Thank you to Staedtler for this very generous offer!

Staedtler kindly sent pencil talk a sample of their new pencilmaker set.

The official product description in English is “7-piece historic pencil kit including instructions,” and the model number is “61 HP KIT”.

Readers of Lexikaliker know that the product was unveiled at the 2011 Paperworld show, and part of a larger series of pencil products with historic themed packaging.

The set contains two carpenter style pencil slats, a rectangular lead, string, glue, a seal, and instructions.

For some years, Staedtler has promoted their brand with employees in historical garb performing pencil making demonstrations. A little online searching reveals that these events are held in many countries.

As well, finished historic appearance pencil products have been packaged, as shown in the first volume of Stationery Magazine.

I am told the best place to observe the rendition of historic pencil making craft is at Nürnberg’s Christkindlmarkt. If you haven’t heard of a Christkindlmarkt, the Guardian has a nice piece on them. There is even one in my own backyard, though I haven’t been to it.

The kit is simple enough that I think it doesn’t need too much explanation. The version I received differs from the one seen at Bleistift and in official photos in that the slats in my version don’t have any markings. i.e. they are not marked “Staedtler”.

As Joan asked, a key question is – are you going to assemble the pencil and use it, or just keep the set as a memento?

Staedtler sent this sample, but that’s far from all they did. They contacted pencil talk about giving away 175 sets (corresponding to their 175th corporate anniversary) via this blog. I was amazed. Manufacturers have regularly sent items for review or as contest promotions, but never anything at even close to this scale.

The logistics alone represent a significant expenditure by Staedtler. And it was all done very graciously with just a few coordinating phone calls. The kit fits so well with the interests of pencil talk readers – it is great promotion, and I sincerely thank Staedtler for choosing to reach out this way.

Some further details – the kits are being given away on a first come, first served basis. As of June 3rd, about 75 kits were claimed, and there are still some available as of the 6th. Shipping will not begin until late June, so please allow 4 to 8 weeks for delivery.

To request a free pencilmaker set, see the details in the previous post.

In celebration of the 175th Anniversary of the founding of the JS Staedtler pencil making plant in Nürnberg, we are offering a limited quantity of “Historic Pencil Maker” Kits, free of charge, to Pencil Talk readers. Simply email us, and tell us what you like best about Staedtler pencils and how you use them. Only 175 tins are available to readers in Canada and the USA.

Manufacture your personal historic pencil just like Friedrich Staedtler in former times! The construction kit comes with all necessary materials; wood, lead, glue sealing wax and string. Step-by-step instructions included. Packed in metal tin with historic motif.

This kit is not available at retailers in Canada or the USA.

Email: Advertising@staedtler.ca and tell us why you should have one to add to your collection.

Please allow 4-8 weeks for delivery.

[Update]

The special offer from Staedtler has ended. All 175 kits have been claimed. Winners will be notified by the end of today (June 15, 2011).

Thank you to Staedtler for this very generous offer!

“Made of wood.” “Pre-sharpened.” If those were the only selling points, one would really have to wonder. But these pencils come from Staedtler, so the expectations are higher.

The Rally seems to come from an alternate Staedtler universe, with different centres of production. I’m not sure if the two versions represent different generations or not.

There is also a “Cadet”, which is available online.

The Rally is mentioned by Staedtler at their website. My guess is that it is a discount school pencil meant to compete with other discount school pencils.

Have you used or seen this pencil?

Behind the scenes, I would guess that Faber-Castell’s capable public relations staff have been very active. Faber-Castell’s 250th anniversary is next year, and the celebrations are starting. See this YouTube video for a behind the scenes view of how the “250″ human logo was formed and photographed.

An article in the Wall Street Journal suggests some local tensions in Nürnberg, with a friendly rivalry between Faber-Castell and Staedtler. The article mentions a 1995 lawsuit against Staedtler regarding Staedtler’s previous claim to have originated with their namesake Friedrich Staedtler in 1662, rather than J. S. Staedtler’s company founding in 1835.

