Comments on: Erasers: The Pink Pearl, the Staedtler Mars plastic, and others. http://www.penciltalk.org/2008/03/erasers-the-pink-pearl-the-staedtler-mars-plastic-and-others exploring the art and science of pencils since 2005 Sun, 14 Mar 2010 08:35:38 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 hourly 1 By: Lifeinstrangeville http://www.penciltalk.org/2008/03/erasers-the-pink-pearl-the-staedtler-mars-plastic-and-others/comment-page-1#comment-36327 Lifeinstrangeville Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:13:04 +0000 http://www.penciltalk.org/2008/03/erasers-the-pink-pearl-the-staedtler-mars-plastic-and-others#comment-36327 When it comes to pencil drawings, I've found that the Faber Castell, and the Staedtler Mars erasers are the best. I've tried the black ovoid erasers made by papermate are great. Especially if you have to do fine detail erasing. I also use mechanical pencils filled with blue 'lead', and I've found that staedler is best for erasing them. However, for very soft lead drawings, it's the Faber Castell that wins. The slightly harder Staedtler just pushes the lead around when it comes to soft pencil, especally if it's layed down rather thick. The only problem is that the Faber doesn't last as long as the Staedtler. Think of the Faber Castel as somewhere between a Staedtler polymer, and a kneadable eraser, when it comes to softness. In fact, you actually can take the 'crumbs' left by the Faber Castell, and knead them together. However, don't try that as a kneadable eraser. You can, but it'll be already loaded with graphite. Plus, it will be too soft. Faber Castell's are also great for Charcoal drawings. Pentel Foam erasers are fantastic. I really recommend trying them. Sanford Erasers are 'meh'. When it comes to pencil drawings, I’ve found that the Faber Castell, and the Staedtler Mars erasers are the best.

I’ve tried the black ovoid erasers made by papermate are great. Especially if you have to do fine detail erasing.

I also use mechanical pencils filled with blue ‘lead’, and I’ve found that staedler is best for erasing them.

However, for very soft lead drawings, it’s the Faber Castell that wins. The slightly harder Staedtler just pushes the lead around when it comes to soft pencil, especally if it’s layed down rather thick. The only problem is that the Faber doesn’t last as long as the Staedtler.

Think of the Faber Castel as somewhere between a Staedtler polymer, and a kneadable eraser, when it comes to softness. In fact, you actually can take the ‘crumbs’ left by the Faber Castell, and knead them together. However, don’t try that as a kneadable eraser. You can, but it’ll be already loaded with graphite. Plus, it will be too soft.

Faber Castell’s are also great for Charcoal drawings.

Pentel Foam erasers are fantastic. I really recommend trying them.

Sanford Erasers are ‘meh’.

]]> By: f http://www.penciltalk.org/2008/03/erasers-the-pink-pearl-the-staedtler-mars-plastic-and-others/comment-page-1#comment-36207 f Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:07:35 +0000 http://www.penciltalk.org/2008/03/erasers-the-pink-pearl-the-staedtler-mars-plastic-and-others#comment-36207 The pink eraser/pearl isnt that bad. While not the best(i like hi polymers), they are the cheapest. Some are just too crumbly, but the harder ones are pretty good. The pink eraser/pearl isnt that bad. While not the best(i like hi polymers), they are the cheapest. Some are just too crumbly, but the harder ones are pretty good.

]]> By: malcore http://www.penciltalk.org/2008/03/erasers-the-pink-pearl-the-staedtler-mars-plastic-and-others/comment-page-1#comment-36014 malcore Wed, 23 Sep 2009 15:44:56 +0000 http://www.penciltalk.org/2008/03/erasers-the-pink-pearl-the-staedtler-mars-plastic-and-others#comment-36014 have you ever heard of the "INC Pink Eraser" ?? I have been searching for the manufacturer of this for a spell now and can't find who makes it. We did this same test in science and want to share our results with the manufacturers, but I can't find an address. thanks have you ever heard of the “INC Pink Eraser” ??
I have been searching for the manufacturer of this for a spell now and can’t find who makes it. We did this same test in science and want to share our results with the manufacturers, but I can’t find an address.
thanks

