Comments on: Soft lead pencils

By: AERO_HDT

AERO_HDT — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 11:35:52 +0000

Derwent now have a 9B pencil, but I hear that their Onyx blackleads are even darker and they’re not a charcoal pencil….

By: charles fleury

charles fleury — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 21:06:33 +0000

I use the lumogrgraph 8b exclusivly. ( see Seurat’s conte drawings.. a must) I find the 8b is basically a very clean black conte without the mess

By: Gunther

Gunther — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 06:05:31 +0000

“E” stands for “Extra” so “EB” means “Extra Black” and “EE” (also “EEB” and “ExExB”) means “Extra Extra Black”.

By: Braithwaite

Braithwaite — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:31:56 +0000

Does anyone know what “E” and “EE” are abbreviations for?

By: Gunther

Gunther — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 06:35:11 +0000

The lead of the Lumograph 7B and 8B contain soot that makes for that – as you put it aptly – “pitch black”.

By: Xhakhal

Xhakhal — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 00:11:36 +0000

Actually, the Mars Lumograph 7B and 8B are rather different from other manufacturer’s 7B and 8B. It’s pitch black.

Derwent Graphic’s and Faber-Castell’s (I don’t remember exactly which of the FC-pencil variants though, but a green drawing-oriented sort) 7- and 8B leads are much shinier, glossier, more grey than the leads found in the Mars Lumograph, which is why I prefer the Lumograph – it can be used to draw perfectly black areas and extremely dark portions on greyscale drawings, without becoming uncomfortably shiny.
Otherwise, I usually prefer Derwent pencils, but for graphite works I’ve stuck with the Lumograph for quite some time now, mostly because they’re so much more matte than the competitors.

By: Pisces6

Pisces6 — Wed, 07 May 2008 15:19:15 +0000

I have a tin set for Staedtler which has 6 different grades including 8B and 7B. I noticed the difference in composition for 8B and 7B as well, and I’m almost quite certain that these two grades have a significant amount of charcoal to make the lead quite dark in comparison to the graphite-based grades.

For some reason, I felt a little let down upon realizing this since I expected they’d be graphite, not some charcoal-clay-graphite mixture (though maybe they’re just charcoal, period). It is possible to have a softer grade in graphite since I have a Faber-Castell PITT Graphite Pure 2900 9B (woodless pencil) leftover from a college art class.

By: Kiwi-d

Kiwi-d — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 04:59:19 +0000

Yeah, the leads in woodcase pencils and the “thin leads” in mechanical pencils are substantially different beasts. I understand tallow is generally not used in MP leads, its replaced by “oil”. But then again, who knows where this oil came from – might not have originated from an oil well. Could be compressed distilled baby rabbits for all I know.

By: penciladmin

penciladmin — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 02:40:04 +0000

Good one, Prairie Dawg. kiwi-d, Staedtler mentions in this 2002 PDF that thin lead pencils use cellulose-based polymers in place of clay.

By: Prairie Dawg

Prairie Dawg — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 16:35:33 +0000

As Bob Dylan once said,

“Don’t the brakeman look good, Mama, flaggin’ down the double E’s”

By: kiwi-d

kiwi-d — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 02:18:47 +0000

The use of tallow might be a good qustion for someone like Woodchuck – Timberlines.

By: penciladmin

penciladmin — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 01:33:28 +0000

Hmm, I was wondering if anyone would notice that EE pencil. Good for you. An upcoming post will delve into this grade. I believe this particular EE is the same darkness as an 8B.

And – wow, I did not know of tallow’s continued widespread use in pencils. I’m aware that tallow is probably used in innumerable industrial products, but never thought that this might include pencils.