In article , ss says...

I have found exactly the same thing. I have just discovered using
oil in the mix, and it makes a big difference. As a beginner, I
never gave much thought to the paint. Paint is paint,right?
But I don't think the batch of paint I have can be spread very very
thin - it is just too thick and clumpy at that level. But with a
drop or two of oil, I can now smooth out the paint very nicely.

I am indeed using prussian blue *paint* from an artists supply
store. I also suspect this is not the best material, because
it has other substances in it (thickeners, dryers?) that make
it good for artists but maybe not the best for machinists.

But thinning it a bit with a non-drying oil - sometimes
I use wd-40, sometimes ATF - seems to make it work well.

But there are special purpose marking media shown in catalogs,
and I think I might try a small bit of that next time I get
into a hand scraping project, to see if it makes a difference.

Jim

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