pencil talk | pencil reviews and discussion

The lead pencil’s main ingredients haven’t changed much since Conté and Hardmuth figured out how to blend and bake clay and graphite approximately two hundred years ago.

Yet a few pencils acknowledge getting a bit of help from mixing in some charcoal, and some others are a bit more mysterious. Of course there are also pencils that clearly identify their marking ingredient, whether graphite, charcoal, or chalk. Here are a few pencils labelled “Carbon” or “Ebony”.

Maybe you use one or more of them? If so, maybe you can share a little about why you like the pencil.

The Sanford Ebony Design 14420 is described on the packaging: “Thick, jet black lead produces expressive images with a matte finish.” To me, “jet black” is an exaggeration. The pencil has an oversized graphite core, and seems to be a typical pencil, but with a soft grade that keeps a point quite well.

General’s Layout/Ebony pencil 555 is described on the General pencil website as being “extra smooth, extra black graphite.” It also appears to be an oversize core pencil in a soft grade.

Both are nice pencils, but the “ebony” designation seems to be more a term meant to connote this pencil style, rather than referring to any specific formula. Pencils available in a wide range of grades usually use larger cores for the softer pencils anyway, so the uniqueness isn’t so clear.

They also reminded me of oversize core pencils from Japan – both Tombow and Mitsubishi offer 4B and 6B pencils with oversize cores. Derwent and Caran d’Ache are also known for oversize core drawing pencils.

Lyra Rembrandt Carbon 308/3 is one of a few very interesting specialty pencils found in the Lyra “Art Specials” set. The Carbon 308/3 is apparently a charcoal and grease pencil – but you could have fooled me. It doesn’t have that crunchiness or light weight of compressed charcoal. On the other hand, it does leave a dark matte finish. I think it’s very interesting, and suspect it is a graphite/charcoal blend.

General’s Carbon Sketch 595 is, according to General, “The perfect combination of charcoal and graphite.” It also has a metal cap. I found it to leave an intense dark black line while again not having that charcoal compacting aspect. Anyone wanting a deep black, matte line should investigate this pencil.

The Lyra 309 is apparently “carbon without grease”. Here I’m wondering if the translation was in error. While the 308 was labelled carbon, the 309 is not, and seems more like just a charcoal pencil.

Wolff’s carbon Royal Sovereign 2B is another very interesting mixed ingredient pencil. Perpendicular to paper, it seems to squeak when it moves!

Staedtler’s 7B, 8B, and EE pencils also seem to fit in this category.

There are no doubt other examples.

Accompanying a pencil tribute to London’s buses – the Underground’s map serves as inspiration for this set.

I hope you like the blog’s updated appearance! Please let me know if you discover any problems.

There are a few changes behind the scenes as well. The categories and indexing have been neglected for too long, making the content less accessible than it should be. I’ve gone through the first two years of the blog, and have attempted to accurately categorize each post. I’ll keep working on this.

As a small celebration, here’s a contest: The blog’s “banner” is the rectangular photo at the top of each page. Until yesterday, that banner showed green erasers from the FSC Canada pencil. Can you identify the pencil that was shown on the first banner used by this blog?

The prize:

A Pilot Foam eraser, a Mitsubishi Hi-Uni Super-DX pencil, and an Ito-ya pencil extender in white.

Just leave a comment with the answer. The first correct answer wins. (The winner can send me their postal address via email, and the prize will be sent via Canada Post.) The contest runs until midnight on June 23, EDT.

Here are five great pencil information websites. If you’re seeking to identify an old pencil, or information about a defunct brand, these are the places to start:

1. Pencil Pages has an extensive assortment of pencils from American manufacturers. If you want to see a Providence Narragansett or a Mallard Vita-Tone, this is the place!

2. Brand Name Pencils is a great reference for worldwide brands. Often cited for the appealing graphic design and easy navigation, it showcases a vast array of pencils.

3. Leadholder.com has more than leadholders! The “Wood Cased Drafting Pencil Gallery” has photos with knowledgeable commentary, production dates, and many cross references to scanned historical catalogues.

4. KUR?UN KALEM / BLEISTIFT, in Turkish and German, has an amazing array of pencil history on display. Even if you don’t understand the text, be sure to navigate around the site. It has many old catalogues, advertising, and pencil displays that won’t be seen elsewhere.

5. Georg Büttner’s Bleistiftseiten, in German, has comprehensive information about German manufacturers, past and present.