]]> By: penciladmin http://www.penciltalk.org/2008/03/erasers-the-pink-pearl-the-staedtler-mars-plastic-and-others/comment-page-1#comment-35970 penciladmin Sun, 20 Sep 2009 23:32:17 +0000 http://www.penciltalk.org/2008/03/erasers-the-pink-pearl-the-staedtler-mars-plastic-and-others#comment-35970 Hi Nal, Thanks for your comments. I can't claim to have any definitive answers. Plywood is considered to be a third rate in many implementations, yet can make museum worthy furniture in the <a href="http://www.eamesgallery.com/" rel="nofollow">right hands</a>. Eraser materials may be the same. Hi Nal,

Thanks for your comments. I can’t claim to have any definitive answers. Plywood is considered to be a third rate in many implementations, yet can make museum worthy furniture in the right hands. Eraser materials may be the same.

]]> By: Nal http://www.penciltalk.org/2008/03/erasers-the-pink-pearl-the-staedtler-mars-plastic-and-others/comment-page-1#comment-35955 Nal Sat, 19 Sep 2009 22:30:30 +0000 http://www.penciltalk.org/2008/03/erasers-the-pink-pearl-the-staedtler-mars-plastic-and-others#comment-35955 p.s I find the eraser on the end of the yellow ticonderoga pencils very good too. Why is this? p.s I find the eraser on the end of the yellow ticonderoga pencils very good too. Why is this?

]]> By: Nal http://www.penciltalk.org/2008/03/erasers-the-pink-pearl-the-staedtler-mars-plastic-and-others/comment-page-1#comment-35954 Nal Sat, 19 Sep 2009 22:28:32 +0000 http://www.penciltalk.org/2008/03/erasers-the-pink-pearl-the-staedtler-mars-plastic-and-others#comment-35954 Thank you for your eraser report!! I am not only a Mom of two grade school kids, but I also tutor other children in the evenings. I've had the dilemma of what erasers are the best ones to use and you have just confirmed what I have discovered throught trial and error. The Pink Pearl is something I have really wasted money on. For the eraser and the papers that it has torn up. I love the Staedtler Mars plastic...a little expensive, but worth it. Thanks, Nal Thank you for your eraser report!! I am not only a Mom of two grade school kids, but I also tutor other children in the evenings. I’ve had the dilemma of what erasers are the best ones to use and you have just confirmed what I have discovered throught trial and error. The Pink Pearl is something I have really wasted money on. For the eraser and the papers that it has torn up. I love the Staedtler Mars plastic…a little expensive, but worth it.

Thanks,
Nal

]]> By: penciladmin http://www.penciltalk.org/2008/03/erasers-the-pink-pearl-the-staedtler-mars-plastic-and-others/comment-page-1#comment-35812 penciladmin Fri, 04 Sep 2009 12:16:13 +0000 http://www.penciltalk.org/2008/03/erasers-the-pink-pearl-the-staedtler-mars-plastic-and-others#comment-35812 Jeff, thanks very much for sharing the results of your tests! Jeff, thanks very much for sharing the results of your tests!

