Lead pencils

[Jack Frederick]

I use an assortment of pencils, both mechanical and lead. The mechanicals are .5mm and used for paper. General use in the shop is a typical lead pencil. it is amazing to me that they have been able to screw up a lead pencil, but I’ve noticed the trend to make them out of compressed wood products. They look and feel the same as a “real” wooden pencil, but it you drop them, they do not support the lead and the point breaks off about 1/4” into the barrel. I almost always carry a short pencil over my ear inside my cap band. I cut a new pencil in about half. Full length pencils get in the way. I recently went to Pencils.com and bought a pack of Blackwing 602’s. Excellent pencil, but a soft lead requiring frequent sharpening. A fabulous drawing pencil, featuring low drag and great feel. Better in the hand than any pencil I’ve used. In looking at their site again they have a woodworkers section, but I haven’t stepped into that yet. I think I’ll order a box of pencils for a couple folks for Christmas. The 602’s came in a really nice box.

[Patrick McCarthy]

602’s are good, but for writing I prefer the Blackwing Pearl. I use them enough that they get short enough soon enough; can’t imagine cutting off half of it. Pencils and sharpeners are interesting rabbit holes . . . .

[Zachary Hoyt]

I get my shop pencils from a surplus/salvage type of store in town for $1 for 10-20 or so. They are not great quality but they work well enough. I sharpen them by hand on the disk sander on the Shopsmith, it only takes a moment.

[Kevin Jenness]

Pencils and sharpeners are interesting rabbit holes . . . .

You don't say.

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=artisinal+penci+sharpening&view=detail&mid=029ADB6CD60C7ACE048D029ADB6CD60C7ACE048D&FORM=VIRE

http://artisanalpencilsharpening.com/

[Lee Schierer]

I use .5 and .7 mm Pentel mechanical pencils for marking wood and making notes on my plans in my shop. The .7mm lead holds up a bit better than the .5mm. I use HB Hipolymer leads.

[Charlie Velasquez]

Straight lines get a 0.9 mm mechanical. if it needs a fine line, then a knife blade.

Curves usually also get a .9 mm. I have never been steady enough of hand to cut using a band saw or jig saw to within a pencil width, so a line wide enough to see and a tool with lead thick enough to withstand pressure from changing angles without breaking is more important to me.

[John Stankus]

Mitsu-Bishi 9850 HB pencils are very nice quality. A bit more affordable than the Blackwings ($8.80 a dozen). If you want different hardnesses Blackwing makes several if I recall correctly, but they are on the softer side of things

I think Mitsu-Bishi has a uni range that goes from 10H to 10B so you can pick your lead hardness (unlike the 9850s I don't think these have erasers)

My all time favorite pencil is one made by the Blackfeet Indian Pencil Company (unfortunately now defunct). These were the logo pencils from Stanford when I was in graduate school, and those write nice. (still have a couple but would love to get more).


John

[Tom M King]

When Eagle pencil sold out to Papermate in the 1980's, I accumlated a lifetime supply of older Mirado, and Black Warrior 3's, and 4's. They stopped grinding the "lead" as fine, and mixing it with wax. I've also accumulated a lot of the old adverstising. You can still buy NOS boxes on ebay, but the price keeps going up, and they're going for over a dollar a piece now.

They changed the name from Mikado, to Mirado, after the Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. The Mikado's are collectors items. I have some, but the ones made up until Papermate bought the company maintained the same production methods.

There is no finer writing, nor longer lasting lead than the no. 4's on wood, but you do have to have good eyesight. It's as fine as any knife line.

Sometime in the late 1970's, a Pella window salesman handed me a handful of flat, carpenters pencils. I told him, "Thank you, but I have no use for them." He asked why not. I took a square, and pencil out of my tool belt, and drew a line on a board. He said, "No wonder you do such good work."

edited to add: If you've used regular pencils for years, it might take a while, or never, to develop the light touch it takes to use these to best advantage. The finely ground lead, and wax allows the lightest touch to leave a line, and will make it last the longest before it needs sharpening.

[John K Jordan]

I use .5 and .7 mm Pentel mechanical pencils for marking wood and...

Have you seen the mechanical pencils with white lead? Good for marking on walnut, etc.
But it's a .9mm, thick for some but great for woodturning tasks. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B004M5BGD4

JKJ