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Post by flatline on Oct 9, 2014 19:18:10 GMT -8
Rather than take my Faber-Castell 9000 thread off-topic, I figured I'd
start a new thread.
As I mentioned in the other thread, I've gone and purchased a handful
of pencils of different brands in an attempt to give wooden pencils
the fairest possible evaluation before I decide if there's a place for
wooden pencils in my daily pen pouch (currently full of fountain pens,
sharpies, drafting pencils, lead holders, 2 erasers, and some lead
refills). So anyways, I figured I'd start a thread where I could post
my observations and, perhaps, have a little discussion with you more
experienced wooden pencil users. Since I'm not an artist, my evaluation
will probably have a myopic focus on how I like the pencils for longhand
writing and I am quite likely to miss subtleties that might be important
to artists. Please feel free to point out those subtleties. I might not
be able to truely appreciate them, but I promise to do my best to at
least understand what they are.
At this point, I've acquired a small collection of branded pencils:
Faber-Castell 9000 B
Hi-Uni HB and 2B
Tombow Mono 100 HB and 2B
Koh-I-Noor Toison D'or HB and 2B
Staedtler Lumograph HB and 2B
General's Kimberly 2B
Dixon Ticonderoga (Yellow) HB
Dixon Ticonderoga (Black) HB
Papermate Mirado Black Warrior HB
Edit: Palomino Blackwing 602
Edit: Palomino Orange 2H, H, HB, B, 2B, 4B, 6B
I should receive a box of Palomino Orange art pencils (assorted) and
a box of Palomino Blackwing 602 pencils in the next couple of days,
so it'll be interesting to see how they fit into all of this. Hopefully
I'll like them since I had to purchase them by the box...
If there are any important or iconic pencils that you think I really
ought to try, please let me know. It is my goal to have at least tried
the pencils that people compare other pencils to. I figure that way
I'll have a better understanding of the comparisons other people make
in reviews and discussions.
It's bedtime now, but tomorrow I'll try to organize my thoughts around
something.
--flatline
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Post by flatline on Oct 11, 2014 12:33:38 GMT -8
Pencil Width
I found an ancient and arcanely marked caliper in the junk drawer and
measured my pencils. I have no idea how accurate my measurements are
nor am I 100% confident that I'm reading the calipers correctly, but
here's what I found. Units are in millimeters. The first number is the
width measured from the points of the hexigon and the second is measured
across the flats.
7.3/6.6 Staedtler Mars Lumograph
7.3/6.9 Faber-Castell 9000
7.3/7.0 Koh-I-Noor Toison D'or
7.3/6.8 Ticonderoga Black
7.3/6.8 Ticonderoga Yellow
7.2/7.2 Papermate Mirado Black Warrior
--------------------------------------
7.5/7.0 General's Kimberly
7.7/7.2 Palomino Orange
7.7/7.2 Palomino Blackwing 602
7.8/7.2 Tombow Mono 100
7.8/7.2 Mitsubishi Hi-Uni
I've listed them in the order of how wide I perceive them to be with
the widest at the bottom. Clearly, the width across the flats of the
pencil has more to do with the perceived width of the pencil than the
width measured from the points. I think this makes sense since it's the
flats of the pencils that rest against my fingers when writing, but the
width across the points must have some impact since the Kimberly feels
wider in my hand than the Mirado Black Warrior.
It's interesting to me that even though the differences are numerically
so small, it's quite noticeable when writing. I tend to grip the narrow
pencils tighter than the wider pencils, so I find the wider pencils more
comfortable for extended writing (more than a paragraph).
The Papermate Mirado Black Warrior is the only round pencil so far in this
comparison and I grip it tighter like the narrower pencils, but I think
that is due to the lack of edges (edges provide traction) more than the
actual width of the pencil. Its width actually feels pretty good to me
until I start writing with it. It might also be due to the matte finish.
You probably noticed the dotted line between the Black Warrior and the
Kimberly in my list above. I like the width of every pencil below that
line (Kimberly, Palominos, Tombow, and Hi-Uni). It is my opinion that
every pencil above that line would be improved if it were made wider
(all other things remaining equal, of course).
