Where are they?

Thats a handy place to know about

Re: Where are they?

ebd

I'm assuming you meant 0.9mm - I found drafting mechanicals at Staples and Office Max/Depot that can't be beat. The lead is 2 mm and they come with a built in sharpener (the plastic ones) and a really fine sharpener/eraser accessory (metal ones). The brand name is Staedtler Mars and they are made in Germany and take a seriously fine point. Leads are available in many, many hardnes/blackness (HB scale) levels. Most variety in leads is found in art stores.

A book on the subject *LINK*

Clifton C

I'm going to have to order this book...


How to sharpen pencils

Re: I'd say you need a better sharpener

TM Stock

Agree...blades get dull, and start chewing versus shearing. These points are from an early 1990's Panasonic KP-310 that's been on my desk for 25 years...not made anymore, but readily available on eBay for under $20...well worth it. Have a couple over the benches in shop as well.

FWIW, from top to bottom, Uni-Mitsubishi, Rhodia (dyed 'white wood'...still sharpened well), Tombow Mono 100, A.W. Faber pre WW2 new old stock, Mars Lumigraph, Mirado/paperMate Black Warrior (USA), General Kimberly, and Palomino California Republic and Blackwing 602.

Re: I am surprised.....

ebd

Don't know about the 0.9mm but I found that I continuously break the lead off in the 0.5mm mechanicals. That's why I switched to 2mm drafting mechanicals. I don't mind sharpening, but I don't like the pencil getting ever shorter.

Gotta be a put on...   

Re: I am surprised.....

TM Stock

Been a while but seems like MoI goes as the 4th power of the radius, so 0.9mm should be about 10x harder to break than 0.5mm, while the 0.7mm is about 4x harder to break than the 0.5mm. With reinforced leads, the 0.7 is noticeably difficult to break and the 0.9mm is bulletproof in use.

Of the three pictured below, the Pentel Ain Stein leads are the strongest, even in 2B versus HB in the standard Pentel polymer or the Staedtler, but it was tough to find outside of NYC stationary stores in the US until Jet Pens and Amazon started selling them.

Try Jet Pens for the Ain Stein leads in most sizes, as well as the similar Uni/Mitsubishi. Amazon also has some Pentel AS sizes/weights available.

Re: Gotta be a put on...

TM Stock

218 pages of semi-seriousness. I gave copies one year as gifts to all my enginerding buddies at the think tank I frequent...about half and half re: laughter versus complaining about the cost to send their pencils out for sharpening.

Re: Gotta be a put on...

John in NM

It reminds me of the artisanal firewood video more than anything else.