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I was woodworking today and had to change the drill collar and the height of the jig. With sawdust on the jig and only impressions for numbers and lines, it was hard to see. I was wondering how I might be able to correct this. Then an idea came to me.

 

I remembered back in my high school days when I would play Dungeons & Dragons. Yeah, I know, but I grew out of it... Anyway, the game came with multi-faceted dice made of plastic. However, the numbers were carved out of the plastic, much like the Kreg Jig.

 

The trick we'd use to see the numbers on the dice was to find a crayon of a contrasting color. Take the crayon and rub the wax across the numbers until the little grooves are full of crayon color. When you feel satisfied with the fill, take a paper towel and rub off the excess. This will take a while, but the result is perfectly readible measurements and calibration lines. I'll post pics of this result soon.

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I was over to a friends over the weekend and saw the great job he did to his Kreg.  He used a thick paste of baking soda (in everyones cupboard), let it dry and this is what it looks like.  Old trick used on the farm machinery I guess.

Today, in fact, I just dabbed some white finger nail polish on my markings.  Wiped off the excess and it works great.  My wife gave me the idea.  She just happened to have a bottle on hand.

I just marked the 3/4" and 1 1/2" marks because currently that's the only two I use.

I think as much we have paid for this jig. It should of been marked at factory.


Just my opinion...........
Fins59 said:

Today, in fact, I just dabbed some white finger nail polish on my markings.  Wiped off the excess and it works great.  My wife gave me the idea.  She just happened to have a bottle on hand.

I just marked the 3/4" and 1 1/2" marks because currently that's the only two I use.

Thank you so much!!! I did the same thing when I first got my jig - I thought it was a 'one size fits all' on the jig and that you only had to move the drill bit collar :-) 

Don Grubish said:
Here is that photo I was talking about.

The best way I found for highlighting the marking on the jig is sheet rock compound.

Then spray with some clear coat.

I also was thinking of car wax then buff off but the sheet rock mud did the trick.

I remember many years ago, when working in the electronics field, that I had to "fill-in" the markings on knobs and electronic panels that had worn off and had become invisible after years of hard use. If I remember correctly, I had found some type of crayon product - mine were black, red and white - that was larger in diameter than a regular Crayola crayon, but seemed to be the same type of material. Most of the time I used the black "crayon" for knobs, since most of them were aluminum or a light colored metal, and the fine engraved lines on the knobs took the black covering well. Today I found the container with my original black, white and red "crayons" in it while desparately trying to clean my garage. So, my Kreg jig got a "once-over" with the white marker. You have to rub it in different directions to get the grooves all covered. Once this was done, wiping the excess off with a shop rag took care of the not-wanted white covering, leaving only the waxy-type substance remaining in the grooves. Here are a few pictures that show the "work-in-progress".
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I see it was Jan 9, 2011 that I posted about using white finger nail polish for markings.  3 months later, after much use, the markings are holding up well.

 

I agree with this. Although I consider it one of my best investments, I think at 800 % markup over total cost to Kreg, it should have been included.

Woody said:

I think as much we have paid for this jig. It should of been marked at factory.


Just my opinion...........
Fins59 said:

Today, in fact, I just dabbed some white finger nail polish on my markings.  Wiped off the excess and it works great.  My wife gave me the idea.  She just happened to have a bottle on hand.

I just marked the 3/4" and 1 1/2" marks because currently that's the only two I use.

Hi David,  I had been thinking about using latex paint on my brand new K4.  Usually I avoid using acetone on plastic and similar materials.  I assume from what you wrote that the acetone did not harm the finish of your Kreg.  Because you used latex paint, why did you need mineral spirits and acetone?  Wouldn't a cloth or paper towel slightly dampened with water remove the excess latex paint?

David Ellenberger said:

I filled my markings this past weekend. I used latex paint. Wiped off the excess with a folded kleenex dampened with mineral spirits. I then waited about 15 minutes and wiped off the cloudy white remains with acetone. Looks great .

White fingernail polish still holding up well.

The other day I picked up a tube of "Super Met-Al" fine line paint marker at Harbor Freight.  This should also work well.  I tried it on some other markings as an experiment and it works.....just wipe off excess immediately.

But the fingernail polish is still working well on Jig so will not mess with it.

 

In my opinion, these are probably the more simpler and least hassle way of doing it, with good results.

Fins59 said:

I see it was Jan 9, 2011 that I posted about using white finger nail polish for markings.  3 months later, after much use, the markings are holding up well.

 

Hi Fins59,

Thanks for the info.

i used acrylic craft paint and a narrow craft brush which i had to paint yard ornaments and used yellow paint let it dry and wipe it off about 1/2 hr later hasn't come off yet. i suggest the vac. adapter that helps too, no mess after you drill and it also holds the piece in place when get it to the place you want to drill, still have to clamp but it works.

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