I can't be certain, but I think that my objection to narrower pencils
would go away if the narrower pencils were somehow grippier (perhaps
a textured or knurled surface?) so that I could use them with a more
relaxed grip.
--flatline
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Post by chthulhu on Oct 12, 2014 18:29:06 GMT -8
I have learned that the Palomino Blackwing is excellent for marking wooden trim for cutting. :-)
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Post by flatline on Oct 12, 2014 19:21:44 GMT -8
I have learned that the Palomino Blackwing is excellent for marking wooden trim for cutting. :-) Interesting! I would never have thought to use a pencil with a soft lead in the shop. I typically use a lead holder with 2H or 4H lead in it so that I don't ever have to sharpen it. Is there something particular to marking wooden trim that makes the Blackwing well suited for it? Is the wood too smooth, perhaps, for other pencils to leave a dark enough line? --flatline |
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Post by chthulhu on Oct 13, 2014 18:59:45 GMT -8
It was just a chance thing. I used a piece of poplar trim, screwed to the concrete, as an extension of sorts to the threshold of our patio door, so that a bottom seal/sweep mounted to the screen door would have something to seal against. The 602 was the nearest pencil to hand and made beautiful, clear marks for cutting the wood. The project was part of our urgent anti-rodent-incursion defenses: field mice were *very* bad hereabouts (north of San Diego, California) last year, and are starting their hunt for winter quarters a bit early this year. Since most of our neighbors have cut down the tall palm trees in which owls and other night-hunting birds lived, the local rodent population has been thriving.  |
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Post by rr4u on Oct 14, 2014 8:46:38 GMT -8
Great tread, nice work Flatline! A bit off topic but... what about good old fashion carpenter pencils? Staedtler, Lyra, Koh-I-Noor, Cal Cedar (under the ForestChoice brand) and Viarco, just to name a few, still make them. I guess they are easy to find anywhere around the World. Plus, some are very beautiful and extremely well made. I am very fond of these, 1019 *Viarco* Carpinteiro
 Plus, like italic nibs, carpenter pencils rectangular shaped lead allow some nice line variation. They're also great for calligraphy (on topic again) and artistic drawing!  Example of line variation obtained with a
Lyra Rembrandt Sketching 874/4B pencil. There are even very good art quality versions of them. I like the one I've used on the above picture. Also, found this article on how to sharpen and use them. May be of use for someone. mymilescity.com/diy-carpentry/sharpen_pencil.htmlR. |
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Post by rr4u on Oct 14, 2014 9:32:23 GMT -8
Recommendation on how to apply the different lead degrees, according to Koh-I-Noor. Image taken from the backside of a
k-I-N 1500 pencils tinbox.
This is, of course, debatable. I, for instance, use H or 2H, F or HB and definitely 2B for graphic and artistic purposes. My go to combination is, 8B/6B/4B/2B/HB/2H. Basically these cover all my needs!. I like HB, B and 2B for writing.
