April 2008 – Page 2 – pencil talk | pencil reviews and discussion

April 23, 2008

Timberlines Pencil Collection – Part 1

Timberlines Pencil Collection

This is the first post in a series about the Timberlines Pencil Collection.

The collection name is improvised – the pencils are a large set of Japanese woodcase pencils that were featured on the Timberlines blog in 2006, so I thought that calling it the Timberlines Pencil Collection was a fitting tribute.

The set is housed in an acrylic display case. The case has ten rows, each row holding twelve ‘slots’. A slot can hold a dozen pencils, so the collection has 120 pencils varieties – and would have 1440 pencils if full. A few pencils are randomly missing from the collection, so there are about 1420 pencils at present.

The pencils are from a range of manufacturers. They are both sharpened and unsharpened, with and without erasers, capped and uncapped, round and hexagonal, and with many other twists that we’ll discover.

I plan on presenting occasional posts on groups of pencils, working through the collection row by row. The plan is to show three to five pencils at a time, each pencil with a small photo or two, and the individual pencil features quickly summarized. I’ll try and note any distinguishing features of the pencils.

Lets get started.

Pencil No. 1 is a novelty pencil, round with a brass-coloured ferrule. The eraser has six colours, in pie shaped wedges. The surface appears to be matte paper. It is marked, “HB 50 A-641 Be Goody Made in Japan.” The pattern shows line drawings of animals.

Pencil No. 2 is similar to No. 1. However the paper is shiny, the ferrule silver coloured, and the eraser is a light purple with an imbedded whale image. It is marked, “HB 50 A-683 Be Goody Made in Japan.” The pattern shows whales, dolphins, and sea creatures.

Pencil No. 3 is hexagonal, with no cap, ferrule, or eraser. It has a pattern of fish, plankton, etc., and is marked “TR003 Made in Japan Top Runner”.

Pencil No. 4 is more familiar – it is a Mitsubishi Uni in 2B, Mitsubishi Pencil Co.’s second top pencil. It is marked “Established 1887 [logo] Mitsu-Bishi Uni 2B” and “Pressure-Proofed Hi-Density Lead 2B”. The pencil is capped.

April 22, 2008February 26, 2010

Papermate Canadiana and Canadiana Naturals pencils

The name is pure marketing, since the pencils are not Canadian in any meaningful way. Sold in Canada by Papermate, a brand of Sanford, which is a division of Newell Rubbermaid, these are everyday office pencils.

They are offerered in two varieties – a typical yellow office pencil finish, and an unvarnished “Naturals” version.

Papermate Canadiana and Canadiana Naturals pencils

There is one immediately noticeable aspect to these pencils – the wood is extremely white. It is my understanding that most cedar used in pencils today is dyed pink/red, to make it appear similar to the Eastern Red Cedar of years past.

Papermate Canadiana and Canadiana Naturals pencils

These pencils don’t claim to be cedar, yet they do sharpen just as easily. They also state “Does not contain rainforest wood”. So what wood are they? Hmmm.

The Canadiana cellophane package has a number of claims:

– Smudge resistant eraser for clean removal of pencil marks
– Made from real wood for easy sharpening
– Ideal for schoolwork and general writing

The Canadian Naturals box has some slightly different claims:

– Made from unlacquered wood for a natural feel
– Sharpens easily
– Non-smudge eraser for clean removal of pencil marks

The pencils are quite usable, with a dark, sufficiently smooth (and non-crumbling) though unremarkable lead. The eraser works quite well.

The “Naturals” version seems to be a reasonable compromise between overly finished natural pencils, and those that are a bit too raw.

Overall, I guess they are not bad as office pencils.

Papermate Canadiana and Canadiana Naturals pencils

April 21, 2008

IBM Electrographic pencil

Today we have another special treat for pencil talk readers.

The IBM Electrographic is among the most sought after and collectable modern pencils, along with the Blackwing 602 and Blackfeet Indian. It might be the rarest of the three, though one never knows what warehouse stockpiles of pencils may exist.

