Grease pencils are most often used for marking a variety of surfaces in commercial and industrial applications. They work best on smooth or polished surfaces – everything from glass to PET (blow molded) bottles to polished stone, ceramics and metals like brass or stainless steel.

Even if you haven’t seen one in years, you’d recognize it instantly: it looks like a pencil with a large waxy nib surrounded by layers paper. Do you remember pulling the string to unwrap the paper and expose the core? That’s how you “sharpened” a standard grease pencil – and that’s why they are sometimes called pull-string pencils. What’s with all the different names?Overall, grease pencils are relatively affordable and flexible marking tools that can be used to mark a variety of surfaces, and have some specialized uses to boot. They are also available in a wide variety of colors. What are some of the issues with standard grease pencils/China markers? Some manufacturers of china markers make the outer casing out of wood, similar to pencils. These are sharpened the way you would a pencil. Find sources: "Grease pencil"– news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR ( July 2018) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) Finally, china markers or grease pencils are often used in the art world, especially for homemade arts and crafts projects. They can mark paper surfaces, and work well on paper with a glossy finish.

Another name you might encounter is chinagraph pencil, which is used primarily in the U.K. Many of these terms are interchangeable, which can get confusing. You can find wax pencils, China marker pencils, chinagraphs or grease pencils, but they essentially refer to the same thing in most cases. What are China markers/grease pencils used for?Was Bell ever afraid? There was no time for fear, he says. “I had to keep a sharp look out and be ready to take action,” he says. “It gets built in. You can’t do your job if you’re nervously wondering what’s going to happen next. You have to ignore that.”

Recently, they are also manufactured in a propelling form similar to mechanical pencils. These are much slimmer and are refillable. What are China Markers Used For One way to remove the more stubborn wax is using soap. You will need a basin to mix in soap or detergent and hot water. Damp a clean, soft cloth in the solution to clean the surfaces. Lastly, rinse with clean water. You can also wipe the surface with a different fabric that’s damp with clean water.The most basic name for this marking tool is grease pencil. It looks like a pencil, you draw or write with it like a pencil, but its core is made of a soft, greasy wax, commonly wrapped in paper rather than encased in wood. Grease pencils are available in several forms. The outer casing may be made of wood (like an ordinary pencil) and sharpened with a knife or pencil sharpener. Other types are covered in paper and sharpened by pulling a string to peel off the paper, needing no additional tools to remain functional. More recently, it has been produced in propelling form, essentially similar to a mechanical pencil, this type in particular being associated with knee boards employed by NATO aircrew. The more famous china markers have casings that are made of paper. There is a string encased along with the core that you can pull to peel away the paper. More people prefer this as there is no need for additional tools to keep it functional.