Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Jerrows inletting ink

What can you thin it with?

Nasty stuff. Acetone cleans it off the metal, but probably not very efficient to "thin" with.

There are better options. If you want THIN, Paint your metal with a fat black sharpie. Just finished inletting a 90% repro butt stock on a Marlin 336. Perfect fit up with Sharpie. Sharpie is quick, easy, and no mess at all.

Agree that Jerrow's is nasty stuff.

What about a dry erase marker? Easier to rub and remove than permanent marker ink.

Quit using Dykem for metal layout, blue Sharpie is much easier to use and clean up. For stockmaking inletting I've always used prussian blue. Squeeze a little in a 35mm film canister, slot the top for a toothbrush and you have a no mess applicator with storage. At times I've also smoked the metal parts with an alcohol lamp.

Sharpie comes right off metal with a paper towel or rag that's wet with a squirt of carb or brake cleaner. I've heard dry erase markers work the same but haven't tried them.

Varsol. GD

You should also probably add something that won't evaporate out, as Jerrow's remains "spreadable" with a brush for several days after it is applied to the metal. Not sure what ingredient is used in the product, but would try something like mineral oil, paraffin oil, or petroleum jelly.

I put a small amount of Jerrows spread around on a sponge in a small dish. Then i pour motor over it. Using a small brush i can dab the sponge and spread on the action.
Phil

Bob, I agree with the others regarding a sharpie or magic marker. Thin is better and quick drying is best - since it's on metal it will rub off or transfer on to the stock surface. I no longer do wood just fiberglass & epoxy composite, but back in my early days with wood I remember first trying to find a happy medium viscosity-wise with Jerrows; unfortunately, if too thin it soaked into the wood deeper than superficial and if too thick, it smeared as a build-up in a much larger area than needing to be removed. On top of that, the sh_t got on everything - really messy to use no matter how careful you were.