Category: specialties

Posted on

Red and Blue pencils V – a mechanical twist

Autopoint Twinpoint red and blue mechanical pencil

The red and blue pencil concept also exists in the mechanical pencil realm. The Autopoint Twinpoint is a mechanical pencil with lead at both ends!

Each end is colour coded red or blue, and dispenses a corresponding lead. Though the product is named the “Twinpoint”, this pencil type seems to be popularly known as a “double ender”.

Autopoint Twinpoint red and blue mechanical pencil

The ownership of Autopoint has changed over the years, but material at Guide to Autopoint and Dur-O-Lite Spiral Pencils indicates that this pencil type was sold by Autopoint as far back as the 1920s!

Autopoint today still sells a very similar lineup to that seen in 1960s catalogues, with no product modernization. They are one of these lines that doesn’t have to imitate “retro” – they are retro! Yet – in some ways their products appear very modern.

If you can find them at retail (I can’t), these pencils should be under $5 – a real bargain for an interesting and unique writing implement with so much history.

It comes in two versions – 0.9mm, and 1.18mm, both traditional lead sizes. Strangely, the blue leads don’t seem to be the same – the 1.18mm version is a lighter, fainter blue, while the 0.9mm version is more of a navy blue.

The red seems to be on the pink side, unlike woodcase red and blue pencils, where the reds are more orange hued.

Autopoint Twinpoint red and blue mechanical pencil

Each pencil comes with two silver-coloured cardboard containers with refill leads. These are also a delightful retro item.

Autopoint Twinpoint red and blue mechanical pencil

As well, if you buy one of these pencils, you probably won’t want to throw away the box, as it contains the refill instructions. Not quite the Yard-O-Led experience, but still complex enough. (Unscrew the plunger? Huh?)

Autopoint Twinpoint red and blue mechanical pencil

Further on red and blue pencils:

From penciltalk.org:
Red and Blue pencils
Red and Blue pencils II
Television! (The Conté Television 649 red and blue pencil)
Red and Blue pencils IV – Viarco

From stdk.de:
Rot-Blau-Stifte

Posted on

Red and Blue pencils IV – Viarco

Must a successful pencil manufacturing business be part of a multinational conglomerate? Is there any room for smaller firms in the current marketplace?

Many of us may not have heard of Viarco. They are a 94 year old pencil company from João da Madeira, Portugal, who produce a wide range of pencils – writing pencils, drawing pencils, carpenter’s pencils, and yes, even copying pencils and red and blue pencils – with a staff of twenty-eight!

Their website is a breath of fresh air compared to many pencil industry sites, revealing considerable pride in their history, as well as many details about the pencil manufacturing process. Sample fact – graphite cores are baked at 1020ºC.

I was really happy when Gunther kindly sent me a couple of Viarco’s red and blue pencils.

Viarco Red and Blue pencils

The pencils are the 289 Viarco Comercial (regular size, hexagonal) and 293 Viarco Olimpico (oversize, hexagonal).

The lead centering isn’t the best.

Viarco Red and Blue pencils

My first pleasant surprise was realized while attempting to sharpen the Comercial – it doesn’t fit in some sharpeners! It is the unreformed size of pencils that were made fifty years ago, though the edges are rounded, like modern pencils.

Viarco Red and Blue pencils

Both the Comercial and Olimpico sharpened easily. I don’t know what wood they use, but it looks like cedar to me.

Viarco Red and Blue pencils

The second surprise was the rich, vibrant marks they make. The Olimpico in particular is among the best of the red and blue pencils I’ve yet seen. The Comercial’s blue is also good, but the red is more of a red-orange.

If I could buy them locally, I would get a huge stash of the Olimpico. It writes extremely well, and is very easy to use. Some of the other red and blue pencils I’ve seen, like colour pencils in general, have a tendency for the leads to easily break – but not the Viarco pencils.