The pencil was just a small component of a much larger enterprise – IBM’s development of Mark Sense technology. The central idea is the automated (machine) reading of human made marks in a variety of settings, though standardized tests and utility bills seem to have been the most well known areas.

IBM Electrographic pencil

As well as making a black mark, graphite makes a luminescent and electrically conductive mark. That is the basis of the technology. Some readers may have more to contribute in this area, which I would welcome, but I’ll focus here on the pencil. Some links below are suggestions for further reading on the larger technology.

The pencil is round, and finished in black. It has a silver coloured ferrule, and dark pink eraser. The eraser is predictably not useful after several years.

IBM Electrographic pencil

The pencil is embossed with an appropriate font in white, “IBM Electrographic”.

The pencil sharpens easily, and reveals a nice reddish cedar.

The pencil writes exceptionally well. Not just in the way some pencils are a gradient or two smoother or softer than others – there is something unusual in the lead formula which results in an incredibly smooth line. The line also seems much more luminescent or shiny than a regular pencil mark.

The lead does crumble a bit while writing. In outdoor sunlight, the lines seem more shiny than black.

IBM Electrographic pencil

After trying out the pencil, I have no doubt that those proclaiming that there is something special about the IBM Electrograph are correct. Though the pencils may have been created for standardized tests, there is no wonder about why a larger audience of writers quickly adopted them.

The IBM Electrograph is a standout pencil.

The pencil industry, present and past

Earlier this year, we noted an interesting article on the current state of the pencil industry.

From Time Magazine’s archives, here is an overview published in 1932.

April 17, 2008May 15, 2010

Caran d’Ache Swiss Flag pencil

This pencil looks like it could be a marketing or novelty item. It lacks an imprinted name or model number. The pencil is made and sold by Caran d’Ache under their own name as part of a larger product campaign.

The graphic is striking – a red background, with white crosses. The matching ballpoint pen is sold as the ‘Swiss Flag’ pen in the ‘Essentially Swiss’ series, so I am calling this the Swiss Flag pencil. Let me know if you have a more correct name!

This associated set is interesting in itself. There are many matching pen and pencil sets – with ‘pencil’ meaning ‘mechanical pencil’ – but I can’t think of another set where one can buy a ballpoint pen and matching woodcase pencil.

The pencil is round, with a silver coloured ferrule and white vinyl eraser.

One pencil had a lead break while sharpening, but I couldn’t repeat that problem. The top photo shows an imperfect sharpening, with maybe a bit too much wood sharpened away. I would blame the sharpener, except that the sharpener continues to do fine with other pencils – and I tried more than one Swiss Flag pencil, more than once. So, I think the photo reflects my experoence.

The lead isn’t a standout, though not bad.

Overall, I think it is a nice, not too serious, fun pencil.

April 16, 2008May 15, 2010

Caran d’Ache 351 pencil

Caran d'Ache 351 pencil

The offerings of Caran d’Ache continue to intrigue.

At first glance, the 351 resembles the Technograph 777. But wait – there is a ferrule and eraser attached.

And the bar code is back in black, imprinted on the pencil’s reverse side. No nice peel-off plastic as was done with the Technograph.

I tried the 351 (a 351-2 to be exact) next to an HB Technograph 777. I really had to do quite a bit of testing to try and convince myself of the Technograph’s superiority. I wasn’t completely successful. In the end I would say that these pencils are very similar – in that range where differences aren’t immediately clear.

Caran d'Ache 351 pencil

While I don’t have any official context, the 351 would seem to be an office or school pencil – but it writes as well as the high end version. Good stuff!

I don’t usually evaluate erasers on woodcase pencils, but I tried the white vinyl eraser on the 351, and it is a surprise, being quite good on a variety of types of paper.

Another point of interest is the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) logo on the pencil. This would make it one of the first retail pencils from a major manufacturer to carry this statement.

Overall, the 351 is a very impressive pencil.