Author Topic: Pencil fetish (Read 71904 times)

Jurek · « **Reply #250 on:** 02 August, 2018, 06:15:56 pm »

I appear to have clicked.
Twice.

1 x OHTO Super Promecha Pencil PM-1500P 0.9mm
1 x OHTO Promecha OP-1000P 0.9mm

Avid pencil user here.0.9 Pentel P209 is my daily weapon of choice, with the tubular tip Dremelled until it is only ~ 1 to 2 mm long.
No stabby leggy when in pocket.

Efrogwr · « **Reply #251 on:** 02 August, 2018, 06:23:31 pm »

I really like the Platinum Pressman. It was designed for writing kanji quickly. Allegedly, it's the pencil of choice with the shorthand writers who record proceedings in the Diet.

It takes special (100 mm long) leads, 2B, 0.9 mm only. That's much thicker than I would choose for a pen, but I think it's brilliant for drawing and note taking.

Beardy · « **Reply #252 on:** 02 August, 2018, 09:26:23 pm »

I’d just like to say whomever it was that introduced me to cult pens website, you git. It has reawakened a yearning in me that I had forgotten about. Happily forgotten about. So many pencils. So many. Git git git.

hubner · « **Reply #253 on:** 02 August, 2018, 09:39:16 pm »

I use pencils at work, for marking out and taking notes and I find the 10 for £1 all-plastic (maybe with a metal spring inside) mechanical pencils from the pound shop to be good enough.

And I refill them when the leads run out.

Efrogwr · « **Reply #254 on:** 02 August, 2018, 09:45:28 pm »

Quote from: Beardy on 02 August, 2018, 09:26:23 pm

I’d just like to say whomever it was that introduced me to cult pens website, you git. It has reawakened a yearning in me that I had forgotten about. Happily forgotten about. So many pencils. So many. Git git git.

It gets worse; there are pens, and ink, and paper....

T42 · « **Reply #255 on:** 03 August, 2018, 08:33:12 am »

Sharpened one of these the other day, with a chisel of course:

Sorry about the ghastly lighting, the workshop has half a dozen fluorescents of different colour temperatures.

woollypigs · « **Reply #256 on:** 03 August, 2018, 10:30:58 am »

T42 please could you put that in a spoiler tag, that is just filthy dirty p0rn !!!

The utter joy it is to use and then when you sharpen it you get your favorite pocket knife or even a chisel out. I have many happy memories from my granddads workshop sharping his pencils, while he worked away.

T42 · « **Reply #257 on:** 03 August, 2018, 12:59:15 pm »

My dad had a vicious little pocket-knife that he'd received as a freebie from a paint rep before WW2. The main blade had broken at some point and he had ground it down to a shape like a butcher's boning-knife. He kept it as sharp as a scalpel. He didn't just sharpen pencils with it, he used to set our teeth on edge by paring his fingernails with it. All his pencils - he was a draughtsman - had murderous points.

When I bought a couple of Mars Staedtler mechanical pencils he looked at them and said "yes, some of the young chaps in the drawing office use the new stuff too. Don't ask them to sharpen anything, they can't".

woollypigs · « **Reply #258 on:** 03 August, 2018, 02:41:37 pm »

^ That sounds like my granddad.

T42 · « **Reply #259 on:** 03 August, 2018, 02:53:28 pm »

Possibly the same generation - 1909 vintage.

woollypigs · « **Reply #260 on:** 03 August, 2018, 06:27:30 pm »

'ish he was from the early '20s

Jurek · « **Reply #261 on:** 04 August, 2018, 10:20:13 am »

I'm liking these Cult Pen people, but that's probably not a good thing.....

Order for two pencils placed on Friday evening.
Postie has delivered it just now.
Along with a complimentary Staedtler pigment liner.
And a packet of Haribos!

The Super Promecha is satisfyingly heavy, beautifully engineered, and heavy on features.
I know!!!! It's only a pencil.

T42 · « **Reply #262 on:** 04 August, 2018, 11:13:32 am »

Quote from: woollypigs on 03 August, 2018, 06:27:30 pm

'ish he was from the early '20s

You're making me feel old.

woollypigs · « **Reply #263 on:** 04 August, 2018, 11:37:27 am »

Well he was a later starter where the other grand dad is from 1910

Jurek · « **Reply #264 on:** 04 August, 2018, 01:48:40 pm »

Oh shhhhhhit!!!

