I need some engineer's blue to find out which part of the mechanism is fouling on one of my doors - but I don't know where to get it.
Google comes up with lots of hits describing *uses* of the stuff - but none which say who sells it.
I also spent ages looking for what I call Engineers Blue - my version was the stuff I used to paint on sheet metal at school prior to marking out. Never did find it!
Richard
It is called marking out fluid: google shows:
You can buy it from any engineering suppliers.
mrcheerful
The last time I bought some it was in the form of a very broad felt tip pen .. I didn't think I'd like it but it works very well .. ;-)
See here for yer local small engineering supplier ..
You may find a big, basic marker pen may do anyway?
All the best ..
T i m
You can get it in white and blue, and as a marker pen or spray can.
Frost sell it 3 quid inc. for 38g. Part number J270. Probably cheaper elsewhere, though.
Are we confusing two products. One is for Marking Out purposes and is a quick drying spirit based blue coating that will provide a high contrast for scribed lines.
The other is Engineers Blue / Micrometer Blue - a deep prussian blue greasy stuff. This is typically used to help to identify high spots on flat surfaces. It is non-drying.
Deep blue shoe polish works almost as well.
Permanent or dry wipe markers work well
Regards Jeff
Model Engineer's suppliers. You might get it at the Real Engineer's shop, but it's getting hard to find.
There are two sorts - one is blue dye in solvent, one is blue dye in a greasy solvent. For marking out puposes the aerosol stuff is quickest and easiest to use(easiest to find these days too). For fitting purposes, you need the greasy sort - it takes longer to dry. Best bought in tins, because a leaky tube of this is not your toolbox's friend !
As alternatives, a wipe with a marker pen works for marking out with a scriber. For fitting use either shoe polish or soft graphite pencil, depending on the hardness of the materials.
grease. I've never seen a "fluid" form.
I've had this stuff for decades and can't remember where I bought it :-(
That is a fluid for making marking out on metal more visible. You paint it on, let it dry and scribe throough it. It is not engineer's blue, which is a paste you put between two metal pieces, to show you the low spots after rubbing them together.
Colin Bignell
Look up engineers' suppliers in yellow pages.
Colin Bignell
nightjar >
True, but at school it was (erroneously I now know) called engineers blue. Hence the trouble I have had in finding it.
Richard
Right. You live and learn.
That's what I understand by the term. Only thing I've used it for was to check the mating of valves in a car cylinder head after grinding in, etc.
Normally, schools get that sort of thing right. Engineer's blue has always been a method of checking where bearing surfaces touch.
Some thing for enhancing marking out has never been called engineer's blue.
To check where a door is fouling you can also use masking tape, see where it gets scraped, or even simpler, just hold a piece of paper in the way as you close and see where it sticks.
Engineers blue is also used to dot the parts on electronic assemblies that have been checked. When they need 2nd and 3rd checks, the thing gets progressively more colourful after each check.
NT
========================= As an alternative you can use the smoke from a candle as an indicator. I used this method many years ago on my bikes but I can't remember exactly what for!
Cic.
I've seen it used by gunsmiths.
Engineers Blue is a trade name. The same stuff can be found under by doing a search for Marking Blue at R S Components.
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