I discovered the Uchida Proeraser some while ago while browsing the uncomfortable chair. It is a nicely-finished all-metal clutch holder for erasers. Most unusual.
The one I ordered came with an ink eraser.
As it takes an eraser of 3.8mm diameter, it occurred to me that it should be able to handle a 3.8mm lead. A less common size, Pilot, Koh-I-Noor, and Caran d’Ache all make leads and holders in this diameter.
The most accessible pencil in this category is probably the Pilot Croquis, available at many art supply stores.
I put a Pilot refill in the Uchida – and found I had a very usable and nice looking 3.8mm clutch leadholder.
Pretty sleek and affordable leadholder. Just checked its price at Bundoki, and if it gets imported to the USA it should be far less cash and probably lighter weight than a Caran D’Ache Fixpencil 44. Thus it should be a pretty good choice for a travel kit of Caran D’Ache Museum watercolor leads. I’ll keep an eye out for them but not actively search for them since I already got plenty of Pilot, Koh-I-Noor, and Caran d’Ache 3.8 mm leadholders in my collection. Which I hate to admit I don’t get to use as much as I’d like since they tend to be far heavier and bulkier than my other mechanical choices and favorite wooden pencils.
Clever idea!
I switched out the grit (i.e., ink) eraser for an eraser from a Sanford Tuff Eraser and it works well. The grit eraser was useless while the Tuff Eraser is quite good for detail erasing.
With respect to Alberto’s comments, the Museum watercolor leads do fit the ProEraser. My plan was to buy a full set of them from Bundoki but the appreciation of the yen has put that on hold. Moreover, despite paying through the teeth for the Museum set, I’ve wandered back to my watercolor pans and woodcase pencils. The problem is keeping track of the colors when there is only a small portion showing from the leadholder. With pans, you obviously know where the color is; with most watercolor pencils, the paint on the pencil clearly shows the colors. If you have a better system, please let me know.
Alberto, Che, have you seen this site? They seem to offer (if they actually have these items in stock) some very nice art supplies, at competitive prices.
Thanks for the pointer. I’ve seen the site but never bought from there. I assume that you’ve had a good experience.
With respect to the Museum set, I think the interest is getting many holders so that you don’t have to switch leads in the middle of painting/drawing. When painting with watercolors, timing is critical. Often, I found myself grabbing just the lead to add color since I would have missed the window if I took the time to insert the lead into the leadholder. Even with the change in the exchange rate, the proeraser (@~US$8.50) is much less than the C d’A holder at $24. (I’m baffled as to why C d’A thinks it’s worth that much. ) Also, you have the legendary customer service of Bundoki. I’ve ordered on a Friday morning and had my goods delivered on the US East Coast on Sunday! My jaw dropped. I think the Japanese postal service must have some agreement with the USPS because nobody else delivers on Sunday.
The shorter version of this is that I may buy those holders if the dollar appreciates wrt to the yen.
Thanks for the link reminder. I’ve seen that site before as well, but have never order from them either. Mostly because I am not likely to use up a single Museum color lead fast enough to ever need a 5-leads pack of a single color. I was lucky to pick up two Museum sets when they were clearanced at Dick Blick’s, so I’m pretty much set for the near future. When the time comes to order some Museum refills, I will probably get them through a retailer I’ve used already a couple of times successfully: Wet Paint since they seem to carry the entire Caran D’Ache range in the USA. I check Bundoki every once in a while for information on the offerings in the Japanese stationery market and a peek of interesting items that might make it to our shores, but so far I haven’t placed any orders with them. Good to know they are a reliable vendor should I ever need to rely on them.
That’s very clever Stephen. I just received one as well, but I think I’ll give it a shot as an ink eraser first. I am curious if Che thinks it is useless for all erasing purposes, including ink erasure? Ink erasers are rather hard to come by. To my knowledge the only one widely available in the States is the Papermate Union which is pretty good on some papers, if used with enough patience and a light touch, Tombow also makes a combination ink and pencil eraser. I like the idea of detail erasers, but Che may be right that in the case of ink the concept might not be fully workable because so much of the surrounding substrate must be abraded away to lift even a tiny detail. An eraser shield could limit the damage though.
Re: Barrel’s question
Yes, if pushed, I have to say that it is useless as an eraser in general. Mostly, the eraser just falls apart while somehow managing to grind grit into the paper. The grit then takes forever to remove with a vinyl eraser. For removing ink from small areas, I normally just reach for a sharp knife. For larger areas or if you just prefer erasers, Pentel’s hypereraser (http://www.johnnealbooks.com/fullsize/416/196) is a much better choice. It’s sharp along one edge so that you can be precise and doesn’t infiltrate the paper. The anodized aluminum sleeve also looks great.
Che, thanks for your observations about the Uchida and the Pentel, and that’s a great tip about using a knife.
Where is a good place to get one of thesr?