Year: 2008

Photo: Exterior of box.

We’ve previously seen a small kit that documents the steps in pencil production. Here is a set that lets you make your own pencils!

Pre-cut slats, colour cores, and glue are provided.

Paint is not provided, and I’m wondering if anyone has any suggestions about what type might be appropriate and safe.

I do plan on making the pencils after finding the right paint. Noticing a red core and a blue core, it should be possible to cut them each in half to make two red and blue pencils!

I thank blog reader Jieun for sending this excellent and fun item to me.

Also from China First Pencil is the Chung Hwa 120 red and blue pencil.

The mere existence of this pencil suggests that the humble red and blue pencil really is an international standard. Unusual as they may be, many of the larger pencil manufacturers still have such an item in their product list.

Slightly challenging to sharpen, the leads are usable, but not as richly saturated as some other red and blue pencils we’ve seen.

Perhaps the most exotic pencils yet seen at pencil talk:

A few interesting links/web discoveries that have recently been sent here:

The WEEKLY DIY ROUNDUP: PENS, PENCILS, AND CASES! from Threadbanger. Lots of crafty pencil accessory possibilities. Thanks Joyce.

Eco-Pencils at Slate. Mainly a debate about mechanical vs. woodcase pencils. Thanks to blog reader Sekhar for the link.

Pencils can be integral to schools! at JPG. From a comment at Lexikaliker.

Ancient instrument still making its mark. A Toledo Blade article on pencils that doesn’t quite make its point, since putting them up on a wall is the main use cited!

Draw attention with these pencils from the Electric News. Count Andreas von Faber-Castell (who prefers to be called Andy) was in Singapore to present some pencils.