Erasing Tips,Compass Use

Erasing Tips

In erasing, the idea is to remove an unwanted line or letter, not the surface of the paper or polyester film.
Erase only hard enough to remove the unwanted feature.However, you must provide enough pressure
to eliminate the feature completely. If the entire item does not disappear, ghosting results. A ghost is a line
that should have been eliminated but still shows on a print. Lines that have been drawn so hard as to make a
groove in the drawing sheet can also cause a ghost. To remove ink from vellum, use a pink or green eraser, or an electric eraser. Work the area slowly. Do not apply too much pressure or erase in one spot too long, or you will go through the paper. On polyester film, use a vinyl eraser and/or a moist cotton swab. The inked line usually comes off easily, but use caution. If you destroy the matte surface of either a vellum or film sheet, you will not be able to redraw over the erased area. Matte is a surface with some texture and is not glossy.

Compass Use

Keep both the compass needle point and the lead point sharp. The points are removable for easy replacement. The better compass needle points have a shoulder, which helps keep the point from penetrating the paper more than necessary. Compare the needle points in Remove excess graphite from the point with a tissue or cloth after sharpening. Sharpen the lead often. Some drafters prefer to use a conical compass
point. This is the same point used in a mechanical pencil. If you want to try this point, sharpen a piece
of lead in a mechanical pencil, and then transfer it to your compass. If you are drawing a number of circles from the same center, you will find the compass point causes an ugly hole in your drawing sheet. Reduce the chance of making such a hole by placing a couple of pieces of drafting tape at the center point for protection. There are also small plastic circles available for this purpose. Place one of the plastic circles at the center point, and then pierce the plastic with your compass point.