Comments on: All Pencils. All the Time.

All Pencils. All the Time.

azul — Sat, 27 Aug 2005 05:31:23 -0800

By: veryape

veryape — Sat, 27 Aug 2005 05:46:03 -0800

the legendary 602

By: Ethereal Bligh

Ethereal Bligh — Sat, 27 Aug 2005 05:51:15 -0800

Holy cow. The entry written by Tom Leininger—the review of the Dixon Ticonderoga Classic—is almost painful to read. He's a journalist?

By: Mayor Curley

Mayor Curley — Sat, 27 Aug 2005 06:56:05 -0800

Holy cow. The entry written by Tom Leininger—the review of the Dixon Ticonderoga Classic—is almost painful to read. He's a journalist? The site's a joke.

By: three blind mice

three blind mice — Sat, 27 Aug 2005 07:25:31 -0800

I was sitting in my first journalism class at Western Kentucky University when the professor said we should always carry a pencil with us. He explained that pencils were used for writing. A concept with which few students educated in Kentucky were familar. "You mean those marks on paper mean something?" asked one of the brighter students. "Yes," replied the professor. "Those marks on paper are called letters, letters placed next to each other form words, and words are used to make sentences." "Sentences," I've heard of those, said another student. "My daddy got one for moonshining. Two years. But I don't remember it having anything to do with letters." At that point, the professor realized that he would have to revise his lesson plan.

By: stbalbach

stbalbach — Sat, 27 Aug 2005 07:28:29 -0800

The oldest pencil in existence was found between the walls in a medieval building in Germany, left behind by a carpenter.. roughly hewn pieces of wood and lead used for marking timbers. I suspect this is the origin, carpenters would be the first users in a pre-literate society who would naturally use wood, and thus perhaps its reputation among the literate elite who prefer ink. Certainly pencils were known in Antiquity as well?

By: weapons-grade pandemonium

weapons-grade pandemonium — Sat, 27 Aug 2005 07:32:08 -0800

2B or not 2B, that is the question. I love it. This complemented my Saturday morning coffee perfectly. Thank you, azul.

By: Civil_Disobedient

Civil_Disobedient — Sat, 27 Aug 2005 08:08:02 -0800

By: matteo

matteo — Sat, 27 Aug 2005 08:33:54 -0800

and I almost never read Hemingway's more adventuresome novels without an American Naturals pencil behind my ear or between my teeth.

it's really funny, thanks for the post

By: deusdiabolus

deusdiabolus — Sat, 27 Aug 2005 08:38:30 -0800

It's the kind of revolution you'd want to get behind if only because it's so contrary to modern ideas of security and stylish writing (gel pens, metallic ink, etc.) I always keep a few pencils handy (although most of their erasers have hardened by this point with time and lack of use).

By: Balisong

Balisong — Sat, 27 Aug 2005 08:58:30 -0800

Gimmie a "P"! P Gimmie a "E"! E Gimmie a "N"! N Gimmie a "cIl" I Gimmie a "S"! S No, wait. Did I do that right?

By: MrBadExample

MrBadExample — Sat, 27 Aug 2005 09:00:07 -0800

Certainly pencils were known in Antiquity as well? Apparently, the Romans used lead styluses. Graphite came into use in the 16th century.

By: pragmatik

pragmatik — Sat, 27 Aug 2005 09:11:37 -0800

That's a kick-ass site. Thanks, Azul.

By: Baby_Balrog

Baby_Balrog — Sat, 27 Aug 2005 09:25:01 -0800

ugh... I hate pencils. Give me the reliability of a good ballpoint. Pencil smudges vanish after a few years.

By: rolypolyman

rolypolyman — Sat, 27 Aug 2005 09:36:36 -0800

Anyone remember from grade school those cheapass pencils (some brand sold in supermarkets, I can't remember), that were made with some sort of rubbery wood? They'd break easily and you could hardly get them to sharpen. I saw about ten years ago that those pencils are still on the market. Bastards. On the other hand some of the best pencils I've seen (at least 10 years ago) were Skilcraft pencils made for the U.S. government.

By: rolypolyman

rolypolyman — Sat, 27 Aug 2005 09:38:37 -0800

P.S. I think the brand may have been "Fairmont".

By: pragmatik

pragmatik — Sat, 27 Aug 2005 09:40:14 -0800

There's a lot of movement in the pencil industry about moving back to cedar (usually California Incense Cedar), both because of the contraversy over the "rainforest wood" that people had been using for a few years to save money, and because it's just better wood. You're right, rolypolyman, Skilcraft makes some nice stuff. I wish it were easier to get in public.

By: Ethereal Bligh

Ethereal Bligh — Sat, 27 Aug 2005 09:43:35 -0800

Do you guys really think this is satire??

By: pragmatik

pragmatik — Sat, 27 Aug 2005 09:46:19 -0800

No.

By: Stan Chin

Stan Chin — Sat, 27 Aug 2005 10:17:02 -0800

I am deeply saddened at the lack of ratings for use with Grade School Pencil Break competitions.