Viarco Red and Blue pencils

I’ve tried to email Viarco more than once, and haven’t yet heard from them. That’s okay. With twenty-eight employees, I imagine that their correspondence staff might be busy in the paint booth, or be driving a forklift.

Viarco Red and Blue pencils

So about our original questions – let’s hope there is still room for great smaller manufacturers like Viarco, who have done a great job with these pencils.

Further on red and blue pencils:

From penciltalk.org:
Red and Blue pencils
Red and Blue pencils II
Television! (The Conté Television 649 red and blue pencil)

From stdk.de:
Rot-Blau-Stifte

Posted on

Steinhauerstift – Mason’s pencil

Apart from stenography and carpentry, I’ve often wondered about what other professions use specialty pencils. A post at Lexikaliker about a historic pencil for cartography prompted me to pursue this exploration a bit further.

One finding – the Steinhauerstift, which seems to exist only in Germany at present. “Steinhauer” means stone mason. (Or it could mean quarryman, as a commenter on my blog pointed out. But in current usage, and to my ear, that term has an association with the quarry – but a stonemason isn’t necessarily performing their craft at the stone excavation, or working at the quarry.)

A Zimmermanstift is usually called a “carpenter’s pencil” in English, so a Steinhauerstift probably should be called a “mason’s pencil” or “stone mason’s pencil”. Still, it is usually translated as a “masonry pencil”, which isn’t wrong, but doesn’t agree with “carpenter’s pencil”, which we don’t typically call a “carpentry pencil”.

So what is a Steinhauerstift? Today, it seems to be an oversized pencil in oval or rectangular shape, with a rectangular lead in an extremely hard degree, such as 6H.

Where can they be found?

Bleispitz of Oberhaching make two models. If I am reading their descriptions correctly, these pencils are much longer than usual. A standard pencil today is about 175mm in length. Bleispitz make an oval version that is 300mm long, and a rounded rectangle version that is 240mm long. This in itself is a unique offering for a non-novelty pencil.

They have a similar offering for their carpenter’s pencils.

They identify the wood as “lime wood”. Hmmm, what is that? The German page says Lindenholz – which is more familiar. I’m not an arborist, but it seems that lime wood, linden, and basswood are the same species.

Lyra of Nürnberg also manufacture these pencils (Scroll down to item 331). The Lyra version is also green, and is “extra hard, oval shape”. (I see they also make a carpenter’s copying pencil!)

So at least with this sample of two, there seems to be a standard in terms of shape, finish colour, and lead degree.

Though masonry is not mentioned, Derwent offers their hard lead Rexel Blackedge carpenter’s pencil in green. (Dixon also offers carpenter’s pencils in more than one degree, but all are the same red and black varnish.)

So, here is another specialty pencil that is still in production.

Posted on

Television! (The Conté Television 649 red and blue pencil)

The Conté Television 649 red and blue pencil

Well, I now have a Conté Television 649 red and blue pencil, as well as three other members of the elite red and blue pencil cadre.

The pencils are the Television 649, made by Conté in France, the RotBlauStift 162 00 from Cretacolor, made in Austria, a Koh-I-Noor 3423, origin unstated, and a Castell 873 Color by Faber-Castell, made in Germany.

The RotBlauStift is a regular sized hexagonal pencil, while the other three are oversized hexagonal pencils.

The Conté Television 649 red and blue pencil

A few notes:

– Faber-Castell is definitely the rebel here, eschewing the standard red and blue for their signature forest green. I wish they hadn’t done this. There are occasions when respecting a tradition should trump branding concerns.

– The Koh-I-Noor has exceptionally utilitarian markings, with the name imprinted via something akin to a dot matrix printer.

– The Television’s wood has the same sort of look as the Grip 2001 pencil – jelutong or pulai.

The Conté Television 649 red and blue pencil

As with our previously examined red and blue pencils, there is a range of colours – the Cretaclor is light in both red and blue, the Koh-I-Noor bright and rich in both, and the others somewhere in between.

