimes how many crossover builders there between these two sites.
 
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