Speaking of Friedrich Staedtler, a Nürnberg school was recently renamed in his honour.

There was also an article on Faber-Castell in the Economist, a periodical we’ve previously mentioned for their coverage of the pencil industry.

The Economist mentions a different lawsuit, a century earlier. There seems to be a thread between the past and present – the Faber company has long appreciated a good court battle. This case is the overturning of the Hyman erser patent in the US Supreme Court in 1875. I learned about this at The IPKat blog.

The ruling by Mr. Justice Hunt can be found here. I love the careful language, and daresay it is one of the finest contemplations of a pencil’s function that will be found. The ruling’s conclusion:

In the case we are considering, the parts claimed to make a combination are distinct and disconnected. Not only is there no new result, but no joint operation. When the lead is used, it performs the same operation and in the same manner as it would do if there were no rubber at the other end of the pencil; when the rubber is used, it is in the same manner and performs the same duty as if the lead were not in the same pencil. A pencil is laid down and a rubber is taken up, the one to write, the other to erase; a pencil is turned over to erase with, or an eraser is turned over to write with. The principle is the same in both instances. It may be more convenient to have the two instruments on one rod than on two. There may be a security against the absence of the tools of an artist or mechanic from the fact that the greater the number, the greater the danger of loss. It may be more convenient to turn over the different ends of the same stick than to lay down one stick and take up another. This, however, is not invention within the patent law, as the authorities cited fully show. There is no relation between the instruments in the performance of their several functions, and no reciprocal action, no parts used in common.

We are of the opinion that for the reasons given, neither the patent of Lipman nor the improvement of Reckendorfer can be sustained, and that the judgment of the circuit court dismissing the bill must be affirmed.

From the product side, we are still waiting to see what Faber-Castell’s 250th anniversary may bring. There does appear to be a limited edition case of art supplies in the market. (Search for “Alexander Vethers” to see a similar limited edition.)

This eBay seller is kind enough to enumerate the contents: hundreds of pencils, pastels, and other supplies – a complete set of Faber-Castell’s top tier of art supplies. The price (€1250 – about $US1725) is actually in line with what one might pay for these items individually.