R. |
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Post by rr4u on Oct 14, 2014 11:02:06 GMT -8
If there are any important or iconic pencils that you think I really ought to try, please let me know. I strongly recommend you to try some Cretacolor Fine Art Gaphite * 160* pencils (AKA Cleos Red Graphite Pencils). apassionforpencils.com/product/graphite/cleos-red-graphite-pencilsThey've won a place alongside my other two workhorses, my Lumographs and F-C 9000's. They can be bought individually, in assorted tin sets of 6 and 12 pencils. There's also a tin set of pencils with 24 assorted pencil grades, (9B, 8B, 7B, 6B,5B, 4B, 3B, 2Bx2, Bx2, HBx2, F, Hx2, 2H, 3H, 4H, 5H, 6H, 7H, 8H, 9H). They are extremely soft and smooth, the scale of the shades is perfect, they sharpen easy and the wood has a wonderful smell (cedar wood). The finishing is good, not Japanese good, but still quite nice. I consider the pocket set a Must. The pencils are 8B/6B/4B/2B/HB/2H. To me this is the perfect combination. The day after having tried my first I bought a few more. Also bought a few HB's for writing ...will have to restock soon. Btw, CLEOS means: Cretacolor - Leader of Extra Ordinary Soft Graphite. They have a long tradition and history, you can read about it here, apassionforpencils.com/passion/history The pencils are available in the U.S.,here, www.dickblick.com/products/cretacolor-fine-art-graphite-pencils/...and here, www.jerrysartarama.com/discount-art-supplies/pencils-leads-and-powders/cretacolor-pencils-leads-and-powders/cretacolor-cleo-fine-art-graphite-sets.htmYou can also try your local Art store. R. |
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Post by flatline on Oct 14, 2014 16:17:30 GMT -8
Great tread, nice work Flatline! A bit off topic but... what about good old fashion carpenter pencils? Staedtler, Lyra, Koh-I-Noor, Cal Cedar (under the ForestChoice brand) and Viarco, just to name a few, still make them. I guess they are easy to find anywhere around the World. Plus, some are very beautiful and extremely well made. I am very fond of these, 1019 *Viarco* Carpinteiro
Plus, like italic nibs, carpenter pencils rectangular shaped lead allow some nice line variation. They're also great for calligraphy (on topic again) and artistic drawing! Example of line variation obtained with a
Lyra Rembrandt Sketching 874/4B pencil.There are even very good art quality versions of them. I like the one I've used on the above picture. Also, found this article on how to sharpen and use them. May be of use for someone. mymilescity.com/diy-carpentry/sharpen_pencil.htmlR. I actually have quite a few carpenter pencils floating around. I find them useful for the same kinds of things that one might use a sharpie marker for (labeling boxes, drawing lines before cutting, etc). I write far too small to consider using a carpenter pencil as a writing instrument, but I can totally see drawing with one. I've got some 2mm lead that I sharpened with sandpaper so that I could experiment with getting line variation when writing with it. It worked pretty well. Next time I'll use something harder so that the edge lasts longer. --flatline |
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Post by chthulhu on Oct 14, 2014 18:01:53 GMT -8
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Post by flatline on Oct 14, 2014 18:09:10 GMT -8
Hmmm...any idea what the intended purpose of that pencil was? --flatline |
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Post by rr4u on Oct 14, 2014 19:45:52 GMT -8
Hmmm...any idea what the intended purpose of that pencil was? --flatline Taken from the page that shows the pencil. On the top, under the first entrance, the one that shows the A.W. FABER CASTELL LOCKTITE 9600: " This type of flat lead and holder was developed with lofting in mind. Lofting is, to be brief, the conversion of a small scale drawing of a machine part to a full size one from which patterns can be made. The full scale drawing is layed out directly on the pattern material which can be metal or wood or what-have-you. The practice originated in shipbuilding and was carried on into the aircraft industry. The flat lead can lay down a perfectly uniform line without the need for repointing the pencil. Standard 2 mm round lead was of no use in this application due to the oftentimes rough drawing surface wearing the point of the lead flat immediately." It also states the following, " I've been doing more research and I haven't found any good evidence to suggest polymer leads as used for thin lead drafting pencils were developed by A.W. Faber. Further, I do not believe the Faber Castell flat lead uses a polymer binder. It is a ceramic based formulation like round leads." So Pentel was not the original developer of Polymer leads after all! And here (lots of interesting information), leadholder.com/main-history.html#history-thin, Dennis wrote, " It was not until the introduction of polymer based leads developed by Faber-Castell in the 1950s* that true thin lead pencils – with lead the thickness of the line to be drawn – that draftsmen began to appreciate the efficiency of such a drawing tool." R. |
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Post by rr4u on Oct 14, 2014 20:04:04 GMT -8
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Post by flatline on Oct 15, 2014 19:25:24 GMT -8
Lead Qualities
It is my understanding that "HB" is the lead hardness that the pencil maker considers to be optimal for writing. Soft enough that the line has acceptable contrast against the paper but hard enough that you can get a non-trivial amount of writing out of it before needing to sharpen it again.
