Pencil Things

California Republic Golden Bear 2B pencil

You probably have already tried writing with a soft-lead pencil, so you have the idea of why a B or softer degree pencil belongs in your pencil case. Isn’t it nice at times to write with a dark lead such as the Golden Bear 2B?

The darker the lead the softer it is, and the softer it is the more it smudges. Smudging may be just what you want for sketching and drawing. If you are writing more than a few lines of closely-spaced text, however, a soft lead can be a bother, particularly to left-handers. But, for writing lists and short notes, it is hard to beat the at-a-glance contrast of a soft lead.  |  Don Bell, Proprietor, Pencil Things

TreeSmart Recycled Newspaper pencil

Here’s how the TreeSmart Recycled Pencil is made. Water-wet sheets (not pulp) of the English edition of a Chinese newspaper are rolled around the lead. Huge presses squeeze out the water and force a round shape. The metal ferrule and eraser are attached by a very small job-shop in the United States.

You can enhance the contrast of the newsprint characters by rubbing a small amount of oil on the barrel. Over time, of course, oils from your hand will accomplish that. And as you sharpen it, you will see the layers of newsprint on the sharpened point. Bet you can’t guess how many layers! A hint: Approximately four TreeSmart pencils can be made from one broadsheet of newsprint.  |  Don Bell, Proprietor, Pencil Things

ForestChoice Carpenter pencil

Sharpen this pencil with a pocket knife, leaving a broad width of lead. Don’t point it too sharply. Now it is ready to use for marking wood, or almost any other rough surface. You can do pencil calligraphy with the ForestChoice. Artists, young and old, amateur and professional, love the broad width for sketching and drawing. So what if you’re not a carpenter!  |  Don Bell, Proprietor, Pencil Things

Musgrave HB, Natural Finish pencil

Musgrave Pencil Company says the Musgrave HB is their single most popular pencil. The name suggests that this would be an unvarnished pencil. But, it has a thin clear lacquer coating, which gives a different feel to the surface than one gets on true natural finish pencils, such as California Republic’s ForestChoice. The lacquer also serves to emphasize the wood grain, and to make the foil imprint stand out. It’s a good-looking pencil! And it writes well, too.  |  Don Bell, Proprietor, Pencil Things

Staedtler Triplus Ball ballpoint pen

From time-to-time we are asked about pens. We all use them, despite our inclination to favor pencils. Here is an excellent $2.20 “disposable” ballpoint pen by Staedtler, Inc. I like using it, and perhaps my impressions will serve to guide you when you buy ballpoint pens. (1) The rubberized barrel is an ergonomic triangular shape with a soft-grip non-slip surface. You can write for hours and not become tired. (2) The barrel is long enough for large-handed persons to use. (3) The ink cartridge contains 4-1/4” of indelible ink, rather than the usual 3-3/4”. (4) The cap, which also serves as a clip, is held on at both ends of the pen by a positive detent – not by friction. A tight-fitting cap is harder to lose, and it serves to contain any leakage. Leakage can be an issue, particularly if you travel from sea level (New Jersey) to 7,000’ in altitude (Santa Fe, NM), and between cold climates and hot deserts, as I do. (5) It has a particularly smooth writing performance, perhaps because of the chrome-plated metal roller tip.

I have bunches of cheap pens, don’t you? Gather them up and give them to your favorite coffee shop. They are always running out. This Staedtler Triplus Ball ballpoint pen will last a long time, and your nice pencils will be proud to make its acquaintance.  |  Don Bell, Proprietor, Pencil Things

UPDATE: Immediately after writing this review in November 2006, I learned that Staedtler ceased selling this pen. We hadn't stocked an appreciable number, and quickly ran out in December. It's now June, 2007 and I am still searching for a reasonable quantity of the Triplus to offer at PencilThings.com. Maybe we'll have some luck.

Multiplication arithmetic pencil

Pencil barrels can provide information beyond political slogans, cheerful greetings, and brief inspirational messages. In the math arena alone there are pencils showing: multiplication; subtraction; fractions; metric conversion; addition; and Roman numerals.

There are pencils which show the line-up of planets (Pluto is still there!); the books of the Hebrew Bible and New Testament; branches of the U.S. government; U.S. states data (capital, flower, slogan, etc.); and many more “informational” pencils. The quality of the lead, eraser and lacquer is generally a lower grade than a pencil aficionado prefers, but still the pencils are useful and fun for the purpose for which they are manufactured.  |  Don Bell, Proprietor, Pencil Things

Faber-Castell GRIP writing pencil

You will discover that you can grip this award-winning pencil lightly because the grip zone has raised, slightly-tacky dots to prevent slipping. The barrel has a triangular shape, which also facilitates fatigue-free writing. The lead is break-resistant at the tip, due to a special adhesive bond. And the lacquer is water-based, making it environmentally and dermatologically friendly. If each of the five degrees of hardness were to lie together, you would notice that the end tip is painted to correspond with the degree of hardness (writing grades: 2H to 2B) -- a nice touch.

The ISPA gave this pencil the prestigious Product of the Year Award in 2000. The magazine Business Week named it the best Product of the Year in 2000. The North Rhine-Westphalia Design Centre gave it the Highest Design Quality award.  |  Don Bell, Proprietor, Pencil Things

Pencil Points: California Republic Prospector Triangular

California Republic Prospector Triangular
(See product page)

• Handy triangular shape allows for a better, steadier grip.
• Bright green color (like the regular Prospector) makes pencil easy to see.
• Crisp, smooth basswood construction; sharpens like butter.
• Belongs to the California Republic "value" line -- which means it is inexpensive, not cheaply made. A tube of 40 costs only $8.95. It is a pencil you'd love to use, but wouldn't be afraid to give away.
• The line is smooth, but not very dark -- A Palomino or a Mongol 482 is much darker.
• Though not as attractive as the hexagonal Prospectors, these pencils do maintain the thick, glossy veneer that is California Republic's trademark.
• Overall: 3.5 out of 5 points

-Andy Welfle

Maped Tip-Top Sharpener

The Maped Tip-Top sharpener fits on either end of your pencil, serving as a point protector when covering the lead end. The friction paper clip requires the thickness of about 5 sheets of paper to hold well. The blade is firmly mounted to prevent blade chatter – a leading cause of broken leads. But, just in case, Maped has molded-in a broken lead bypass at the end of the blade.  |  Don Bell, Proprietor, Pencil Things

Refill eraser for Mongol (and some other) pencils

Mostly, we run out of eraser before we run out of pencil, right? When we first examined Mongol pencils, we noticed that the erasers could be removed by breaking the mild adhesive seal with just a gentle twist/tug motion. Thinking that it would be nice to be able to exchange a worn eraser for a new one, we asked Mongol whether (1) they can maintain an adhesive level uniformly throughout the Mongol line and (2) if we could purchase the erasers, only, to offer to our customers. They agreed, and all of our Mongol pencils can use a refill eraser kit.

Hint #1: We suggest that you gently twist/tug the eraser off of your unused Mongol pencil and then replace it. This preparation makes it easier when it comes time to replace the worn eraser because, while new, you have more eraser to hold on to. Hint #2: The Palomino orange pencil with white eraser, and the ForestChoice pencil can have their erasers replaced. It takes a stronger twist/tug, but it works.  |  Don Bell, Proprietor, Pencil Things