There is no doubt more to come in 2011, and I’ll admit that I am hoping for something special in the lead pencil category. I also notice no official press release for this first anniversary offering – Faber-Castell is letting their vendors get the buzz, which sounds like a smart strategy to me.

~~~~~~~~~~
My thanks to David O., via a blog comment, and John, via an email, for mentioning one or more of these news stories.

The lid has some compelling graphics:

Half a century old, only the design indicates the age of these pencils:

The “A” in “STAEDTLER” appears to be formed like a compass. As well, reflecting the manufacturing processes of the era, there are slight surface differences between specimens.

An element I love is the HB grade mark in vibrant gold colour. It is serious but not fanciful, like the painted gold markings that were once typically applied to wood surfaces such as office doors and library card catalogues.

The factory sharpening, just like the modern version, is the best in the industry, with no “scrape marks” along the wood.

Take a close look. Even the smallest graphical details are impressive.

Overall, a classic pencil.

Are “MARS” and “LUMOGRAPH” rendered the same way?

For me, the caps are a continuing delight:

A comparison with the modern version. In case you didn’t notice, this photo should make clear that the 2886 is a “left-handed” imprint, in contrast with the standard “right-handed” 100.

Does anyone prefer the modern look?

A small delight after all these years is to find a paper insert.

Slightly withered, it presents pencil grade recommendations for eleven different professions.

I have tried and tested the 2886, and find it to be extremely similar to the modern 100 in graphite function and erasure. Given the half century between the manufacture of the two pencils, this demonstration of Staedtler’s ongoing commitment to their product excellence is remarkable.

From Staedtler, we have two natural finish pencils. Not displayed on any Staedtler website I am aware of, they may be regional offerings, or are perhaps new to the market.

The 123 60 is an unlacquered hexagonal pencil, factory sharpened, with an unfinished end. The pencils and the box are both marked, “Made in Germany”. The English text on the box says, “Natural wood office pencils.”

The 190T is a clear lacquered round pencil, unsharpened, with a dark blue cap and white cap ring. Apart from being a brand name round pencil, which is already a small category, it has a some curious elements.

First, the name appears to be foil stamped – another unusual practice for Staedtler. The box calls the 190T “standard round pencils” and is marked “Made in Thailand.”

The box has an even more unusual claim – a bullet point stating, “crowned end to protect lead from humidity.” Now that is interesting – are leads vulnerable to the effects of humidity? Certainly at the point of contact with paper they are, and many have noted the relationship between humidity and a pencil’s performance. But at rest, unused – does the pencil’s core benefit from coverage at one end? I would guess that the wood is more vulnerable to the effects of humidity than the lead. What do you think of this claim?

As writers, I’ve consistently found the 190T to be the better of the two, with a lead I would call smoother and darker. In appearance, I’d also give the nod to the 190T, and bonus points for the round shape.

Perhaps responses to environmental trends, they are both nice and worth a try, especially the 190T.

Whatever the details, congratulations! People around the world love Staedtler – the brand represents an image of good quality products offered at fair prices. Not necessarily the cheapest, but guaranteed to work well.

For this anniversary, Staedtler is offering an item that also commemorates the start of the railway between Nürnberg and Fürth. It is a cardboard tube with twelve Mars Lumograph pencils and a special eraser.

There are also versions for the Noris and tradition lines.

The city coats of arms are shown. Am I the only one surprised by the clover used by Fürth? The Wikipedia article relates some of the history.

Alas, the only actual new stationery item is this eraser. While it is fine enough, I guess that I would have hoped for a bit more from a company such as Staedtler. It is a 175th anniversary, after all!

The real celebration seems to have been on the cultural front, with a wonderful exhibition described here at Lexikaliker.

My thanks to Gunther from Lexikaliker for sending me this fine set of pencils!

Let’s take a brief trip into the almost departed world of drafting by pencil. Before computer aided design (CAD), precision drawings were made by hand. Architects, draftspeople, engineers, and others, used lead pencils alongside other tools to create plans for everything from small industrial parts to immense cities.

The observations made here are probably trivialities to those familiar with the tools. Yet as an “obsolete” technology, the capabilities of drafting film and film pencils may be unknown to those of us who never experienced these products first hand, and I thought it would be enjoyable to share some discoveries.

I’ve been fortunate to be able to assemble some vintage supplies.

- Staedtler Mars Dynagraph 100 50 woodcase pencils in grade N3.

- Staedtler Mars Dynagraph 0.5mm (255 05) and 0.7mm (255 07) mechanical pencil leads in grade N2.

- Mylar polyester drafting film.

The lead refills and drafting film were purchased at retail about two weeks ago! The pencils came from eBay.