Clearly, "optimal" is a subjective thing and there's surprising variation between HB from one brand to the next. I was already aware of this from my experience with lead holders, so when I purchased my test pencils, I got each pencil (with a small number of exceptions) in at least HB and 2B hardness ratings. I sharpened my pencils and wrote half a page with each to get a feel for the pencil and to evaluate how it retains its point.
Before I go on, let me stress that these are my own subjective impressions. Please don't be offended if my opinion differs from yours.
Here are the pencils that had good enough contrast and point retention for me to consider them as writers.
Mitsu-bishi Hi-Uni HB
Staedtler Mars Lumograph 2B
Tombow Mono 100 HB
Palomino H and HB
Papermate Mirado Black Warrior HB
Koh-i-noor Toison D'or 2B
Ticonderoga Black HB
Ticonderoga Yellow HB
Blackwing 602
General's Kimberly 2B
As I wrote with each pencil, I was easily able to categorize them thusly:
Pencils that felt great to write with:
Palomino Blackwing 602 (long and top heavy, but will improve as it gets shorter)
Staedtler Mars Lumograph 2B (super smooth)
Hi-Uni HB (super smooth)
Tombow Mono 100 HB (super smooth and dark, would probably be even happier with a H)
General's Kimberly 2B (I would probably like the B better, the 2B was just on the edge of being too soft)
Pencils that were fine, but not exciting:
Palomino Orange H and HB (smooth, but not super smooth)
Ticonderoga Black HB (decently smooth)
Mirado Black Warrior HB (smooth, but a little on the soft side)
Pencils I actively hated writing with:
Koh-i-noor Toison D'or 2B (felt terrible to write with. HB was even worse!)
Ticonderoga Yellow HB (not scratchy, but definitely gritty...and a bit crumbly)
I can't describe it well, but the Koh-i-noor lead feels like it's fighting me as I write with it. Similar to my experience with my Faber-Castell 9000 B pencil, but much worse. I wrote a line with the HB and put it down. I've tried writing with it several times and each time I put it down in disgust after a couple of words. The 2B is tolerable, but not at all pleasant for me to write with unless I keep the point really sharp.
The Hi-Uni is almost the exact opposite. The tip moves so freely across the paper that sometimes it actually seems to get away from me (I have to consciously slow down when writing with it). I like it, but I recognize that it is possible to be "too smooth". The Staedtler is perfect (if only the pencil were a bit wider!). The Tombow has a hint of resistance to it, but it doesn't bother me. The Tombow HB lead is darker than the Staedtler 2B and Hi-Uni HB so I bet I could get a Tombow F or maybe H and still get as much contrast as the others (once my Jetpens wishlist hits $25 for free shipping...).
On smooth paper (my Rhodia), the "fine" pencils felt a bit gritty or lumpy compared to the super even feeling of the "great" pencils. On regular paper, the difference is less pronounced. On crappy paper (cheap copier paper at work, for instance), it's hard to tell a difference.
With the exception of the Kimberly and the Koh-i-noor, my impressions correlated pretty close with the price of the pencil.
$2.35 Tombow and Hi-Uni
$1.66 Blackwing 602
$1.40 Staedtler
$1.33 Palomino Orange
$1.10 Koh-i-noor
$1.00 Kimberly
$0.40 Mirado Black Warrior
$0.25 Ticonderoga Black
So if I were looking for the best "bang for the buck", the Kimberly seems like the obvious winner. The 2B is just on the edge of feeling too soft to me, so next time I'm out, I'll probably pick up the B or maybe even the HB to see if I like it better (or at least as much).
I feel a little bad rating the Palomino Orange as "fine" rather than "great". It's clearly better than the other "fine" pencils, but it's also clearly not in the same league as the "great" pencils. It does, however, have something going for it: it retains its point noticeably better than any of the other pencils (for the same darkness of line, at least). Since there's no point in "wasting" a "great" pencil on scratch paper, I find myself using the Palomino Orange more than any other pencil since I get a nice dark line and a long lasting point. It is my current go-to pencil at work where most of my writing is done on scratch pads. And it serves that purpose extremely well.
