A fast-drying dye, usually blue, brushed or sprayed onto metal before layout. A scribe or height gauge cuts through it, leaving a sharp bright line that is easy to see and cut to. It is also smeared on parts to show where they rub, since contact wipes the dye off. Alcohol or a dedicated remover takes it off afterward.
Heard on the job
Dykem the plate, scribe your hole centers off the height gauge, then pop them with the center punch.
Also heard as
- layout fluid
- layout dye
- layout blue
Related terms
Surface plate
A thick slab of granite or cast iron, lapped flat, that every height check and layout line is measured from.
Wiggler
Shop name for an edge finder or wobble-tip locator used to find part edges and lines on a mill.
Witness mark
A small deliberate mark that shows how parts were aligned or where an original surface was.