A pencil and a dream

May 21, 2016 9:59 PM

Paul A. Johnson Pencil Sharpener Museum. "I now have over 3000 different sharpeners, with NO duplicates in here."

"The literal definition of this museum is: a shed on the side of the road filled with old pencil sharpeners. A better description is: Behold, a glorious haven! A pencil sharpener sanctuary with no rival for size or awe. Come visitors; come marvel upon it."

posted by goofyfoot (22 comments total)

Next time I'm in Ohio, I am totally visiting this. I bet it will be at least as good as the restrooms at Jungle Jim's International Market (which are another Ohio tourist destination not to be missed.)
posted by asperity at 10:10 PM on May 21, 2016 [3 favorites]

it's no PENCIL MUSEUM
posted by lalochezia at 10:31 PM on May 21, 2016

I imagine getting that museum established used up his entire shavings account. I wonder what lead him to do such a thing? I mean, what's the point?
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:34 PM on May 21, 2016 [9 favorites]

Two days ago, a wave of sharpener nostalgia hit my dry spots and made me shiver. The typewriter. The jet plane. All of the mechanical parts. The wheels. Such tiny functioning things one would find in a doll house but are actually pencil sharpeners. I had to quash the idea of researching, purchasing and collecting long lost loves. I think I'd rather take a little trip to Hocking Hills.
posted by psylosyren at 10:43 PM on May 21, 2016 [1 favorite]

Those 1970's sliding box pencil case sharpeners ruled. Though by 1978, the eraser looked like a piece of grape Hubba-Bubba.
posted by clavdivs at 11:06 PM on May 21, 2016

I guess it's like pencil collectors: some people are drawn to it; for others it's just the write thing to do.
posted by Joe in Australia at 11:34 PM on May 21, 2016 [4 favorites]

Puncil sharpener museum is two doors down, sir.
posted by not_on_display at 11:46 PM on May 21, 2016 [4 favorites]

All 185,252 pencils in Pencil Vania scream in terror when told of this ghastly museum.
posted by D.C. at 12:36 AM on May 22, 2016 [2 favorites]

The denizens of Pen Island, however, are relatively safe.
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 1:48 AM on May 22, 2016 [2 favorites]

Pro tip: if you visit Atlas Obscura on a mobile phone there is a prominent "What's near me?" button at the top of the page, which locates you with your phone's GPS and shows you a list of nearby places of supreme interest.

Over the past 12 months I have got into the habit of using that tool every time I travel somewhere new. This has resulted in a significant uptick in my quality of life.
posted by simonw at 3:47 AM on May 22, 2016 [8 favorites]

Fall River, Massachusetts, very nearby to me, can proudly claim to be the home city of John Lee Love, an African-American inventor who developed a hand-cranked pencil sharpener that is still the standard. You've all seen it, the canister that unhooks from the body and contains the shavings, the twin helix blades counter-rotating inside. The inventor called it a "portable pencil sharpener" but industry to this day refers to it as the Love Sharpener, which is about the best name ever for a piece of office equipment.
posted by Slap*Happy at 4:21 AM on May 22, 2016 [9 favorites]

I use a lot of pencils at work, and when they get dull, I throw them in a desk drawer. Once every week or so, I sharpen them by hand with a German pencil sharpener and it is by far one of the most weirdly relaxing/blissful things I do at work.

If I'm not mistaken, the pencil sharpener museum is near Hocking Hills, which is an absolutely lovely part of southeast Ohio that has lots of beautiful trails and some cool waterfalls. Tons of cabins to rent. Alas, it's still a bit of a drive over to Cincinnati and Jungle Jim's, but I'm glad to see southern Ohio getting some love as a place to visit!
posted by mostly vowels at 4:53 AM on May 22, 2016 [2 favorites]

Like a lot of collections, it's more about having a larger number of items than anyone else. Once you get in front, you tend to stay there.

I mean, what is a pencil sharpener collection for, if you can't maintain your lead?
posted by zamboni at 7:30 AM on May 22, 2016 [5 favorites]

Disappointing that he doesn't seem to have a wax sculpture of David Rees.
posted by aaronetc at 7:44 AM on May 22, 2016 [3 favorites]

But are they artisinal?
posted by grumpybear69 at 9:09 AM on May 22, 2016 [1 favorite]

Came in to make the David Rees joke. I hope they know one another. I loved Rees' project and did not like the cheesy TV series that ensued. Indviduals with an outsized devotion to a single thing is an important part of the cultural patchwork.
posted by Miko at 9:25 AM on May 22, 2016

 → a hand-cranked pencil sharpener that is still the standard

… if you like dull points and chewing through the wood case, that is. Start your pencil with a proper hand-held sharpener, then dress the point with a blade or medium sandpaper as required.
posted by scruss at 9:30 AM on May 22, 2016

You use sandpaper? I buff the point on my manly five o'clock shadow.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 9:39 AM on May 22, 2016 [3 favorites]

did not like the cheesy TV series that ensued

Oh, so it's YOUR fault it was cancelled!
posted by kenko at 5:43 PM on May 22, 2016 [1 favorite]

I hope the museum smells like freshly sharpened pencils. I love the smell of pencil shavings--some sort of school nostalgia, I suppose.
posted by Nosey Mrs. Rat at 7:10 PM on May 22, 2016 [1 favorite]

"I love the smell of pencil shavings in the morning. Smells like...hickory..."
posted by Greg_Ace at 8:20 PM on May 22, 2016 [1 favorite]

Oh, I love that smell! It was one of the best parts of using a pencil rather than a pen. But the scarcity of sharpeners in field sites persuaded me to switch to mechanical pencils, and even now that I'm working in just one spot, I prefer them. Dropped $50 on a beaut just this year.
posted by goofyfoot at 8:21 PM on May 22, 2016