--flatline
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Post by flatline on Oct 17, 2014 5:45:46 GMT -8
Actually, I think I was too harsh on the Koh-I-Noor 2B. The HB feels like I'm trying to write with a scratch awl, but the 2B really isn't too bad as long as I keep it sharp. Maybe my HB is a fluke.
Whatever the case, I think I've learned to avoid grippy leads. Whatever their merits, I just don't like them.
--flatline
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Post by flatline on Oct 19, 2014 18:37:25 GMT -8
Sharpening
I don't sharpen my drafting pencils, I just reach for a 0.3mm or 0.9mm pencil depending on my need.
Sharpening the lead in a lead holder is almost as easy. If I have a rotary sharpener, I drop the lead in the hole to set the appropriate length, then I spin it in the sharpener until the grinding stops, and then I clean the end of the lead and admire the perfect point. If I don't have a rotary sharpener, then I put it in the regular sharpener and spin the lead against the blade until I have a point.
Wooden pencils, however, are trickier. I've got a Bosch electric sharpener, but for some reason the point is never centered quite right and there seems to be nothing I can do about it. It's fine for my kids' pencils, but I won't put anything nice in it. The KUM long point sharpener is what I've been mostly using. It's the one that cuts off the wood first, then puts a point on the lead (that second step is very similar to what I'm used to with my lead holders). The only problem is that once you use a sharpener that gives a very steep angle, it's very difficult to do a good job sharpening that pencil with another sharpener that isn't as steep since the lead engages the blade before the wood, so there's nothing to stabilize the lead in the sharpener until you've totally wrecked half a centimeter of it. You're actually probably better off just taking pliers and snapping off the point before using the less aggressive sharpener.
Maybe there's a trick to it that I haven't discovered yet.
I've been practicing on the cheap crappy wooden pencils they provide at work (oddly enough, I'm surrounded by pencil users who don't have their own sharpener, so they've been happy to let me sharpen their pencils for them). Since the KUM gives a sharper point than any of my other sharpeners, it always does a nice job since the blade always engages the wood first. And this "long" point is perfect for writing. However, it's too aggressive a point for softer leads like 4B and 6B since the lead can't really hold a point anyways. What little experimentation I've done so far with such soft pencils have yielded the best results with the KUM wedge sharpener (the one with 2 sharpeners build into it, one wider and blunter than the other). The General "All Art" sharpener is okay. The KUM long point doesn't really work since these pencils have wider leads in them and the first blade that is intended to peel off the wood actually does really horrible things to the wider lead. If I actually used these kinds of pencils with any regularity, I suspect that I'd eventually resort to using a knife to remove the wood and fine sand paper for shaping the point.
So how do the different pencils compare? Well, the biggest difference seems to be the wood that encases the lead. The Hi-Uni and Tombow pencils have wood that is pliable and cuts very easily, coming off in long ribbons that you can bend and play with without breaking. The Palomino Orange pencils are slightly harder and much noisier ("crackly" is the best word I can come up with for it) to sharpen. I don't actually know if the wood itself is harder, I suppose it's possible that there's a layer of glue or something between the two halves, but whatever the reason, the Palomino Orange pencils takes a little more effort to sharpen than my other pencils. The Palomino Blackwing 602 wood feels almost as supple as the Hi-Uni or Tombow wood, so this would seem to indicate that Palomino uses different wood (or differently treated wood) in their two premier lines. Edit: the Blackwing is crackly like the Palomino Orange. The wood is very likely exactly the same. I don't know what I was thinking.
All the other pencils have wood that lies somewhere in between. The Staedtler, Koh-I-Noor, and General's Kimberly wood feels drier and if you bend the ribbon coming off the pencil, it snaps immediately rather than flexing, but this has absolutely no negative impact on how easily sharpened the pencil is (that I'm aware of anyways) and the exposed wood on the pencil is just as functional as that of the Hi-Uni or Tombow.
