pencil talk | pencil reviews and discussion
exploring the art and science of pencils since 2005
My apologies if you have tried to contact me in the last day or so – the penciltalk.org mail server seems to be out of lead.
Second, I’ve heard that some IE7 users have been unable to post comments. I’ve tried to to tweak the WordPress installation to fix this issue, but if you are still having a problem, please let me know.
From the Eyeball Pencil Co. in Japan comes a new pencil – the Hi-new.
To this observer, the name and appearance bring to mind the famous Mitsubishi Hi-uni. While not identical, the commonalities are extensive.
Sold in boxes of twelve with an accompanying “keep” brand eraser, the pencils are hexagonal with unfinished caps.
They sharpen easily, and like most pencils from Japanese producers, are of high quality.
Overall, the Hi-new is an excellent value. Still, I don’t like their similarity to Mitsubishi’s product.
The first in a series on the pencils of the Hindustan Pencil Company.
There is something plucky and charming about a woodcase pencil that announces its elite market.
This isn’t just the “Apsara Gold” – it is the “Apsara Gold for executives”!
The black and gold pencil is definitely distinctive and handsome.
The font is very unusual for a pencil, and quite suiting.
Has anyone else read The Painter of Signs? This pencil causes me to recall R. K. Narayan’s vivid portrayal of the craft of a dedicated sign maker in India.
Even though there have been few updates here this month, Lexikaliker has more than picked up the challenge of discussing pencils! (With much better photography!)
Some recent pencil-related posts:
The Tombow long point sharpener, with some excellent photos documenting how this sharpener works.
The Eyeball Cigarette pencil. An outstanding photo.
Here is the Google translation of the first sentence:
As a non-smoker Bleischreiber of blackness, I do not my lungs, but a lot of paper.
Here is my translation:
As a non-smoking lead pencil user, I don’t like to blacken my lungs, but I do like to blacken paper.
Any better?
The Herlitz black and grey waiter’s pencil. Who knew waiters had their own pencils?
The Lyra Garden Pen (a pencil). Gardening is just about at the end of season here in Canada, but this post will live on!
Photo: Exterior of box.
We’ve previously seen a small kit that documents the steps in pencil production. Here is a set that lets you make your own pencils!
Pre-cut slats, colour cores, and glue are provided.
Paint is not provided, and I’m wondering if anyone has any suggestions about what type might be appropriate and safe.
I do plan on making the pencils after finding the right paint. Noticing a red core and a blue core, it should be possible to cut them each in half to make two red and blue pencils!
I thank blog reader Jieun for sending this excellent and fun item to me.
Also from China First Pencil is the Chung Hwa 120 red and blue pencil.
The mere existence of this pencil suggests that the humble red and blue pencil really is an international standard. Unusual as they may be, many of the larger pencil manufacturers still have such an item in their product list.
Slightly challenging to sharpen, the leads are usable, but not as richly saturated as some other red and blue pencils we’ve seen.