I've just discovered Loclen.

Must. Not. Click.

mrcharly-YHT · « **Reply #265 on:** 06 August, 2018, 05:51:30 pm »

I used to be a real snob with my Rotring pencils, original brass.

When starting this job, was worried about things going missing. Bought a Rotring Tikky. It is plastic. Just plastic.

However, it looks right. Works brilliantly, the grip is good. Being light is good, because it gets carted about in my shirt pocket from meeting to meeting.

They are damn fine pencils for the money.

Jurek · « **Reply #266 on:** 06 August, 2018, 06:24:52 pm »

Quote from: mrcharly-YHT on 06 August, 2018, 05:51:30 pm

I used to be a real snob with my Rotring pencils, original brass.

When starting this job, was worried about things going missing. Bought a Rotring Tikky. It is plastic. Just plastic.

However, it looks right. Works brilliantly, the grip is good. Being light is good, because it gets carted about in my shirt pocket from meeting to meeting.

They are damn fine pencils for the money.

The distressed (by me) Rotring 600 dates back to my school days.
I milled a 3mm slot in opposite sides of the hex barrel so that you could see how much lead was left.
In practice, this didn't work, as the plastic tube which contained the lead was covered in graphite dust - and you couldn't see what was in there.

The silver one is from the late 80's early 90's.
I put it in a lathe and made it around 11mm shorter - so that it would fit into a particular wallet.

I'm happy to report that these days, I'm getting out much more.

ETA - Oh, and the top cap on the 600 is not Rotring, it is from a Staedtler, which is much more pleasing, aesthetically.

Woofage · « **Reply #267 on:** 10 August, 2018, 01:16:55 pm »

At this point I would like to remind the good people of yACF that there are many fine independent stationery retailers here in the UK (both on-line and in real shops). Please put your business with them as they're nice people, their businesses are not owned by a bunch of <your personal description goes here> and, finally, they pay their taxes

.

Clare · « **Reply #268 on:** 10 August, 2018, 01:43:45 pm »

Must remember to order converters.

Efrogwr · « **Reply #269 on:** 10 August, 2018, 08:00:44 pm »

Quote from: Woofage on 10 August, 2018, 01:16:55 pm

At this point I would like to remind the good people of yACF that there are many fine independent stationery retailers here in the UK (both on-line and in real shops). Please put your business with them as they're nice people, their businesses are not owned by a bunch of <your personal description goes here> and, finally, they pay their taxes .

I second this. I have bought stuff from four independent Internet based pen sellers, and found them to be excellent.

Thinks; I've run out of De Atramentis document Ink...

pcolbeck · « **Reply #270 on:** 12 August, 2018, 09:31:26 am »

Mr Woofages online emporium is very good I've bought fountain pen things from their before and I'd also like to give a shout out to Signatures in Fossgate York. A proper old fashioned shop where they know there onions about pens.

http://www.signaturesofyork.co.uk

They have a web site but don't sell online.

Cult Pens though have the most massive selection of mechanical pencils I have found in the UK by a huge margin. As they say they should probably be called Cult Pencils.

And then there is the grand daddy of all pencil review sites Dave's Mechanical Pencils. You can waste much time there if you have any interest in pencils:

http://davesmechanicalpencils.blogspot.com/

T42 · « **Reply #271 on:** 12 August, 2018, 01:35:15 pm »

What's the finest lead you can get? I'm using 0.5 mm in the workshop and it's too thick.

Vernon · « **Reply #272 on:** 12 August, 2018, 01:41:14 pm »

Having just spent too long on Daves mechanical pencils, you can get 0.3mm pencils (e.g. the Pentel P203). I don't know how readily available they are though.

woollypigs · « **Reply #273 on:** 12 August, 2018, 01:42:26 pm »

Quote from: T42 on 12 August, 2018, 01:35:15 pm

What's the finest lead you can get? I'm using 0.5 mm in the workshop and it's too thick.

I enjoy writing with 0.3 mm lead in my Rotring.

T42 · « **Reply #274 on:** 12 August, 2018, 03:12:22 pm »

Is it a specifically 0.3 Rotring or a 0.5 with a 0.3 mm lead?