In the grand scheme of things, all of these pencils sharpen easily in a good sharpener and my comments about the Palomino Orange should be interpreted as a "here's something enough different from the others to be worth commenting on" thing rather than any sort of real complaint about the pencil.
--flatline
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Post by rr4u on Oct 20, 2014 13:43:30 GMT -8
The Palomino Orange pencils are slightly harder and much noisier ("crackly" is the best word I can come up with for it) to sharpen. I don't actually know if the wood itself is harder, I suppose it's possible that there's a layer of glue or something between the two halves, I think the two slants of wood used to encase the leads in pencils are always glued. I am certain there are different methods to do it, depending on the manufacturer. Wouldn't be surprised if something different is or has been made, though I never heard of it. It is nice to see your enthusiasm. So far it's been a nice read. keep it coming! So, what's next ...Erasability perhaps? Cheers, R. |
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Post by rr4u on Oct 20, 2014 14:29:04 GMT -8
I should already have mentioned it, here's a pencil you really must try.  Conté graphite 601. One of the best pencils on the market, I think. Would easily made my top 10, probably even my top 5 favorites list. These are Art quality pencils and they are available in 10 degrees, 3H, 2H, H, HB, B, 2B, 3B, 4B, 5B, 6B. The brand's web site now only lists the round model (they used to make an hexagonal version, some retailers still sell them). Wouldn't be surprised if you could find them on your local Art store(S) Official website: www.conteaparis.com/produits-esquisse-crayonesquisse.html#...and a nice article, www.penciltalk.org/2009/05/a-tale-of-two-contes-the-conte-a-paris-graphite-601-pencilR. |
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Post by flatline on Oct 21, 2014 10:19:54 GMT -8
So, what's next ...Erasability perhaps? Hmm...I don't have much to say about erasability. All of these pencils, even the 4B and 6B Palomino orange erase cleanly from my Rhodia using my pentel click eraser. Some of the harder leads leave indentations that are readable even after the lead has been rubbed off, but I think that's to be expected. On my scratch pads at work, I never erase. Instead, I simply draw a line through any mistake and keep writing. --flatline |
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Post by flatline on Oct 25, 2014 5:26:32 GMT -8
Odds and Ends - A collection of observations that don't merit their own post...
Erasers:
Most of these pencils do not have erasers on the end. In some cases I had a choice, but chose the eraser-less version. None of my drafting pencils or lead holders have useful erasers on them, so I'm used to reaching for my "clicky" eraser whenever I need to make a correction. As a rule, it's a better eraser than anything I've used that was mounted on a pencil.
The eraser on the Blackwing 602 is pretty cool in that you can extend it as it wears down and the shape makes targeted corrections easier, but what little testing I've done with it seems to indicate that it wears quickly and doesn't do a particularly good job erasing.
Little metal things on the ends of pencils that aren't erasers:
The General Kimberly has a metal cap covering the end. The Tombow Mono 100 and Mitsubishi Hi-Uni pencils have metal rings around the backs. I find these to be distracting and wish they weren't there. I much prefer the paint/lacquer dipped ends of the Palomino Orange, Staedtler Lumograph, and Koh-I-Noor Toison D'or pencils.
Markings indicating lead hardness:
Several pencils mark the lead hardness on only 1 or 2 sides. More often than not, I can't see the hardness at a glance, but must instead roll the pencil until the marking is visible. The rest of the pencils indicate lead hardness on either 3 or 6 sides of the pencils. No matter how the pencil is oriented, I can see the hardness at a glance. Aesthetically, I think markings on 3 sides looks the best.
Shape:
Round pencils seem to take more grip pressure to hold securely and they're constantly trying to roll away from me. I think I will avoid round pencils in the future. I have several round drafting pencils and lead holders that I like, but they all have knurling which allows me to grip them securely with very little pressure and clips which prevent them from rolling very far.
Sharpening efficiency:
It feels like I get a whole lot more writing out of an inch of 2mm lead in one of my lead holders than I do out of an inch of wooden pencil. I don't know if this is because I'm over sharpening the wooden pencils or if something else is going on. Perhaps my impression is mistaken.