]]> By: Jeff http://www.penciltalk.org/2008/03/erasers-the-pink-pearl-the-staedtler-mars-plastic-and-others/comment-page-1#comment-35811 Jeff Fri, 04 Sep 2009 05:42:59 +0000 http://www.penciltalk.org/2008/03/erasers-the-pink-pearl-the-staedtler-mars-plastic-and-others#comment-35811 I know this is an old post, but I ran across it and had to put my $.02 in. I recently did a similar test, though the test started out as a pencil test. I bought several brands of drawing pencils and wanted to see which I would like the best. Since I already had all the scribbling part done, I tested my erasers. I came up with very similar results. The Staedtler erasers was the best on every pencil I tried it on. The gum eraser was surprising good on the darker shaded areas and the kneadable eraser was great for the lighter pencil marks and lightening the darker shaded areas. The Pink Pearl was by far the worst of the ones I tried. Another fantastic eraser is the MOO eraser. I would compare it favorably with the Staedtler in most tests and it actually beat the Staedtler in a few. It is, however, very soft and not as comfortable to use on a regular bases. Other erasers I tried were the Pentel Clic Eraser, ProArt plastic, a very coarse Faber-Castell and a couple no-name erasers I had accumulated during with the pencils. The Pentels went into an office drawer, but all of the rest got thrown out. I ended up keeping the Staedtler, MOO, gum, kneadable and Pink Pearl in my drawing kit. Each has an area where it is the best eraser to use. The Pearl, I ended up using to clean accumulated graphite from the Staedtler eraser. I wouldn't use it on paper anymore, but for dressing another eraser it works great. I know this is an old post, but I ran across it and had to put my $.02 in. I recently did a similar test, though the test started out as a pencil test. I bought several brands of drawing pencils and wanted to see which I would like the best. Since I already had all the scribbling part done, I tested my erasers. I came up with very similar results. The Staedtler erasers was the best on every pencil I tried it on. The gum eraser was surprising good on the darker shaded areas and the kneadable eraser was great for the lighter pencil marks and lightening the darker shaded areas. The Pink Pearl was by far the worst of the ones I tried. Another fantastic eraser is the MOO eraser. I would compare it favorably with the Staedtler in most tests and it actually beat the Staedtler in a few. It is, however, very soft and not as comfortable to use on a regular bases.

Other erasers I tried were the Pentel Clic Eraser, ProArt plastic, a very coarse Faber-Castell and a couple no-name erasers I had accumulated during with the pencils. The Pentels went into an office drawer, but all of the rest got thrown out. I ended up keeping the Staedtler, MOO, gum, kneadable and Pink Pearl in my drawing kit. Each has an area where it is the best eraser to use. The Pearl, I ended up using to clean accumulated graphite from the Staedtler eraser. I wouldn’t use it on paper anymore, but for dressing another eraser it works great.

]]> By: Alex Rosario http://www.penciltalk.org/2008/03/erasers-the-pink-pearl-the-staedtler-mars-plastic-and-others/comment-page-1#comment-34731 Alex Rosario Wed, 29 Apr 2009 23:22:11 +0000 http://www.penciltalk.org/2008/03/erasers-the-pink-pearl-the-staedtler-mars-plastic-and-others#comment-34731 I remember back in the day I used to HATE Staedtler erasers, mainly cuz they would always leave the most rubbings. I had no other choice of eraser in my drafting classes, but it ended up getting the job done. Now anytime I work somewhere that has Staedtlers, I try to sneak some away ;) I remember back in the day I used to HATE Staedtler erasers, mainly cuz they would always leave the most rubbings. I had no other choice of eraser in my drafting classes, but it ended up getting the job done. Now anytime I work somewhere that has Staedtlers, I try to sneak some away ;)

]]> By: penciladmin http://www.penciltalk.org/2008/03/erasers-the-pink-pearl-the-staedtler-mars-plastic-and-others/comment-page-1#comment-34342 penciladmin Wed, 04 Mar 2009 23:35:08 +0000 http://www.penciltalk.org/2008/03/erasers-the-pink-pearl-the-staedtler-mars-plastic-and-others#comment-34342 Wow, that's a new one to me. Congratulations. Wow, that’s a new one to me. Congratulations.

]]> By: Olivia http://www.penciltalk.org/2008/03/erasers-the-pink-pearl-the-staedtler-mars-plastic-and-others/comment-page-1#comment-34340 Olivia Wed, 04 Mar 2009 18:51:58 +0000 http://www.penciltalk.org/2008/03/erasers-the-pink-pearl-the-staedtler-mars-plastic-and-others#comment-34340 Your website was the only site that actually helped my partner Ryan and I get an A+ on our science experiment Thankyou Your website was the only site that actually helped my partner Ryan and I get an A+ on our science experiment

