Sanford Noblot Ink Pencil 705
It has been over two years since we last looked at a copying pencil.
The Sanford Noblot, like the Koh-I-Noor Kopierstifte 1561, appears to be a regular graphite pencil, writing with a traditional “black lead” core.
There are still several copying pencils on the market with coloured leads, but the Noblot is the last one I’m aware of in the graphite style.
It is a handsome pencil, with silver lettering on a luminous grey barrel, and a metal cap.
It also has a slogan on the reverse side : “A Bottle of Ink in a Pencil”.
The obverse reads “Sanford Noblot Ink Pencil 705″.
If you look carefully, you can see an impressed remnant of the Eberhard Faber heritage: “Woodclinched U.S.A.”.
As a pencil, it seems a bit cheap and scratchy. It is definitely an indelible pencil, trouncing the erasure attempts of even the Staedtler Mars plastic.
To test the copying quality, I drew (imperfectly) a circle on a sheet of Bloc Faf paper.
I then wet the paper revealing a rich cobalt blue:
With tissue and other paper types, I’m afraid that I couldn’t pick up much more than a smudge of blue. I’m curious about the exact paper choices and water application techniques that would be required to use the pencil as a working copying pencil.
Do you use this pencil? What do you use it for, and how do you use it?
June 19th, 2008 at 12:53 am
I’m not 100% certain, but I think these are used in tattooing. For my tattoos that were not done free-hand, the artist sketched the image onto tracing paper from the original art I brought in, misted the area where the tattoo was going (with water, I assume - it didn’t smell like anything else), and transferred the image from the trace paper to my skin, then went at it with the gun.
I haven’t gotten a tattoo since I found out about this type of pencil, but I’ll be getting another in a month or two, and I’ll keep an eye out!
Here’s what Blick.com has to say:
This permanent, soluble pencil is a must for restoring old signs. It’s like a bottle of ink in a pencil!
Simply outline old letters and designs. Then, paint background colors directly over your marks. (We recommend waterbase paints.) The pencil will bleed through for a precise line to follow.
June 19th, 2008 at 6:41 am
http://aic.stanford.edu/sg/bpg/annual/v17/bp17-05.html
This site has a bunch of info on the history and use of copy pencils, as well as some interesting tests. BTW love the site.
June 19th, 2008 at 8:26 am
I bought one of these years ago from the venerable Bob Slate Stationers of Cambridge and quickly realized I didn’t know what it was for. The ‘bottle of ink in a pencil’ is a bold threat however.
June 20th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
Ha–I was just rummaging through a box of old/odd pencils last night (thanks to the inspiration from this great site) and found a practically unused Noblot bought on a whim ages ago. I never realized you could use it for copying–I just liked the slogan. It does stink for writing/drawing, but now I’ll have to experiment.
June 23rd, 2008 at 8:45 am
There is also a black, graphit-style copying pencil still available from Faber-Castell Germany, namely the CASTELL DOCUMENT 9100½ (Art. No. 119112).
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:44 am
Hi Gunther, thanks for the information. I wish I could find these unusual pencils more easily.
July 29th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
Hi–I saw this pencil used in a “how to” video on youtube–the person used it to make a temporary tattoo (color added with another Sanford product–Sharpies!). The pencil was used to transfer the design from tracing paper to skin. I think the blue color you demonstrate up there would be perfect for fake tattoos. I wish this pencil was easier to find!
Nice site, btw–I love the closeups of the wood marks.
July 29th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Thanks Christine.
I should mention that we delved a bit further into copying pencils in this post.
August 7th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
ya i also saw the same video as Christine did…the only thing is that i really want to do that but i can’t find out where to find the pencils…
September 24th, 2008 at 12:32 am
Hello everyone,
If you are a dahlia grower and love dahlias, this pencil is like a gold mine! When you dig up your dahlia tubers to store them for the winter, as you clean up the tubers and divide them, of course you want to label each tuber for future identity, especially for the day when you replant them or give/sell them to other people. If you slightly dampen the Noblot tip, you can write on each dahlia tuber, then let air dry for a few minutes and what you have written is PERMANENT. It is impossible for the ink to be marred by water or soil. It is the ONLY pen/pencil that is ideal for this purpose. You can find this pencil at finer art supply stores or at places like Amazon.
Karen
September 24th, 2008 at 2:07 am
I thought I’d better do some goggling to see what the dahlia society says about these pencils so that you have more than just my lonely opinion. To clarify my earlier post, a freshly cleaned dahlia tuber (still damp but not wet) works best with the NoBlot. I tried pencils, pens, permanent markers … they were all trouble and frustrating when your fingers are cold from cleaning dahlia tubers in cool (wet) fall weather (not to mention that you are also dirty and tired from the digging and cleaning). But the NoBlot works like a charm.
The following is from the http://www.dahlia.org website:
“The “Bottle of Ink in a Pencil” brand indelible pencil works well if the tuber is a little wet. Have a small container of water nearby to wet the pencil. Some commercial growers sell “Bottle of Ink in a Pencil.” One indelible pencil should mark tubers from more than 100 clumps. Since indelible pencils are toxic, never put the tip into the mouth.”
“The easiest method to mark tubers is to write the name of the variety. For long names, one can use a code — but DO NOT LOSE THE CODE! Some commercial growers write or stamp a number for each variety. In addition, indicate some way (such as with *) any especially good tuber (such as one to use to take cuttings next season).”
“After cutting, dipping, and marking the tubers, let them dry. Expect to let the tubers dry for about 24 hours for small roots and 24 to 36 hours for medium to large roots. Drying time varies depending on temperature and humidity. Do not dry the divisions on cement, because cement tends to draw out water and promote shriveling.”
“Anyone unsuccessful in working with an indelible pencil can still use a thin indelible marker to name the tubers once they have dried. The problem is that these markers do not always write well on tubers. Be certain to have several fresh markers and rotate them. Some nursery catalogs sell nursery markers, and office supply or drug stores sell less expensive (and sometimes less reliable) markers. Indelible pens work only on completely dry tubers. When a tuber is wet, the ink spreads and whatever one writes becomes unreadable.”
September 24th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
Karen, thanks for your detailed comments. A quick search shows Home & Garden television - and many more, recommending these pencils. I’m sure many of us were unaware of this use.
Though I’ve never seen one, there is a Lyra Gardener’s Pen (which is a pencil), around the middle of the linked catalogue page, described as a “gardener’s pencil, water resistant, 3,7 mm lead”. Perhaps it is just a green indelible pencil?
October 6th, 2008 at 3:31 pm
Hello PencilAdmin,
Thank you for your reply. I looked at the Lyra Gardener’s Pencil at the link you provided. Those types of pencils are used for printing information on metal plant labels because regular pencil does not show up or last very long on the zinc nameplate. Personally, I use a different brand, unfortunately there is no name on the pencils I use, which I buy mailorder from Lee Valley Tools. They are not easy to find at other plant places and they are not cheap but they work wonderfully on the zinc nameplate.
October 19th, 2008 at 8:09 pm
I am a former tattoo artist and heres what id use them for
i would trace a design with the pencil. Shave the area of skin they wnated tattooed. Apply speedstick then take the tracing and lay it on the speedstick
wait for a few seoonds they remove and vola, the tracing has now xfered over to the skin.