By: state fxn

state fxn — Sat, 27 Aug 2005 11:35:42 -0800

Ticonderogas have always been my favorite, so the article automatically piqued my interest. I take them whenever they are given out for free. Not that I don't think they are worth spending money on, just that I usually use my Parker jotters. I remember in HS when California instituted the new standardized STAR test where schools are actually held accountable for the students' scores. My teacher who proctored the test told us, along with the usual sleep and eat well, that the school actually tested different brands of pencils to see which one writes and erases the best and that we will be using those for the test. Test day came and I was excited. I had my faith in Ticonderogas. How can any other brand take its place? When the pencils were passed out, it didn't have the expected yellow and green. Needless to say, I was disappointed and indignant. My only consolation for myself is that they must not have entered Ticonderogas in their testing. I guess that's one thing I'll never find out. How that relates to this? I have no idea...besides it being a pencil story. Fine. I'm going to go pack now.

By: Ethereal Bligh

Ethereal Bligh — Sat, 27 Aug 2005 12:21:38 -0800

The world needs more pencil stories. Truly. I'm dead serious.

By: WoodChuck

WoodChuck — Sat, 27 Aug 2005 12:30:22 -0800

Rolypolyman - Sad to say, but I am fairly certain that Industries for the Blind no longer manufactures the SkilCfraft pencils for the US government. Instead IFB imports them from, you guessed it, China. Although I can say it was really interesting to see the pencil facility with the blind workers operating all that equipment.

By: pragmatik

pragmatik — Sat, 27 Aug 2005 15:40:21 -0800

" The world needs more pencil stories." I concur. I especially like the ones about pieces of graphite that people carry around under their skin for decades.

By: cenoxo

cenoxo — Sat, 27 Aug 2005 15:54:45 -0800

Not to put too fine a point on it, but necessity is the mother of invention: Antique Mechanical Pencil Sharpeners The typical design we use today has been around for about 90 years, but one of these l'il shavers on your desk would be a lot more impressive.

By: Ethereal Bligh

Ethereal Bligh — Sat, 27 Aug 2005 17:07:15 -0800

"Not to put too fine a point on it..." Hahaha. Hohoho!

By: WoodChuck

WoodChuck — Sat, 27 Aug 2005 17:11:46 -0800

" The world needs more pencil stories." I concur. I especially like the ones about pieces of graphite that people carry around under their skin for decades. You mean this pencil story?

By: cenoxo

cenoxo — Sat, 27 Aug 2005 18:30:15 -0800

And, with a grateful nod to Apple's Mac II, let us not forget the most ~~graphic~~ graphite movie of all: Pencil Test

By: of strange foe

of strange foe — Sat, 27 Aug 2005 20:35:47 -0800

Cenoxo, thank you for the movie. (And speaking as one who has a bit of graphite under the skin of one's palm, welcome, WoodChuck!)

By: Bugbread

Bugbread — Sat, 27 Aug 2005 21:02:02 -0800

Ethereal Bligh : "Do you guys really think this is satire??" The post in question: "The eraser works well. And they can write on napkins. What more could one ask for? For one thing, these are right handed pencils, I am left-handed. So, all of the printing is upside down when I am writing." Yeah, I really think it's satire.

By: Bugbread

Bugbread — Sat, 27 Aug 2005 21:23:04 -0800

Ok, maybe not satire, but humor (can't think of who is being satirized, and I believe satire requires a target). Regardless, it is not a serious article.

By: pragmatik

pragmatik — Sat, 27 Aug 2005 21:23:23 -0800

I have a chunk under my wrist that's been there for a decade and a half. I joke that it's a graphite tatoo.

By: Ethereal Bligh

Ethereal Bligh — Sat, 27 Aug 2005 22:37:06 -0800

Bugbread: good point.

By: Ethereal Bligh

Ethereal Bligh — Sat, 27 Aug 2005 22:40:06 -0800

but after going and looking at it again, I'm still not convinced

By: jack_mo

jack_mo — Sun, 28 Aug 2005 15:52:07 -0800

I especially like the ones about pieces of graphite that people carry around under their skin for decades. Goodness, I just realised that the little graphite chunk on the back of my left hand has been there for 11 years. (No great story, a schoolfriend just stabbed me witha pencil for a laugh.) Also, hello veryape, fancy meeting you here!

By: PY

PY — Mon, 29 Aug 2005 03:12:06 -0800

Love pencils and pictures of pretty pencil points, though I'm not a purist - mechanical pencils get the job done too, sometimes better than the real thing and with less risk of getting hurt. The tip of one special Ticonderoga is embedded at the base of my ring finger. It'll be 18 years this fall. Faerie pencils - "Handcrafted Twig Pens and Pencils - the kind of pencil a fairy would use!"

By: Balisong

Balisong — Mon, 29 Aug 2005 20:44:55 -0800

I use pencils everyday. Contractors pencils, #2, watercolors, even white chauk pencils. I bought a nice pocketknife to sharpen them. $145 for a knife to sharpen 5000+ pencils. Pretty good investment!

By: pragmatik

pragmatik — Tue, 30 Aug 2005 10:32:10 -0800

Balisong, what kind of knife is that? Do you have a photo? I've seen special knives for pastel pencils, but this sounds more useful to me:)