A curiosity from eBay, this box of Koh-I-Noor 3433 red and blue pencils has a surprise – the pencils are marked Accademia Navale.

I’d love to know the whole story. They certainly are an impressive looking stationery staple.

Seven red and blue pencils from Argentina. They are:

Eberhard Faber Van Dyke 2000. Note the unusual stripe pattern. Hexagonal, oversized.

Eberhard Faber Hevi-Check 6540. Round.

Johann Faber “Alligator” Copiativo. Round red and blue copying pencil.

Pax bicolor. Hexagonal.

Faber-Castell 737. Hexagonal.

Consul Bicolor. Hexagonal.

Eberhard Faber Van Dyke 2000. Hexagonal, oversized.

The Pax and Faber-Castell pencils, the only ones not stating “Industria Argentina”, are the two contemporary pencils. I have read suggestions that the Pax comes from Chile, and the Faber-Castell from Brazil.

My thanks to blog reader dasmarians for many of the pencils shown.

LINK: Other posts on red and plue pencils at pencil talk.

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.

At pencil talk, we love red and blue pencils! But sometimes one needs a red pencil or a blue pencil – not both at once. Or, you’ve found that a double ended pencil gets unusable a bit too quickly. Here is a red/blue pair of very impressive pencils.

Hailing from the venerable Mitsubishi Pencil Co., we have Vermilion (model 2451) and Prussian Blue (model 2453) pencils, both round with ferrule and eraser, and the finish matching the lead colour.

Though not shown in the photos, the pencils (labelled “Hard”) can be reliably sharpened to extremely fine points, even in the most acute setting of a Carl DE-100 sharpener. This is an exceptional achievement for colour pencils, which are often brittle and sharpener-unfriendly.

Further, they answer a question I’ve often heard – is there a colour pencil that can be used as a writing pencil?

They sport a feature highly untypical of Japanese pencils – a ferrule and eraser.

The attached eraser seems to be depleted by 20% or so after a single use. On Maruman Mnemosyne paper, the erasure is okay but not exceptional. But on Rhodia paper with a Tombow Mono eraser, there was an extremely clean erasure.

These pencils seems very capable at many tasks – they are non-breaking writing or checking colour pencils that are also erasable. Yet another product that keeps Mitsubishi at the top of their industry.

Last month’s look at the Faber-Castell Textliner pencils elicited a response from a reader in the Netherlands, who asked me to compare them with Stabilo’s new GREENlighter products. Fortunately, the request was accompanied by a set of the pencils!

The modest packaging is appealing. A cutout reveals three highlighting pencils, and the text indicates the pencils are FSC certified, with the cardboard package made from 80% recycled paper. The FSC Chain of Custody number is also listed. I tried to look it up – it is held by Stabilo’s Czech branch and covers the purchase and sale of slats, and the production and sale of pencils, in cedar, basswood, Weymouth pine, and jelutong. Does jelutong (a rainforest species) grow in central Europe? I don’t think so. This “Chain of Custody” could be more transparent.

So the product – they are 12cm (70% the length of a typical pencil) oversize triangular highlighting pencils in yellow, pink, and green. The presentation and ergonomics are fantastic. They remind me very much of the Lyra Ferby.

As to highlighting – the results vary by colour. On index cards and a trade paperback, the green and pink had the general issues associated with this pencil category – faint marking, even scratchiness. The yellow was excellent – rich and saturated. Side by side with the Faber-Castell textliner, I noticed that the Stabilo didn’t crumble, another plus.

So the yellow is a winner – but the other colours are a disappointment.

The highlighting pencil is one of those specialty pencils that never really worked for me – the idea is great, but the ones I’ve tried from Lyra, Staedtler, and International Arrivals had weak pigmentation, and were not very effective.

I’m very happy to report that I’ve finally found a woodcase highlighting pencil that works as well as the liquid felt tip alternatives.

Faber-Castell’s Textliner 1148 is oversize, and in Faber-Castell’s popular “Grip” format – triangular with raised “grip” dots.

Announced this year, it appears to supersede a hexagonal predecessor, even assuming the same bar code. I actually have a couple of the hexagonal variety that I never got around to trying.

Available in five colours, the lines are fluorescent and saturated, just as they should be.

Close-up photos reveal that they leave a bit of pigment residue, the only minor flaw that I observed. They have become a standard office supply for me, and I have no trouble recommending them as a great specialty pencil.

Here is one of the most unusual and specialized pencils ever manufactured.

