Why nobody talks about using a soapstone marker for hot steel

I used to just scribble chalk lines on metal before welding, but after 6 months of dealing with burn-off and faded marks I tried a soapstone marker my foreman left on the bench. The lines hold even when the plate hits 400 degrees and I don't have to stop and re-mark every 10 minutes. Anyone else make the switch and find it saved them time on layouts?

2 comments

2 Comments

shanenguyen5d ago

Yeah, took me about three shifts of wiping chalk off my arms before I figured out soapstone was an option. Always fun when you realize you've been doing something the hard way for no reason. Guess that's just part of the job, right?

finleybutler3d ago

Dude the "doing it the hard way for no reason" part hits way too close to home. I spent like a whole month using this crappy little hand pump to grease my skid steer fittings before someone finally told me about the battery powered grease gun. My hands were killing me every single day for no good reason. Feels like every job has that one thing you just accept as normal until somebody points out the obvious fix. Makes you feel kind of dumb but also glad you finally know better.