To make line marks easier to see when lined up with a silver or black scroll saw blade, using red ink makes for a pretty good contrast.
I used to get eyestrain from continually aligning the black blade with a black pencil line when doing lots of scrollsawing. Now I trace my patterns with a red pen instead. It provides a line that’s easier to reference against the dark blade. Old style Bic® ballpoints with the long tips work best, but if you can’t find one, any fine-tipped red pen will also do the job.
