pencil talk

Does Dixon still make pencils in the United States?

It is very hard to say, but here are some “Made in U.S.A.” “tri-write” pencils found just last week at a Grand and Toy store here in Canada! They appear to be new, and are sold in a cardboard/plastic package of eight.

The cynic in me wonders if perhaps American Ticonderogas are still made, but solely for export!

My impression is that the lead is significantly higher quality than other recently found Ticonderogas. They also sport a more traditional appearance!

The Colleen Pencil Company of Japan met a sad demise about a decade ago. Highly esteemed by pencil users, their products were known for very high quality and innovation. Kero556’s Colleen pencil blog is a testament to the bond that Colleen created with their users.

A former Colleen manager has continued the company name in Thailand, and at this year’s ISOT fair, Colleen Thailand announced the launch of a number of new products.

One of these new products is highly unusual - a set of colour pencils in teak. And I mean teak wood, not just the colour of the surface finish.

Though there are many tree species in the world, very few seem to be used for pencil production. Cedar, jelutong, pulai , basswood - and anything else? I’ve seen other species mentioned, but don’t know if they are in current use. Of course very few pencils reveal much about their constituent ingredients, so those of us outside the industry are typically left guessing.

I love the idea of experimentation with wood sources, and challenging traditional notions of the pencil.

Teak is of course associated with luxury furniture making. I can find no references to teak being a pencil material, other than a Rainforest Alliance report (PDF format) from 2005 suggesting that furniture scraps could be used to make pencils.

Even if not commercially scalable, I applaud Colleen for the way they have chosen to celebrate the art of the pencil and their brand relaunch.

The pencils are presented in a minimal cardboard box with velco fastener.

The pencils themselves have no external markings, and to my surprise, are not super-refined and finished, but rather rough and raw.

The finish makes one very aware of the wood and forest origins of the pencils. Kero556 tried to sand and wax them if I understand correctly. I am not sure if the “upgrade” attempt worked!

Since these aren’t exactly available at the corner store here in Canada, I decided to be very careful about selecting the sharpener. I chose a nearly new Tombow SM-200WN (blunt point) for reliability.

A little tougher than cedar, all pencils sharpened without problem, and just one lead broke. The shavings are most unusual. Handling the pencils also highlighted a couple of cases where the pencil halves didn’t seem fully joined. Still, nothing major.

I would usually get a pen or pencil to use with a notebook, but these pencils were so special, I got a notebook to go with the pencils - a nice Holbein Multi-Drawing Book, made in Japan.

All twelve colours appear rich and saturated.

I think they are a very nice set, and hope Colleen will continue releasing innovative products in the future!

Here is something new - five jumbo pencils still joined at the seam, as if the pencil factory stopped production before the final steps.

The package says the pencils are made in China, from “sustainable forest linden wood”.

The idea has great potential, but there is a practical problem. A pencil breaks off easily - but leaves a sharp edge with splinters on both sides. Users risk cuts and splinters. I would say these are definitely not child-safe. Probably sandpaper could correct the problem - but that’s not a realistic solution for many. Too bad, they look great.

In the International Arrivals sharpener, the pencil is carved to a substantial blunt point. The lead is not rough, yet very faint for an oversize lead. This makes the pencil an even more unusual offering.

Though the concept is interesting, breaking apart one’s own pencils from carved slats clearly has some issues.

My apologies if you have tried to contact me in the last day or so - the penciltalk.org mail server seems to be out of lead.

Second, I’ve heard that some IE7 users have been unable to post comments. I’ve tried to to tweak the WordPress installation to fix this issue, but if you are still having a problem, please let me know.

From the Eyeball Pencil Co. in Japan comes a new pencil - the Hi-new.

To this observer, the name and appearance bring to mind the famous Mitsubishi Hi-uni. While not identical, the commonalities are extensive.

Sold in boxes of twelve with an accompanying “keep” brand eraser, the pencils are hexagonal with unfinished caps.

They sharpen easily, and like most pencils from Japanese producers, are of high quality.

Overall, the Hi-new is an excellent value. Still, I don’t like their similarity to Mitsubishi’s product.

The first in a series on the pencils of the Hindustan Pencil Company.

There is something plucky and charming about a woodcase pencil that announces its elite market.

This isn’t just the “Apsara Gold” - it is the “Apsara Gold for executives”!

The black and gold pencil is definitely distinctive and handsome.

The font is very unusual for a pencil, and quite suiting.

Has anyone else read The Painter of Signs? This pencil causes me to recall R. K. Narayan’s vivid portrayal of the craft of a dedicated sign maker in India.

One small mystery solved.

The International Arrivals pencils - fluorescent and carpenter - have no practical way to sharpen them.

A lucky break came my way, and I found the right sharpener at a local bookstore - a place with no other International Arrivals products that I could see.

Much larger than just a general large hole sharpener, with slots specifically sized for their two pencils, the product brings some resolution to the problem.

The oversize fluorescent pencils are made usable again - and the carpenter’s pencil is pointed. Of course, this point is like that of a regular pencil, and discards the lead’s rectangular shape. Who wants carpenter pencils pointed this way? I suppose it beats nothing.

Even though there have been few updates here this month, Lexikaliker has more than picked up the challenge of discussing pencils! (With much better photography!)

Some recent pencil-related posts:

Spitzer spitzen (2)

The Tombow long point sharpener, with some excellent photos documenting how this sharpener works.

Graphit statt Teer

The Eyeball Cigarette pencil. An outstanding photo.

Here is the Google translation of the first sentence:

As a non-smoker Bleischreiber of blackness, I do not my lungs, but a lot of paper.

Here is my translation:

As a non-smoking lead pencil user, I don’t like to blacken my lungs, but I do like to blacken paper.

Any better?

Herlitz Wirtestift

The Herlitz black and grey waiter’s pencil. Who knew waiters had their own pencils?

LYRA Gärtnerstift

The Lyra Garden Pen (a pencil). Gardening is just about at the end of season here in Canada, but this post will live on!