The Lyra 334 Profi is a nicely finished oval carpenter’s pencil, with silver lettering on dark blue. It is manufactured in the extra long 240mm length. That alone makes it an interesting specialty pencil. Yet this pencil is so unusual that the format barely registers among the special features.

It’s also a copying pencil. That’s right – it has aniline dye added to the lead. Why? My guess would be to support marking on damp and humid wood surfaces.

There are two variants – the 334S is a pure copying pencil, and the 334 is an even more incredible double ended pencil, ²/₃ regular lead and ¹/₃ copying lead.

Finally, this pencil is an additional rarity in being made from White Fir. Though there are mentions here and there of this species being used, the success of cedar, jelutong, and basswood seems to have banished most competitors from the market place. I am glad to have found a rare example of another tree in use.

So how does it work? The first task is sharpening. Unfortunately, it and other Lyra pencils don’t fit the Keson! So out with the penknife. This is where I am guessing that a working carpenter would have a good array of sharp knives and cutters handy – because a pocket knife is losing in the battle to the Fir. Eventually, I got some lead exposed on both ends of the 334.

The lead end marks faintly – perhaps an H grade, and the copying end even fainter. Some water reveals the purple dye of the copying end. It flows less easily than most “writing” copying pencils. Yet – what a hidden treasure it is.

A 240mm oval shaped double-ended carpenter pencil made from White Fir with one third a copying pencil lead. The most extreme specialty pencil?

This is the fourth of a four-part mini-series. Hope you enjoyed it!

Stonemasonry pencils were mentioned at this site before I had ever seen one.

Here we see a 240mm version from Bleispitz (the 0341), and a 300mm version from Lyra (the 331 Profi).

With extremely hard 6H leads, they are meant for writing on stone and rock surfaces. Mr. Slate probably used one.

My thanks to Gunther from Lexikaliker for assistance in acquiring these pencils.

This is the third of a four-part mini-series. Tomorrow: Lyra Profi copying carpenter pencils.

How can one sharpen a carpenter’s pencil? The International Arrivals sharpener didn’t quite seem to do it. Here is another attempt.

From Keson, it is a bright yellow plastic block with four blades. The pencil is placed in a slot (blue plastic) and one slides the pencil back and forth, the wood being sliced away. One end and pair of blades is for the long edge of the pencil, and the other end and blade pair for the short edge.

Does it work? Well the one I bought is resold by General Pencil, and includes a General Sketching pencil. They have a nice illustration showing how to use the pencil:

It does what it claims, creating a nice wedge of lead. Yet there are some other pencils out there – such as the International Arrivals – which don’t fit in the blue slots. Some European oval pencils (I tried a Viarco) are too loose and slide around. Others from Lyra are too large to fit. The Mastercraft and Faber-Castell pencils aren’t ideal fits either.

As well, one should be aware that this sharpener emits wood and graphite residue on both sides – it is very messy.

The above issues noted, it seems like the best sharpener available for pencils that it can accommodate.

This is the second of a four-part mini-series. Tomorrow: Stonemasonry pencils.

The carpenter pencil has a claim on being the original pencil. The oldest known existing woodcase pencil is a carpenter pencil, seen here at the Faber-Castell website.

This pencil type is defined by the rectangular lead and housing.

Why the shape? The resistance to rolling off a sloped roof is the best explanation I’ve heard.

The ones I’ve seen for sale in Canada are typically octagonal – rectangles with the edges further chopped. But there is also a “chopped ellipse” version.

Hardware stores sell them. Seen here: Home Depot – note the FSC mark – I believe these are made by Musgrave, and were possibly the first pencil in a brick and mortar retail channel with this mark. Also, a couple of pencils from Canadian chain Home Hardware (headquartered in St. Jacob’s, Ontario).

Yet carpenters aren’t the only ones who have appreciated the shape of this pencil. Artists have also found the shape appealing. Here are a few pencils from Derwent, Faber-Castell, and General aimed at artists in the carpenter shape.

The Faber-Castell PITT Sketching 112994 in particular has an exceptional finish, with a thick clear vanish highlighting the natural woodgrain.

Some carpenter pencils from Europe have oval shapes. Additionally, they come in extra long versions. The pencil slat is a highly standardized commodity, and most pencils are about 175mm in length. Yet carpenter pencils also come in 240mm and 300mm lengths. I had read this online some while ago, yet was really surprised to see some in person. Non-novelty pencils made in nonstandard lengths are extremely rare.

Do you use these pencils, either as a carpenter or artist?

This is the first of a four-part mini-series. Tomorrow: The Keson CP2 Carpenter Pencil Sharpener