Here are trial results with the four new pencils:

The Conté Television 649 red and blue pencil

Let’s summarize the main features of the red and blue pencils that we have looked at so far:

Manufacturer Model Shape Oversize Core
Conté Television 649 Hexagonal Yes 4mm
Cretacolor RotBlauStift 162 00 Hexagonal No 2mm
Faber-Castell Castell 873 Color Hexagonal Yes 4mm
Koh-I-Noor 3423 Hexagonal Yes 4mm
Koh-I-Noor Bürofarbstift 62 Hexagonal No 2mm
Musgrave Hermitage Thin 525 Hexagonal No 2mm
Musgrave Harvest Thick 725 Round No 4mm
Prismacolor Verithin 748 Round No 2mm
Schwan-Stabilo Stabilo 8742 Hexagonal No 2mm

These traditional pencils associated with teaching and accounting still have a strong resonance. While the keyboard has supplanted pens and pencils in many areas, it is fascinating that this sub-specialty of the woodcase pencil still continues. All of these pencils shown are in active production by their manufacturers.

The Conté Television 649 red and blue pencil

Further reading:

Red and Blue pencils (February, 2008)

Red and Blue pencils II (March, 2008)

This page at stdk.de, which has documentary quality photographs of several red and blue pencils, plus a list of known red and blue pencils in production.

Posted on

Lyra Mega Liner highlighting pencil

Lyra Mega Liner highlighting pencil

A specialty pencil for highlighting, the Lyra Mega Liner 96 is a woodcase pencil with a fluorescent wax core.

Lyra Mega Liner highlighting pencil

It is oversized, with an oversized core. I have yellow and blue versions, but it also comes in green, orange, and pink. The diameter is about 11mm, so they just fit in most large hole sharpeners.

Lyra Mega Liner highlighting pencil

The pencil is hexagonal, and has a very lightly varnished natural finish. It is imprinted:

Obverse: Germany [logo] Lyra Mega Liner 96 962n

Reverse: paper + copy + fax

Let me mention that I like liquid pigment fluorescent highlighters. My favourite, the see through Zebra Zazzle, disappeared from Canadian shelves a few years ago, but I still have a few.

Lyra Mega Liner highlighting pencil

The Lyra Mega Liner is not just for show – it is a working highlighter, leaving illuminated marks on paper.

I tried it on printed paper, and on a laser printout. It works, though it doesn’t give the saturated effect of fibre wedge highlighters dispensing bright yellow pigment.

Lyra Mega Liner, printed paper
Lyra Mega Liner highlighting pencil

Lyra Mega Liner, printed paper
Lyra Mega Liner highlighting pencil

Lyra Mega Liner, laser printout
Lyra Mega Liner highlighting pencil

Zebra Zazzle (for comparison), laser printout
Lyra Mega Liner highlighting pencil

If I could find these locally, I might be using them every day. But via mail order, they become expensive for an ancillary item.

Posted on

Red and Blue pencils II

Red and Blue pencils

With thanks to Gunther, I now have two more red and blue pencils.

The new pencils are the Koh-I-Noor Hardmuth AG “Bürofarbstift” 62 SM, made in Austria, and the 8742 Stabilo Schwan-Stabilo, made in Germany.

Red and Blue pencils

A quick overview of the five red and blue pencils:

Manufacturer Model Shape Core
Koh-I-Noor Bürofarbstift 62 Hexagonal 2mm
Musgrave Hermitage Thin 525 Hexagonal 2mm
Musgrave Harvest Thick 725 Round 4mm
Prismacolor Verithin 748 Round 2mm
Schwan-Stabilo Stabilo 8742 Hexagonal 2mm


I have done some further testing on the colour properties of the five pencils:

Red and Blue pencils

On the blue side, the Bürofarbstift 62 uses a lighter shade. The other four pencils offer very similar dark blues.

The red choices show more variation, with each vendor offering something different. Both European pencils makes lines that are more on the orange side, while the Musgraves offer a subdued red, and Verithin, a richer, more vibrant red.

Proudly powered by WordPress