May I say that before I mark out my flower piercing shapes I always polish the surface of the metal so tht the scribed lines stand out clear. As Peter says I always use metal templates to mark out my flower shapes, especially when making multiples of the same shape flower.

These photos may give you an idea of what I am saying, they show some of my flower patterns and shapes, I make them in copper before committing my shape ideas to precious metals.
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James