Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2019/09/04/pencil-recommendation-forestc.html
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Don’t ask, it was a rough night.
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A bit OT, but have you tried the Kum Masterpiece sharpener? It’s pricey and it doesn’t have a shavings collector, but it makes an even longer, even sharper point than the regular Kum two-step sharpener. (Also, while I love me some Blackwing, the regular Kum sharpener is available for about half the price of the Blackwing-branded version, and unlike the Blackwing version, it has built-in lead pointers too.)
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Turns out that good ole Henry David Thoreau was who gave us those pencil numbers. He was in the business before he headed out to his pond.
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Oh boy, I’m going to buy more pencils.
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I prefer these pencils, made in Shelbyville, TN: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B005T3O4V4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
They write wonderfully well, sharpen easily, and don’t break the bank. And I like supporting American companies where possible.
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My favourite for drawing
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Seems fine but i’m more of a fan of harder grade graphite for pencils, more so for sketching than writing to be fair.
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Any recs for mechanical pencils for art use? I generally use Bics.
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Oooo, I haven’t tried that yet, but I will. Thanks!!
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I’m not much of a mechanical pencil person, alas … though I know many engineer friends of mine vastly prefer them to sharpenable pencils.
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There are mechanical pencils that use a pretty thick lead, about as thick as what you’d find in a pencil. And some will even auto-rotate the lead to keep it evenly worn, but yeah some artists do love them. I had a teacher that really liked using them but i don’t see them a lot so i can’t give recommendations.
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gagh!! can not unsee!
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It was actually his father, John Thoreau. Or maybe it was Nicolas-Jacques Conte. I can’t find out who was first.
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I absolutely LOVE the Pencil Face short film!!!
I love everything about it, especially the soundtrack.
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I use a Mitsubishi Uni mechanical pencil (0.7).
It’s a good tool, really reliable, I broke a lot of mechanical pencils before buying this one.
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One hundred and forty-four pencils? How can a person possibly need so many, however good they are?
Faber-Castell’s TK-Fine Vario is a fantastic one. Quality build and really fine ‘touch’.
You know…for kids!
That said (or quoted), I’m still using up some pencils bought long ago, and the rubber erasers on the ends are hardened with age and useless. I like these:
https://www.amazon.com/Staedtler-52650-Eraser-White-Vinyl/dp/B00U04EWHS/ref=sr_1_5?crid=29UJOWXIUBMHE&keywords=mars+staedtler+white+eraser&qid=1567652012&s=gateway&sprefix=mars+staetler+%2Caps%2C333&sr=8-5
(and I am teasing a bit by linking to the biggest quantity I could find 
)
2 kids in school, 40ish weeks of schooling. Suppose they 1.5 a week, which is probably on the forgiving side, 144 barely covers the school year. I go through 12 pens, at least, in one year, and I watch my pen like a helicopter mother.
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