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Robert Flowers
06-10-2019, 2:19 PM
Found this last night, though it we very interesting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymyGUfBfhfM

Robert
Paul Bent
06-10-2019, 5:19 PM
That is wonderful. Thank you for sharing this.
Tom M King
06-10-2019, 6:48 PM
I enjoyed it too. Makes me regret being allergic to Mahogany.

I had to look up when round center pencils were invented, and it was 1795, so that's good for 18th Century, if you had some French friends.
Robert Flowers
06-11-2019, 9:42 AM
Tom, I was thanking the same thing did they have pencils in the 18th century. I haven't had time to look it up thanks for doing that for me.
Robert
Warren Mickley
06-11-2019, 10:17 AM
Tom, I was thanking the same thing did they have pencils in the 18th century. I haven't had time to look it up thanks for doing that for me.
Robert

Felibien (1667) mentions woodworkers using graphite (la pierre noir) on light colored woods and chalk (pierre blanc) for dark woods. Graphite was mined in England. Around 1800 powdered graphite was first mixed with clay to form the kind of pencil leads we use today.

I have seen both of these on historic American furniture, but as to time periods my menmory is fuzzy. Joints were laid out with scribe or knife.
Tom M King
06-11-2019, 11:02 AM
I found this picture of the oldest known pencil. I think it's supposed to be from the 1600's. If you Google "pencil history", and there is much information available. One of Napolean's officers invented a process for mixing clay with graphite, in 1795 and extruding it into round rods, producing the first ones that look sort of like what we use today, and seen in this video. They were at war with England, and didn't have access to the only prior source of pencil leads. I guess they couldn't even fight wars without pencils.
https://i1.wp.com/www.brainpickings.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/oldpencil1.jpg?fit=562%2C295&ssl=1
Axel de Pugey
06-14-2019, 5:15 PM
Thank you Robert, that’s mesmerising!
I will watch it again, as I am sure there are tons of details I missed.

I have been quite a few times visiting some of the states in the US, but Virginia is still missing, after reading so much about Williamsburg here, I guess it will be in the plan one day. Thanks again for sharing this link.