Well, that's all for now. Time to get the kids to gymnastics.
--flatline
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Post by rr4u on Oct 25, 2014 6:52:50 GMT -8
Little metal things on the ends of pencils that aren't erasers: The General Kimberly has a metal cap covering the end. The Tombow Mono 100 and Mitsubishi Hi-Uni pencils have metal rings around the backs. I find these to be distracting and wish they weren't there. I much prefer the paint/lacquer dipped ends of the Palomino Orange, Staedtler Lumograph, and Koh-I-Noor Toison D'or pencils. Btw, those little metal things on the end of wooden pencils used to lodge and score the eraser tips are called ferrules. Also, after inspecting the specimens I have, I think the Mitsubishi Hi-Uni top is fitted with a plastic cap, there's no metal on them. Though I am not not 100% sure, I think this also applies to the Tombow Mono 100 ...if not a plastic cap, then it's all wood. R. |
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Post by flatline on Oct 25, 2014 9:30:49 GMT -8
Little metal things on the ends of pencils that aren't erasers: The General Kimberly has a metal cap covering the end. The Tombow Mono 100 and Mitsubishi Hi-Uni pencils have metal rings around the backs. I find these to be distracting and wish they weren't there. I much prefer the paint/lacquer dipped ends of the Palomino Orange, Staedtler Lumograph, and Koh-I-Noor Toison D'or pencils. Btw, those little metal things on the end of wooden pencils used to lodge and score the eraser tips are called ferrules. Also, after inspecting the specimens I have, I think the Mitsubishi Hi-Uni top is fitted with a plastic cap, there's no metal on them. Though I am not not 100% sure, I think this also applies to the Tombow Mono 100 ...if not a plastic cap, then it's all wood. R. The Hi-Uni has a gold colored metal ring about 5mm from the end. The Tombow has one about 10mm from the end. I think that you're right that the ends are covered by plastic. The plastic caps don't bother me at all, but the metal rings have edges that do bother me. --flatline |
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Post by chthulhu on Oct 25, 2014 15:55:48 GMT -8
I've watched a (Castell? Staedtler?) YouTube video showing pencil manufacture in Germany, and the pencils were simply dipped in paint to coat the unsharpened ends.
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Post by flatline on Oct 25, 2014 17:53:31 GMT -8
I've watched a (Castell? Staedtler?) YouTube video showing pencil manufacture in Germany, and the pencils were simply dipped in paint to coat the unsharpened ends. My Staedtler and Koh-I-Noor have ends like that. The FC 9000 I've got has an eraser, so I don't have an example of an eraser-less Faber-Castell pencil. --flatline |
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Post by rr4u on Oct 25, 2014 19:38:34 GMT -8
Staedtler Pencil making process.
R.
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Post by rr4u on Oct 25, 2014 19:49:11 GMT -8
How pencils are made by Staedtler.
R.
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Post by chthulhu on Oct 26, 2014 14:07:09 GMT -8
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Post by flatline on Oct 30, 2014 11:25:55 GMT -8
Interesting. It doesn't look like there's a whole lot of variation. Some of the machinery looks identical between all those videos. --flatline |
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Post by flatline on Oct 30, 2014 11:34:34 GMT -8
I've finally given up on the Koh-I-Noor pencils and removed them from my rotation. I don't like the way they feel when I write with them and they're the only pencils where I've had the leads break in the sharpener (multiple times for the HB, only once with the 2B...at first I blamed myself, but since it hasn't happened with any other brand pencil, now I'm blaming the pencil).
--flatline
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Post by flatline on Nov 5, 2014 7:12:55 GMT -8
I've been experimenting with knife sharpening and I've discovered that I have a lot of fun with a sharp flat point.
To bad they no longer make mechanical pencils with rectangular leads like the one Chthulhu linked to earlier. Based on my own experiments, something 1mm wide and 0.3mm or 0.5mm thick would be excellent to have.
--flatline
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