re: Marking Gauge

Practical project in a nice, aesthetic looking package. 
If your past wax makes things look messy You probably have not let it harden enough and buffed it enough. I prefer untreated marking guages for the same reason. If the scalpel blades gets annoying I can recomend using jig saw blades that are the perfect steel for the task. Just grind to a shape you like (with cooling!), polish and you have a great blade.
Did not know of Ed Sutton, thank you for pointing me to him!