Marking on dark wood?

[jay5]

I am trying to mark out centerlines and such on rosewood (fretboard) and I cant seem to get a pencil line to show up. What do you guys use. I was thinking maybe a white colored pencil? Chalk is too thick. Sorry about the elementary question

[krazyderek]

i mark everything by scoring the lines with a sergical blade on dark woods and light

[MzI]

try soap stone, colored pencil should work if its soft enough

MzI

[skibum5545]

hmmm... using a soft leaded pencil worked well enough for me on walnut, just make sure the light's bright enough so the line will reflect a silvery color.

[john]

yeah on a dark wood, the pencil line should have a reflection as skibum5545 said.

[Southpa]

If the areas you want to mark are cut lines then you could use an exacto knife and then rub in chalk dust.

[frank falbo]

Sometimes I'll put masking tape down and then mark the tape. I don't know what you're going to be doing with the centerline though, maybe you can't have a piece of tape on there.

[tdog]

I use a gooseneck lamp when working with my milling machine, drill press, chop saw, bandsaw, and also on my work bench..... If you place the lamp at an acute angle to your workpiece, a pencil line will easily show up....even on ebony.

[frank falbo]

Yeah I'm just wondering if it's one of those pencils where the lead is kind of waxy, and the rosewood is too oily so it doesn't actually mark the wood. It just glides over it. You need like a regular wooden #2 pencil with the silvery lead, the kind from elementary school. And naptha the rosewood for good measure first.

[GuitarMaestro]

I was thinking maybe a white colored pencil?

That is the best option. At least I do it that way and it works great for me....