The ones with the really thick ink that had a push-in writing tip to release more ink - they used to be fairly easy to come by my dad used them when I was a kid then later at work and I've owned a few myself historically, but now I can't even find reference to them - every search leads at best to their Lumicolour pens, which will sometimes cut it for light etching but they are not the same beast nor in the same league at all.

Did they just stop making them does anyone know? And if so, is there another similar product on the market? - None of the standard fibre-tip permanent markers touted as useful for etching cut it for the stuff I want to do, but those old ones would work an absolute treat!

Cheers folks,

Shaun/FloWolF

 

The ones with the really thick ink that had a push-in writing tip to release more ink - they used to be fairly easy to come by my dad used them when I was a kid then later at work and I've owned a few myself historically, but now I can't even find reference to them - every search leads at best to their Lumicolour pens, which will sometimes cut it for light etching but they are not the same beast nor in the same league at all.

Did they just stop making them does anyone know? And if so, is there another similar product on the market? - None of the standard fibre-tip permanent markers touted as useful for etching cut it for the stuff I want to do, but those old ones would work an absolute treat!

I haven’t tried this, but perhaps craft paint markers would work. You could even use different colors for different parts of your circuit, to aid in verifying your layout’s correctness. I can recommend the Posca brand. They make a clean, solid line. Make sure you get the fine or ultra-fine markers. . I get mine from Amazon.

 

They are called technical drawing pens and are still available from KOH-I-NOOR.


They fitted perfectly on Tektronix 4662 flatbed pen plotters. I used them extensively to draw PCB layouts using special Black India ink on clay filled paper. The copy was then sent to the photography department from which PCB negative masks were created.

 

I used that exact plotter to produce thousands of vibration signature plots.

 

I haven’t tried this, but perhaps craft paint markers would work. You could even use different colors for different parts of your circuit, to aid in verifying your layout’s correctness. I can recommend the Posca brand. They make a clean, solid line. Make sure you get the fine or ultra-fine markers. . I get mine from Amazon.

Thanks for that I'll take a look! To be honest I won't be using these for circuit layouts - I make jewellery and use chemical etching on occasion, also I make knives and am rigging up a variable voltage electro-etch unit for makers mark and logos etc. (which is the actual reason I joined up here), but the job is the same!

Cheers again,

Shaun/FloWolF

 

They are called technical drawing pens and are still available from KOH-I-NOOR.

View attachment 281132
They fitted perfectly on Tektronix 4662 flatbed pen plotters. I used them extensively to draw PCB layouts using special Black India ink on clay filled paper. The copy was then sent to the photography department from which PCB negative masks were created.

View attachment 281131

No not the same pens thanks though; I've used tech drawing pens with the various calibrated width nibs with little wire down the nib that releases the ink, but the ones I am talking about I only ever saw from Staedtler, they were a black bodied, slimline fibretip pen just like the Lumicolour, but the plain/unsheathed single point fibre tip pushed inwards under pressure to release extra in, over and above what was filtering through the fibre tip. I only ever saw them in blue, too. You couldn't walk into an electronics workshop without seeing one at one time.

Cheers!

Shaun/FloWolF

 

The red Lumicolour work really well as a UV photo-resist (even better than their black).
I used them in an HP pen-plotter years ago to make home-brew PCBs. I had some little adapter rings to convert the HP plotter pen holder to hold the lumicolor pens.

 

These Milwaukee Inkzall markers are really excellent. Much better than any other solvent-based marker I have tried. They come in medium. fine, and ultra-fine as well.

They put down a uniform line on pretty much anything and they don't easily rub off.

 

Thanks for that I'll take a look! To be honest I won't be using these for circuit layouts - I make jewellery and use chemical etching on occasion, also I make knives and am rigging up a variable voltage electro-etch unit for makers mark and logos etc. (which is the actual reason I joined up here), but the job is the same!

Here are two links to the Posca pens:

Fine point
Extra-fine point