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Tombow Mono 30 pencil

Tombow Mono 30 pencil

A short while ago, I had the chance to acquire some vintage Japanese pencils. I had some qualms before the purchase, as most of the lead grades were in the very hard range used by professional draughtspeople. Very useful for certain tasks, but not as great for someone using pencils for general writing, drawing, or note taking. Still, the pencils had some strong appeal and I purchased them.

Tombow Mono 30 pencil

The first pencil from this series that I’ll present is the Tombow Mono 30.

Tombow Mono 30 pencil

I can’t find any online or offline information about this pencil. The name and appearance suggest it is related to the famous Mono 100. A predecessor perhaps?

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Back to school choices

An interesting article in the Salina Journal (Salina, Kansas) discusses some of the back to school supply routines in their community. Mechanical pencils, woodcase pencils, and specific brands may be required depending on the school.

Link: Making the list

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Colleen Pencil Co. selling teak pencils

We mentioned in July that the revived Colleen Pencil Co. had made some significant announcements, including some fascinating new products.

The Colleen web store now seems to be online. A dozen teak pencils sell for JPY4200. I didn’t see the Hi-Pierce pencil for sale.

Unfortunately, it appears sales are to Japan only, via Japan Post COD. I hope Colleen will expand sales to other countries soon.

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Musgrave Test Scoring 100 pencil

Musgrave Test Scoring 100 pencil

We looked at the famous IBM Electrographic pencil a few months ago.

Other pencils whose marks will be read by machine scanners are still made today.

I am happy to be able to present the Musgrave Test Scoring 100 pencil made by the Musgrave Pencil Co. of Shelbyville, Tennessee.

Musgrave Test Scoring 100 pencil

While the finish of the Musgrave HB is delightful and superior, and the Unigraph 1200 is okay if not nice, the Test Scoring 100 pencil’s finish seems very thin and cheap. The pencil’s varnish is silver with black lettering, with a small nod to the pencil’s function – some checkboxes, one filled in.

The pencil’s shape is like the HB’s – a sharp hexagon, with little rounding.

The pencil sharpens easily, revealing that nice cedar grain.

Musgrave Test Scoring 100 pencil

The lead is less crumbly than that of the HB, though nowhere near as dark and rich. For those who would use it as a writing pencil, it does seem rough and scratchy compared to the HB. Presumably the pencil’s main value is in the readability of the marks.

Overall, the pencil is a disappointment.

I’m not sure where (or even if) these pencils are sold at retail. Musgrave’s products are very hard to find, and the company does not exactly welcome enquiries, even commercial ones, in my personal experience. I bought a couple dozen of the Test Scoring 100 from pencilthings.com, before that company halted their international sales.

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Dixon Ticonderoga Laddie and Beginners pencils

Dixon Ticonderoga Laddie and Beginners pencils

Here are a couple of oversize pencils from Dixon – the Laddie and Beginners.

The Beginners in particular seems to make people laugh when they see it. There is definitely something amusing about it. It looks just like a regular Ticonderoga, except that it is round and almost twice the diameter. The Laddie is somewhere between the regular and Beginners pencils.

Where there is a Laddie, there is often a Lassie, but I couldn’t find that brand offered.

Dixon Ticonderoga Laddie and Beginners pencils

The Beginners box says, “The Perfect Oversized Beginner Pencil”, while the Laddie claims to be “The Perfect Intermediate Beginner Pencil.”

The boxes also have a faux seal stating “Teacher Preferred”.

A ring with smaller text states, “Tradition & Quality Since 1795.”

Not in pencils of course – Dixon was making stove polish and crucibles back than. This mention of the company’s year of origin strikes me as just a bit curious.

Dixon Ticonderoga Laddie and Beginners pencils

The boxes indicate the pencils are made in Mexico.

They sharpen easily, but the lead seems not to match that of modern Ticonderogas, and is somewhat scratchier in my testing. That’s too bad, as these pencils won’t be offering the best experience for the children who use them.

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Munhwa Deojon hi-mic pencil

Munhwa Deojon hi-mic pencil

Nearing the end of an ongoing series on the pencils of Korea, today we’ll look at the Munhwa Deojon hi-mic pencil.

Along with Dong-A and Hankook Sharp, Munhwa is an established Korean pencil manufacturer.

Munhwa Deojon hi-mic pencil

A box of twelve pencils has an unusual silver and purple design, with a classical musical instrument used as a symbol. A five-stringed harp?

The back of the box says, “Micro crystalline lead made by Munhwa in Korea.”

The pencils themselves are a mix of green and brown, with gold lettering, and purple and black cap.

The pencils read:

Obverse: Munhwa Deojon hi-mic HB

Reverse: Micro Crystalline Lead [Further text in Korean]

Sorry, I’m not able to offer a translation of the Korean text.

The pencils are also stamped “0708 Marco China”. Hmm, it suggests the pencils are made in China, with Korean lead cores.

Munhwa Deojon hi-mic pencil

And what lead cores they are. The Deojon makes a very smooth, rich, dark line – the nicest we’ve seen from a Korean pencil, and very high quality by general standards.

Definitely worth trying if you come across them!

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