Grease pencil

Two grease pencils

Historical diplomatic usage

The grease pencil, a wax writing tool also known as a wax pencil, china marker, or chinagraph pencil (especially in the United Kingdom), is a writing implement made of hardened colored wax and is useful for marking on hard, glossy non-porous surfaces. This pencil is usually made from non-toxic opaque wax (such as paraffin, beeswax, ceresin, carnauba or spermaceti wax) that is similar to a crayon but stronger. Marks made by grease pencils are resistant to moisture and can usually be removed by rubbing the marked surface with a paper towel.

The grease pencil was invented in the late 1930s by American Mary Louise Weiser. Weiser, who at the time was working in the Ink & Paint Department at the Walt Disney Studios. The legendary Ink & Paint Department was entirely staffed by women who, particularly during production of films Pinocchio and Fantasia, were responsible for developing several new animation techniques and visual effects, though they remain largely uncredited for their significant contributions to animation.

To achieve softer, more lifelike effects and transparencies on celluloid, Weiser developed the grease pencil as a tool for achieving what is generally referred to in animation as "The Blend". In 1939, she filed two patents to her name, assigned to Walt Disney Productions. The first was a patent for the the grease pencil itself (nr. US 2,280,988, filed November 14, 1939, granted April 28, 1942). The second for her "Method of creating depth and texture effects in animated cartoons"--a.k.a. The Blend-- (nr. US 2,254,462 filed Nov. 21, 1939, granted Sept. 2, 1942).

Grease pencils became essential tools in military defense during the 1950s. They were widely used during the mid-20th century in aircraft control centers, military radar defense system stations on land and in aircraft carriers in particular. As information came in from radar and radio operators, technicians would take details of aircraft locations, vectors, weapons and fuel status and other information and write it in reverse on a large, clear panel of glass, which was readable to the officers on the other side of the panel. The information would be continuously updated as the situation changed. They have largely been replaced by digital displays in the modern era

Grease pencils are available in several forms. The outer casing may be made of wood (like an ordinary pencil) and sharpened with a knife or pencil sharpener. Other types are covered in paper and sharpened by pulling a string to peel off the paper, needing no additional tools to remain functional. More recently, it has been produced in propelling form, essentially similar to a clutch pencil, this type in particular being associated with knee boards employed by NATO aircrew.

Surfaces used with grease pencils include porcelain, glass, rock, polished stone, plastic, ceramics, acetate, and other glazed, lacquered or polished surfaces, and metal, as well as the glossy paper that is used for photographic printing (particularly for contact sheets), x-rays, maps, and for marking edits on analog audio tape and film. It is also used to label theatrical lighting gels. It is often used as a construction or handyman's marking tool as it rarely scratches the surface it is used on. It may be used to mark a wet surface. They are also favored among some traditional artists. They were also used to mark glassware, during production (the original Chinagraph is so-named for marking porcelain during manufacture) and in medical or scientific applications.

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In the days when broadcast studios had a library of LP records, a track which was prohibited from public performance could be defaced by a wavy white or yellow chinagraph line, giving a visible warning to the presenter as well as making that track unusable.