Pencils

[Old Hippie]

I really miss my old Koh-I-Noor mechanical pencil. Used the heck out of it in engineering school. I've had lots of Staedtlers over the years. Oddly I still have the very first one I bought to replace the Koh-I-Noor in about 1980.

These days I buy semi-decent woodcase pencils by the box. There's always one where I need it, which leads to pencils all over the house. Now if I could remember to leave paper by them...

O.H.

 

[flask28]

I love my blackwings, but after looking at a bunch of these photos now I want a mechanical. Thanks guys!!

 

[Breen]

Use a DE blade to sharpen pencils

Razor blades can also sharpen pencils ?! Yes, that's exactly the super power of a traditional razor; whether it's a double-edged blade (DE), a single-edged GEM blade, or a wedge blade...there are specially designed pencil sharpeners, proving that the previous People cherish resources. . The DE...

www.badgerandblade.com

 

[ra59]

Love the quality of a good pencil, the lead is often off-center and breaks easily in the new cheapos kids get for school nowadays. No wonder they get frustrated with writing.

I've got a big box of old wooden pencils that have been around for years, here's a pic of a few. I enjoy a nice hand sharpener, too!

Those older Dixon Orioles were my favorite when I was in school. The brand is still around, but they are no longer made in the US and terrible quality.

 

[haggis]

My most-used pencil - 99% of its use is just drawing grids on hones only to be lapped away.

 

[Barbablanca]

Rotring 800 .5 mm. Best mechanical pencil I’ve ever used. I particularly like the fact that you can carry it in a pocket without poking a hole in your shirt. The erasers are small, but I use it mostly for notes, so not much need for an eraser.
Jack

 

[EMG06]

Are any modern wooden pencils still being being made in the US with the fragrant Red Cedarwood that they used to use?

 

[ra59]

Are any modern wooden pencils still being being made in the US with the fragrant Red Cedarwood that they used to use?

Check out Musgrave Pencil Company. They have a variety of good pencils, but The Tennessee Red fits your description best.

 

[EMG06]

Check out Musgrave Pencil Company. They have a variety of good pencils, but The Tennessee Red fits your description best.

Looks like it’s exactly what I’m looking for! Just placed an order with the company to try them out. Thanks!

 

[Toothpick]

I just got the Rotring 600 for drafting purposes at work. I need something that is "always sharp". Figured this would be a good option. I wasn't ready for the beefiness of this pencil. It's super nice !

 

[tehnothing]

This thread has inspired me to look into getting a Rotring.

Edit, and I did.

 

[Breen]

A big fan of the Rotring Rapid Pro 2.0

View attachment 1509113

I love my 600 (.5) but that 2mm Rapid PRO has me drooling.

This thread has inspired me to look into getting a Rotring.

Edit, and I did.

What did you get?

 

[tehnothing]

I found a deal for a 800+ in 0.5mm. It was cheaper than the regular 800.

 

[camjr]

My preferred pencil for all things is a Dixon Ticonderoga Black #2. I use a German KUM sharpener.

 

[Lil Cooties]

kohi noor 5608

https://imgur.com/0IRgmOW

The 5608 has my mechanical pencil of choice for the last few years. I like a nice bold line, so I use 4B lead and don't point it.

I used a Pentel P209 throughout high school, good pencil but the exposed lead tube isn't great for carrying in a pocket, especially a pants pocket.

 

[Wombat ESQ]

Pencils, did some one say A Barbie pencil.

I love me a sharp pincil, brew.

 

[Wombat ESQ]

And an antique little beauty

 

[Tirvine]

In the 1970s and 1980s I worked at Texas Commerce Bank in Houston. We were famous for our budgeting an bought pencils made by the Blackfeet. They were unpainted wood with No. 2 leads. I always had a dozen sharpened Dixon Ticonderogas in my pencil cup at the start of the day, always with No. 1 leads. I also had a Shaeffer desk set. I loved the fountain pan more than the Meisterstuck in my pocket.

 

[Old Hippie]

I can't say I was bored; I'm rarely that, but I was fishing in some waters I haven't thrown a fly at for a while and this thread turned up. I've just spent most of the afternoon looking at three things within the broader pencil universe:

1. The Staedtler Pencil Holder. Why do I need one of these? I may not. But it's cheaper than a new razor, which I also don't immediately need. Actually, I am one of those cheap-but-we-say-thrifty Scots who can justify a pencil holder to get even more life out of those tiddly little pencil stubs I often swear at and throw into the brush behind the shop. Gonna have to go back there before it snows and see if I can salvage a few. I'll say at least the swearing was therapeutic.

2. Musgrave pencils, from the link above. My. I thought Papermate Mirado Classics were pretty good pencils. I can see where some money is going to go.

3. Clutch pencils, AKA leadholders. As I said before I really liked my old Koh-I-Noor but I haven't seen it since the last century sometime. Sure, I use Staedtlers and Pentels and other mechanical pencils but they just don't spin my toque like a nice leadholder. As it happens there are a few out there and I'll explore. Starting with a Pacific Arc H-1305 and possibly extending if I see a nice Koh-I-Noor, Faber-Castell TK-4600 or Caran d'Ache Fixpencil. I have no need for a 5.6mm lead (!) so I will let the idea of a Kaweco SketchUp go, but dang that's a neat looker.

(Hmmm. Maybe I could use a Kaweco as a highlighter, with the right filler. Well...I guess that's a "soft pass.")

O.H.

 

[SmokedStanley]

Stumbled on this and it made me go take some pics of a mechanical pencil I got from an antique store in a razor lot. It extends to a 12 inch ruler and still has lead in it. Currently just sits in a bin in the basement.