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The Dixon Oriole pencil and an unusual sharpener
Does anyone remember the Dixon Oriole? The official product page calls them a “first-rate commercial grade woodcase pencil offered at an economical price”. Hmmm, “commercial grade”.
Well I ordered them online after finding a store that had some older US made stock. Or so I thought. I should have known what was coming – the photo and description were out of date, and I was sent newer Chinese made Orioles.
Unfortunately, the pencils seem quite third rate to me – the lead is very scratchy and rough, and the paint finish on some has ridges of bubbles which go beyond being a cosmetic problem – they make the pencil uncomfortable to grip. I do like the font. Am I being harsh? Perhaps they aren’t meant for writing. They are certainly fine for rough marking purposes.
So about the sharpener. From Möbius + Ruppert we have a three hole sharpener in unfinished aluminum. Each opening has a different length blade. What is this sharpener for?
Take a look at this post at the Bundoki Stationery blog. I’m obviously not the only person amused or confused. With the Oriole, I got a reasonable result in one opening, a lead corkscrew effect in another, and the third would not sharpen the pencil at all. (See top photo.) Does anyone know the story behind this sharpener? 17 comments to The Dixon Oriole pencil and an unusual sharpener |
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It seems to be doing the to your pencils what my KUM longpoint sharpener does to mine.May be it’s a two step long point sharpener – with a lead pointer for the bigger leads?
Henrik
I have this odd sharpener as well and the results of my experiments look similar. As for the corkscrew-like marks: These are produced by the corner of the blade where the lead leaves the sharpener so I assume that thinner leads won’t be damaged but are just freed from wood (which I assume is the function of the second hole). The third hole can be used to point the lead but I am not certain if that is its intended purpose.
I second Henrik. That looks exactly like what the Kum longpoint sharpener does. Start with the corkscrew one, then switch to the normal one to finish the lead.
Thanks, I will try further. I’m not used to handheld sharpeners requiring a manual.
I’ve got a few boxes of old US Dixon Oriole pencils – they are good commercial grade pencils. The only odd thing is the wood they are made of. It has a very visible pores, which makes the wood appear spotted in some way. But it sharpens up nicely, and the lead in the US made pencils is basic and functional – at least i don’t remember it being particularly bad, though not as good as say, the California Republic Paliminos. I think it was in the same category as the old Eberhard Faber Marigold, but stayed in production longer than the Marigold. During the time that I was seeing Orioles for sale, I believe Ebarhard Faber had already gone away as a brand name in the US, replaced by Faber Castell, (which in turn disappeared – and I still miss the Faber Castell Velvets….)
My guess is that the hole which makes the corkscrew lead is for stripping the wood from the lead for the purpose of creating thick or extra thick lines in drafting. At least that’s what I would do with it.
About 35 years or so ago, I would occaisionally accompany my mom to the local office supply store (remember those?).
She bought Orioles because the Ticonderogas were “just so expensive.” One day she astonished me by buying a dozen Ticonderogas. The difference in quality was quite noticeable even back then.
Don, thanks for the reminiscence.
I don’t see the Orioles around very much so I don’t use them regularly, but now and then I’ll stumble across one. I like the scratchiness/roughness of the lead… maybe that’s just me? It makes it seem more of a pencil to me, I guess. If I wanted something smooth I’d just a pen.
I am sorry that I don’t remember the details for the Möbius + Ruppert sharpener. I sold them when I worked in an art store three years ago. I am pretty sure the idea is that one is for lead holders, one is for a blunt finish and one for regular pencils.
That may not be right, since I sold a lot of different multi opening sharpeners. Also, a minor trick that I am sure you know, is adjust the screw hight. On cheap sharpeners this is really important.
Just wanted to say I bought a pack of the Orioles on Ebay and along with the packaging being quite different from yours (it’s a green gradient fading into white and there’s no MADE IN CHINA stamp), the pencil wood is also a bit pinkish(?) and smells amazing.
Audrey, good for you. Those must be a slightly older version you found.
The Dixon oriole is truly a disgrace to the Dixon brand. The brand was known for its U.S.A made pencils and high quality but they really screwed the pooch on the Oriole. I did a small test to find out which pencil brands were “best” (based on writing smoothness, eraser feel, and eraser job.) the Dixon oriole scored a 6 out of ten but I beleive it should have gotten a four, it was a terrible pencil
[...] Gerät kann ich nur spekulieren; ich vermute, dass zum Freilegen der Mine etwas ähnliches wie der Dreifach-Spitzer M+R 207 zum Einsatz [...]
[...] Gerät kann ich nur spekulieren; ich vermute, dass zum Freilegen der Mine etwas ähnliches wie der Dreifach-Spitzer M+R 207 zum Einsatz kam. – In dem Ausschnitt erkennt man deutlich, dass die Produktabbildungen gezeichnet [...]
Acording to M+R, Möbius + Ruppert english catalog http://www.moebius-ruppert.com/download/m_r_katalog_09_e.pdf
this special sharpener is magnesium made, the first opening is for standard pencils, a general purpose sharpening until Ø 8.2 mm long cone -long cone referring to the woodcase not the point-, another for shaving wood casing only, not grphite and the third sharpens the exposed graphite only, the previous two openings work as the KUM®-Automatic®.
I think M+R brand is very good qulity, their roots are older than KUM both of them Made in Germany, now the corkscrew-like marks? better to ask M+R but good theories here.
Thanks Futural. (I coudn’t get the pdf to download, though.) Leadholder.com’s catalogue section shows that this sharpener has been sold for decades!