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To Paint or Not to Paint, that is the question?


Gungadoy

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I am curious, why are you doing this? Personally, if you're going to do this, I'd be very careful to make a ring around the mark and not get any overspray on the mark itself, perhaps make a mask? I like to see the brass of the mark, and don't like to see a mark painted.

 

Recently I bought some of the bright orange marking paint and have been painting the concrete monuments on a bunch of recovered BM's.

My question is, do my fellow benchmarkers out there do this or not? PID AB7782

Please share your thoughts, experiences or concerns?

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Recently I bought some of the bright orange marking paint and have been painting the concrete monuments on a bunch of recovered BM's.

My question is, do my fellow benchmarkers out there do this or not? PID AB7782

Please share your thoughts, experiences or concerns?

 

We have never used anything on any of the marks we have found that would not be gone with the next rain. We found that a dusting with cornstarch brings out the letters and numbers just fine for a good picture and does not harm the experience of finding a mark for the next person. Other hunters have used chalk or flour - which takes a little longer to either blow or wash away but still with the thought in mind that it is not long lasting nor harmful to the mark.

 

The idea of keeping a mark just like you found it is the best idea for the next finder. Also, there have been so many marks stolen and put up on E-bay for sale or just taken or destroyed for whatever reason, that I would not alter a mark with paint nor make it any more visible than when we found it.

 

Remember, this is just our hobby and we are not professional surveyors, just love finding little bits and pieces of history.

 

Our special finds were of the older and unique ones....

 

U 8, JO0308, chiseled square.

 

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GQ0323 KANAB SOUTH CAIRN

 

2c752795-aa26-4351-93b5-979dd34c09fc.jpg

 

A lot of good times and many miles....

 

I hope everyone has many more finds and special days....Happy Hunting

 

Shirley - half of the 2OFs

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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I used to wonder if I would be helping anyone by painting the mark. Surveyors do this to help locate the mark, but I believe that when they mark it they are doing so as part of a project, and not as a long-term finding aid. Surveyor's paint (and ribbon) both degrade quickly when exposed to light, so the markings are just temporary.

 

What DukeofURL01 said was my main reason for not painting the marks. I don't want to call attention to something that might be defaced or removed by a casual observer/potential thief.

 

For hard to find marks my finding aid was to redescribe the mark as completely as possible and submit that to the NGS.

 

One exception--I searched for some county marks near me, and with their permission painted information on nearby roads to point out the markers. This consisted of the mark name an arrow and the distance from the road, e.g. LC0180 ^ 8.2. This doesn't actually mark the disk, but helps a person who knows what to look for where to start looking. I used white field-marking paint for that, so it should last a bit longer than surveyor's paint.

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We have never used anything on any of the marks we have found that would not be gone with the next rain. We found that a dusting with cornstarch brings out the letters and numbers just fine for a good picture and does not harm the experience of finding a mark for the next person. Other hunters have used chalk or flour - which takes a little longer to either blow or wash away but still with the thought in mind that it is not long lasting nor harmful to the mark.

 

The idea of keeping a mark just like you found it is the best idea for the next finder. Also, there have been so many marks stolen and put up on E-bay for sale or just taken or destroyed for whatever reason, that I would not alter a mark with paint nor make it any more visible than when we found it.

 

Shirley - half of the 2OFs

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Cosmic, Cosmic! but please no paint or new flagging!!

 

Just this morning I was organizing some old BM photos, including C8 and M8 in this 1908 PLN string.

 

A DOUBLE CHALLENGE

 

5aecff12-2188-4eb0-81d4-54f8fa25e46c.jpg

 

CENTER PUNCH ONLY - FIELD ADDED?

 

b353eb17-eb25-456f-9ce3-9146fb81f724.jpg

 

And my probing device may still be at U8, like several others, tapes and screw drivers around the west.

 

PLN U8 1908

 

5d69d7ab-887c-4a5a-b67f-b7d73cfc0de8.jpg

 

The cosmic? PLN 1908 string, probe, old markers. Glad that I brought my field book to the Rising Trout Coffee Shop after shoveling an inch of snow/slush at daylight. kayakbird

Edited by kayakbird
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If you want the mark to be easily found in the future then generate a log with good photos and description.

 

Since you asked, I think painting of the mark by a non professional is not a good idea for all the reasons described by others above.

 

I admire your enthusiasm. Happy Hunting!

Edited by TillaMurphs
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I used to wonder if I would be helping anyone by painting the mark. Surveyors do this to help locate the mark, but I believe that when they mark it they are doing so as part of a project, and not as a long-term finding aid. Surveyor's paint (and ribbon) both degrade quickly when exposed to light, so the markings are just temporary.

 

What DukeofURL01 said was my main reason for not painting the marks. I don't want to call attention to something that might be defaced or removed by a casual observer/potential thief.

 

For hard to find marks my finding aid was to redescribe the mark as completely as possible and submit that to the NGS.

 

One exception--I searched for some county marks near me, and with their permission painted information on nearby roads to point out the markers. This consisted of the mark name an arrow and the distance from the road, e.g. LC0180 ^ 8.2. This doesn't actually mark the disk, but helps a person who knows what to look for where to start looking. I used white field-marking paint for that, so it should last a bit longer than surveyor's paint.

 

They don't always use paint. There's something similar to chalk that they use (think like lines on a baseball field) that's not permanent.

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I've painted around a couple marks because I thought it might help preserve them during nearby construction or clearing.

 

One of them was a (non-geodetic) state line marker in a field (spanning the line) where the renter told me the owner was planning to clear the old fence and brush. I painted on trees and ground around the post, tied flagging on the post and overhanging tree, and painted a fat 6 ft long arrow on the ground pointing to the post. I see on Google Earth that there is a spot in that field being farmed around, but I have no idea whether or not it was due to my efforts.

40°34'47.82"N 93°27'34.65"W

 

I avoid marking when there is no apparent threat, on the theory that it may attract unwelcome attention from vandals.

Edited by Bill93
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I would not recommend painting any survey marks UNLESS the proper color is used. Colors have meaning to construction and utilities etc.

 

The colors below are industry standard and each color identifies a specific type of utility.

WHITE - Proposed Excavation

PINK - Temporary Survey Markings

RED - Electric Power Lines, Cables, Conduit and Lighting Cables

YELLOW - Gas, Oil, Steam, Petroleum or Gaseous Materials

ORANGE - Communication, Alarm or Signal Lines, Cables or Conduit

BLUE - Potable Water

PURPLE - Reclaimed Water, Irrigation and Slurry Lines

GREEN - Sewers and Drain Lines

Edited by Z15
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