Drawing on the ground glass

[EASmithV]

I want to put a 1" grid on my 8x10, but I'm not sure how to go about doing this while still being able to remove the markings If I screw them up/don't want them. Do I just use a crayon?

 

[richard ide]

You could draw your grid on the matte side of the glass with a permanent marker which would be protected from rubbing off. If you wanted to remove it; swab with alcohol or other solvent. There are other possibilities using paint or lacquer but would be more difficult to do a neat job.

 

[panastasia]

You can buy a pen in the office supply stores. It's designed to write on mylar prints, but it writes on anything, CD's, glass, etc. It looks like a fancy (reddish color) felt tip pen. The one I have is 20 years old and I'm sure they still sell something equivalent. It's permanent/doesn't rub off. Here's what is written on it: STABILO-OHPen196P SUPERFINE S, wasserfest permanent, Nach Gebrauch verschlieBen. Try saying that mouth full. It's the best permanent marker I ever had, writes black - the reason I still have it. I'm not sure if it can be removed, though, maybe with Acetone.

 

[BetterSense]

Rubbing alcohol takes Sharpie right off. I do it all the time on glassware in the lab (sometimes by accident too).

 

[E76]

PEC-12 is also really good at removing permanent marker (and paint from negative carriers).

 

[Whiteymorange]

Since the ground side of the glass is protected from abrasion when the back is on the camera, why not just use a pencil? Graphite will work fine on ground glass and is easily redone.

 

[JRJacobs]

I use a "dry erase" type sharpie on the ground side of my glass. Very easy to wipe off if needed.

 

[Ian Grant]

In the past I've used Chinagraph pencils, sharpening carefully first. I dug out my old De Vere monorail recently and the screen/lines I drew in 1976 are still like new.

Ian

 

[removed account4]

make a grid with your computer.
print it out on a sheet of paper
bring the paper to the copy-shop
and copy the grid onto mylar clear-film
cut it, and put it on your ground glass.


it works, it is reversible and it costs almost nothing.

 

[Allen]

Satin Snow still has templates on line.
http://www.satinsnowglass.com/html/downloads.html

Allen

 

[Dan Williams]

I used the template from Satin Snow and it worked great. Just print out on regular paper, set your glass, matte side up, on the paper and, with straight edge and a sharp pencil, copy all or part of it on the glass. It washes off easily with soap and water.

Dan

 

[vdoak]

I used #2 pencil on the ground side of the glass. It has only been a couple of years, but it still looks, and works fine for me. The lines are very obvious but still translucent. I can use them or chose to look "through" them.

Victor

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

I use pencil on the matte side of the glass for gridlines.

China marker on the shiny side is handy for things like multiple exposures, or when shooting for a print layout, marking the space you need to leave for text or marking the aspect ratio for a specific print format.

 

[DannL]

Nearly identical to the solution mentioned by jnanian, I have drawn my grids using the cornputer and then printed them with the laser printer using transparency film which is designed for use on copiers/laser printers. You can make any style of grid desired. If you clip each corner of the printed transparency grid, you can apply a small piece of tape there to hold it to the glass.

 

[raucousimages]

I have used a needle sharp drafting pencil in a 4H or 5H. A #2 writing pencil will work but it must be very sharp. You can remove it with warm water and a soft cloth.