Thankyou

]]> By: Barrel Of A Pencil http://www.penciltalk.org/2008/03/erasers-the-pink-pearl-the-staedtler-mars-plastic-and-others/comment-page-1#comment-34295 Barrel Of A Pencil Wed, 25 Feb 2009 14:55:31 +0000 http://www.penciltalk.org/2008/03/erasers-the-pink-pearl-the-staedtler-mars-plastic-and-others#comment-34295 Anybody ever use a combination of erasing techniques? By which I mean dabbing with a kneaded eraser to lift off as much loose graphite particulate as possible, then using a Plastic, Foam, Ain or Boxy in the normal way to get into the surface cleanly and finish the job. Wouldn't this approach obviate a lot of smearing (Victoria I do see your point that an artist kneads to shade)? Correct me if I am wrong, but it is my belief that the eraser at the end of a Dixon Ticonderoga is the same compound as the Pink Pearl. Herewith my defense of the Pink Pearl. I have found that in applications involving the repeated entry and removal of graphite marks from an exact spot on a sheet of paper (and this can be literally dozens of times repeated in dozens of places all over one's worksheet), the compound at the tip of a Dixon Ticonderoga is up to the heaviest workload providing that one's purpose is merely to reliably record data pending further revision and not to achieve beauty of line--think incompetent mathematician not great artist. I make a fetish of pencils and erasers, but in the heat of battle when the most important thing is to memorialize fleeting thoughts on a crowded and confused palimpsest before they fly the coop the eraser at the end of a Ticonderoga permits one to proceed apace. Doubtlessly a Lumograph tipped with a Mars Plastic eraser plug would be ideal (I'm not sure this exists though), but a Pink Pearl-tipped 1388-1/B Ex-Soft Dixon Ticonderoga is a very affordable and easy to find pencil. (Elsewhere I have said I would never buy Mexican or Chinese made Ticonderogas because of their slapdash appearance. Well I won't buy anymore :>))). Actually because they are so inexpensive and cheap looking I find I treat non-American Ticonderogas as everyday tools I can use without a second thought unlike my precious Mitsu-Bishi Hi-Unis which I handle with kid gloves and hate to use up. Of course the heavy workload I am talking about literally turns the eraser black with graphite, but it just mucks along right to the end. By the way, the ovoid jet black PaperMate Black Pearl is a great eraser in absolute terms. I wonder what it's made out of. Anybody ever use a combination of erasing techniques? By which I mean dabbing with a kneaded eraser to lift off as much loose graphite particulate as possible, then using a Plastic, Foam, Ain or Boxy in the normal way to get into the surface cleanly and finish the job. Wouldn’t this approach obviate a lot of smearing (Victoria I do see your point that an artist kneads to shade)?

Correct me if I am wrong, but it is my belief that the eraser at the end of a Dixon Ticonderoga is the same compound as the Pink Pearl. Herewith my defense of the Pink Pearl. I have found that in applications involving the repeated entry and removal of graphite marks from an exact spot on a sheet of paper (and this can be literally dozens of times repeated in dozens of places all over one’s worksheet), the compound at the tip of a Dixon Ticonderoga is up to the heaviest workload providing that one’s purpose is merely to reliably record data pending further revision and not to achieve beauty of line–think incompetent mathematician not great artist. I make a fetish of pencils and erasers, but in the heat of battle when the most important thing is to memorialize fleeting thoughts on a crowded and confused palimpsest before they fly the coop the eraser at the end of a Ticonderoga permits one to proceed apace. Doubtlessly a Lumograph tipped with a Mars Plastic eraser plug would be ideal (I’m not sure this exists though), but a Pink Pearl-tipped 1388-1/B Ex-Soft Dixon Ticonderoga is a very affordable and easy to find pencil. (Elsewhere I have said I would never buy Mexican or Chinese made Ticonderogas because of their slapdash appearance. Well I won’t buy anymore :>))). Actually because they are so inexpensive and cheap looking I find I treat non-American Ticonderogas as everyday tools I can use without a second thought unlike my precious Mitsu-Bishi Hi-Unis which I handle with kid gloves and hate to use up. Of course the heavy workload I am talking about literally turns the eraser black with graphite, but it just mucks along right to the end.

By the way, the ovoid jet black PaperMate Black Pearl is a great eraser in absolute terms. I wonder what it’s made out of.

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