Some further notes.

The grades – N0 through N6. An old Staedtler catalogue online at leadholder.com suggests these comparisons:

N0 = HB
N2 = H
N4 = 5H

Adding information from this fascinating chart at Lowell Bueprint, we can complete the chart this way:

N0 = HB
N1 = F
N2 = H
N3 = 3H
N4 = 5H
N5 = 7H

Both the pencils and the leads have an additional logo, “profilm”. Though I own many Staedtler pencils, I have not seen this additional graphic before. This site, for example, suggests that this is an early 1980s Staedtler trademark, now abandoned.

The pencils are explicitly marked “For use on drafting film.”

The film is something I’ve been seeking for some while. I was quite happy to discover a local retailer who was willing to cut a small piece for me off of a roll. Mylar is Dupont’s trademarked name for polyester film. There are other brands, but Mylar seems to be a bit of a standard.

The photos below generally show the Mylar on top of graph paper – either 2mm vellum, or a Moleskine notebook. This is for contrast – it had to be placed on some sort of surface. The Mylar does not have any lines. It does have a milky translucence, and feels quite strong to the touch.

Observation no. 1: The erasure of Dynagraph pencil lines on Mylar is remarkable. To my own eye in direct sunlight, it seemed close to perfection. The macro setting of the camera brings one back to earth, but still, I have to say that the erasure properties of the N3 Dynagraph pencil/Mylar film/Mars plastic eraser trio well surpass the paper and pencil experience. Even the typical paper indentation that one can usually discern is absent, presumably due to the film’s strength.

Observation no. 2: The specialty lead is truly non-smearing! To the right is the misbehaving Staedtler Mars Lumograph 2H. Light finger movement causes considerable smudging. The Dynagraph leaves a nearly immutable line.

Observation no. 3: Pencil grades, even the very hard grades that behave like rocks on paper, are much more vivid on film. A 3H looks like a 3B. Take the extreme Mitsubishi Hi-Uni 10H:

It is near useless, fainter than the printed lines, in a notebook:

Yet makes a valid mark on the drafting film:

So film certainly gives an invigorated life to those 2H through 10H pencils which are very challenging to use on paper.

To summarize these basic observations about film pencils on film: Perfect erasure, no smearing, and lines appear significantly darker.

The computer isn’t going away, but I’m wondering if these properties might not be valuable to artists. And I haven’t yet noted that this “paper” is supposed to last centuries and maintain stability.

I can’t find a Mylar sketchbook for sale, but did find that David Hockney was aware of this medium. If you use this medium or are aware of other artists who use it, please leave a comment.

And while this post is engaged in a bit of a “rediscovery” of the past, let’s acknowledge those who’ve never forgotten these skills: twenty-first century architects who still work with pencil. These two have mentioned their continued use of pencils at this blog:

Otto-Walker Architects, Park City, Utah

J Mark Nelson LLC, Colorado Springs, Colorado

These products may have peaked in popularity in the 1980s, but the Dynagraph and Mylar duo still seem capable of getting a precision job done.

P.S. Please see “Zeitreise” at Lexikaliker, which shows some vintage advertisements for Duralar (the predecessor name of Dynagraph) pencils on Mylar.

The growth of online stores, auctions, and selling forums has resulted in many benefits for pencil end users, including the ability to discover unusual products. Here is an example.

How many people outside of Malaysia knew that Staedtler made a red and blue pencil?

The traditional red and blue format survives, yet I’ll bet very few people would know where to find one. I suspect that in most markets, not a single brick and mortar store carries such an item.

Certainly this particular pencil is a surprise – why is it so “beneath the radar”? From a major manufacturer, it would command a market simply due to the brand.

So there are a few things different – the tradition name, usually written with the lower case t, has graduated to using a majuscule T.

The markings are also a bit un-Staedtler – no bar code, just the text, “Staedtler Tradition 118-2/3″. 2/3? 2/3 of what? And the imprints don’t seem to be of top quality.

The red and blue markings do seem to be nicely merged with the traditional tradition branding.

And finally – why the tradition line? How does this variant relate to the 110 pencil?

The Malaysian made (according to the box) pencils are a nice oversize hexagonal shape, and function well. The line seems a bit dry while richly pigmented – nicely tuned for writing. I look forward to using them.

P.S. This is the 500th post at pencil talk.

The paper flaps have all sorts of fascinating information about the MARS line. I like the list of the “most important” products:

The pencils, finished in black, perhaps have less show than we might expect, yet still look great:

The seams of this box have largely disintegrated:

One side of the bottom has a label:

While the box itself has some nostalgic appeal, a gem is hidden on the inside lid:

Notice the “since 1662″ phrase also. Staedtler now claims an 1835 origin.

The tins of pencils are themselves quite something:

I am glad to see the artist’s initials, “W.H.”

Due to the relatively large size of these images, I’ll wait until the next post to show the inside of the box.