pencil talk | pencil reviews and discussion
exploring the art and science of pencils since 2005
I’m sure many of us have admired the innovative sculpture of Jennifer Maestre, which uses pencils as raw material.
There is a very readable interview with the artist (and some great photos) at the Reuben Miller blog.
“They don’t teach my type of pencil art in school.”
While we’ve previously seen furniture and other objects made from pencils, the products are usually more on the conceptual side.
With 1600 removable and usable pencils, the £1200 pencil bench from Boex 3D Creative Solutions in the UK might almost be useable. It certainly defines “quirky”.
My morning paper has a great piece on the Rolodex, though I’m not sure I like the phrase “Stone Age”.
I agree with the description of today’s desks. In my only job that supplied a Rolodex, I do recall having magnitudes more work space than today’s offices tend to provide.
An eBay seller sent me a few “bonus” items with some pencils I bought – vintage lead refills.
The leads are 1.18 mm in diameter. Though once the standard, this diameter is infrequently used today. Unfortunately, I don’t own a pencil that can use this lead.
What has kept me interested is the packaging – these quotidian items have some beautiful graphic design.
The instructions and charts are engaging. (“Rear Drive vs. “Front Drive” – are we conversing of cars or pencils?)
I’m hoping to get a pencil that could use this type of lead.
I ordered these pencils from the Forest Stewardship Council of Canada after learning of their new marketing initiative. The pencils have an imprinted slogan, “Saving forests one pencil at a time”, which I found intriguing.
I’ve enjoyed using the ForestChoice pencil, and had hoped this might be some sort of equivalent.
The pencils are round with a diameter of about 7.5 mm. They are unfinished, with a silver coloured ferrule, and a lime green eraser.
When I say unfinished, I mean unfinished. While there must have been some fine sanding or equivalent done, since there are no splinters, there is no obvious lacquer, paint, coating, wax, or any other type of finish on this pencil!
The pencil is also aromatic, much beyond typical pencils. Never mind “whiff of cedar”, this is more like “timber mill floor”. I haven’t decided if I like it, but it is strong enough to be distracting at times.
The feel is rough. I suppose this is the trade off for not using any finish.
The lead – it makes a mark, but it’s rough and scratchy, though not crumbly. It’s not going to be the choice of anyone who has ready alternatives.
One of the most interesting aspects of the pencil is it’s adherence to the FSC’s chain of custody policies. The pencil has an imprinted FSC serial number (SCS-COC-00287) which let’s one trace the pencil’s origins. To my surprise, the manufacturer is the venerable Musgrave Pencil Company of Tennessee!
In the end, I’m wondering how many would choose to use a pencil this raw.
Thank you to everyone who voted and/or left comments in this latest poll.
The final results left no doubt that the preferred pencil shape is hexagonal:
Hexagonal: 31
Round: 2
Triangular: 10
Comments reflected the personal nature of choosing a favourite writing implement. It was noted that the offerings are far fewer in the round and triangular shapes.
Combining the three polls so far, the most desired pencil style would be hexagonal in shape, without an eraser, and sold unsharpened. This is quite interesting – in North America, there aren’t many pencils sold at retail in this format. Satisfying two of the three criteria is much more common.