What Pencil Are You Using Today?

[mallymal1]

A Blackwing 530.

[PPPR]

A Legendary Pencil Co. No. 16 Pompeian in yellow. Another pencil wasn't needed, but I want to support Leadhead's efforts in the world of mechanical pencils. The pencils are made with machinery from the defunct Autopoint company. They use what was called standard lead, 0.046 in (1.1 mm).

[1nkulus]

Rotring 600 0.5 w/ 4B

[Zookie]

A Musgrave Greenbelt

[1nkulus]

Pentel Kerry 0.5 w/ 2B

[gweimer1]

I'm using an Autopoint 48 (?), have an Autopoint Rocket in a notepad, and will be picking up a second pencil (model 12 Chevron in red) from Jon at Legendary Pencil today.

[Estycollector]

The Rockets are my favorite Autopoint Pencils. I have one of every style. 

[gweimer1]

On 8/30/2022 at 9:48 AM, Estycollector said:

The Rockets are my favorite Autopoint Pencils. I have one of every style. 

 

Do you have the longer one?   I'll get a photo of mine up here.

[welch]

I'm using a fresh Eberhard Faber Mongol #1 (482). I bought a bunch of boxes in the '90s from Wall Street Pen Stationers, the sort of store that never had close-out sales. I found them high up on a side-shelf and bought all they had. The boxes had a layer or two of dust and grit accumulated from the busses on 5th Avenue in Midtown. Don't remember the price, but they were less than the box of E-F Blackwing 602s for $6. 

 

I knew that Faber-Castell had bought Eberhard Far and that the new pencils were not nearly as good as the E-Fs, so everything they had.

[1nkulus]

Pentel GraphGear 1000 0.5 w/ 4B

[RJS]

While teaching today I used a Staedtler Tradition HB and a Mitsubishi 9852 B. I have to say I don't like whatever substance Staedtler are using in place of the wood they have have always used. Is it odourless white wood? Is it some kind of compressed wood clippings? I'm not sure, but it's a pity they made the change recently.

[Zookie]

Is it similar to the Wopex? They were made of some sort of recycled plastic. Not 100% sure though.

 

[RJS]

3 hours ago, Zookie said:

Is it similar to the Wopex? They were made of some sort of recycled plastic. Not 100% sure though.

 

I tried one of the first Wopex pencils when my old company were sent some samples upon launch, and I remember it wasn't pleasant to sharpen. This Tradition pencil doesn't appear to be made from the same substance as that, but I'm curious what it actually is.

[Zookie]

I looked the Wopex up, and it seems to be made of a recycled wood / plastic mix.

[RJS]

3 minutes ago, Zookie said:

I looked the Wopex up, and it seems to be made of a recycled wood / plastic mix.

The Tradition pencils do contain wood, according to the Staedtler website. Maybe it's just an usual wood they have used, and bleached it? It seems a poorer quality than some old Noris pencils I have that date back to the 1980s. My 1980's UK made Tradition pencils are nicer still. The modern Noris pencils seem very cheap.

[ParramattaPaul]

5 hours ago, RJS said:

The Tradition pencils do contain wood, according to the Staedtler website. Maybe it's just an usual wood they have used, and bleached it? It seems a poorer quality than some old Noris pencils I have that date back to the 1980s. My 1980's UK made Tradition pencils are nicer still. The modern Noris pencils seem very cheap.

I may be wrong, but I believe some, if not most, wooden pencils are made with 'composite' or 'engineered' wood made from sawdust.

[Zookie]

I think you're right, but the ones I like to use are still made of incense cedar.

[Misfit]

I’m using this vintage Autopoint Rocket that I got today from an eBay seller. Research showed the company advertising on it had its principal office in Kansas City, Missouri. I live in the KC metro area.  It is an ad for Allied Laboratories Inc and its divisions
 

[Misfit]

On 8/30/2022 at 8:48 AM, Estycollector said:

The Rockets are my favorite Autopoint Pencils. I have one of every style. 

Did you post a photo of all of them in this thread?

 

 

 

 

[essayfaire]

@Misfit, that's very cool!