Sanguine Tenacious Tidings

Pencils Need to Write (Rated E)

Andre's the Blog Monkey's Banana Bar -- Week 2 January 2023 - Rated E

Prompt, Category 1: The Pros and Cons mechanical vs. wooden pencils.

Written by Judith D Mitchell (Apondia)

The word pencil may have been taken from a French word pincel which means little paintbrush.

Wooden pencils have been around longer than I have. The discovery of graphite near Cumbia, England in 1500 started the pencil era. The mineral Graphite is a crystalline form of the element carbon.

Graphite was first used to mark sheep. Graphite was split into sticks and wrapped with a piece of sheep skin than tied with a string. The Italians decided to encase the graphite into two pieces of wood.

The HMS Pandora sunk in 1791. An early example of a mechanical pencil was found on board the Pandora.

The first patent for a mechanical pencil was issued to Sampson Mardon and John Issac Hawkins 1822. The history of mechanical pencil manufactured in various forms extends from 1823 to now.

Two types of mechanical pencils were developed about the same historical time. Screw based was developed in Japan by Hayakawa. Ratchet based was developed by Charles R. Keeran.

The common wooden pencil that we are all familiar with since grade school is a No.2 lead pencil which usually has an eraser on one end. It needs to be sharpened when first used and then sharpened again when the point becomes dull or worn away. This means a sharpener must be present. Sharpeners come in different types. some are handheld some fasten to a wall or side of a desk.

As manufacturing progressed, so did the use of the graphite in pencils. Even though we call it lead it was always graphite. No lead was actually involved. Now the graphite we use is a combination of graphite dust mixed with clay or wax. What the graphite is mixed with depends on what type of pencil it is being used in, and for what type of job the pencil is being used.

A no.2 very sharp wooden pencil can make a very thin line on the paper, as long as it stays sharp. The written line can vary somewhat according to the sharpness of the pencil.

Leads in a mechanical pencil come in different sizes, 0.3 ,0.5, 0.7 are the most normal. When the pencil writes, the size of the point continues to remain an accurate sharpness as it wears down.

When the lead in the mechanical pencil wears away. a new lead can be placed in the pencil. When the wooden pencil wears down you replace the whole pencil.

At one time the color yellow was considered royal or respectful in China. USA manufacturers used this idea as a selling point and painted the common pencil on the market yellow. Although now, you can find pencils specifically manufactured in other painted colors. The common yellow pencil is still the basic pencil on the market.

There is no end to the variety of colors available, in which mechanical pencils are sold. Mechanical pencils also vary in size and materials used to make them. They can be either metal or plastic.

Today we look at the importance of materials with which a product is manufactured. The average wooden pencil is about 71/2 inches long. One pencil can draw a line 35 miles long or write 45,000 words. Then you throw away the stub which usually has left over eraser and a piece of metal on the end. 82 billion trees are cut each year to make wooden pencils.

Mechanical pencils can stay relevant for a long time. Just change the lead and write on. Presently, the common ones on the market are about 6 inches long. However, some mechanical pencils are being made as disposable. You write until the lead is gone, then throw the entire pencil away. We know that one of the most important recycle problems exists from disposable plastic.

Some mechanical pencils now come with erasers on the end, or they may be packaged with a special handy eraser.

Leads vary, are approximately 2 1/2 inches in length and are sold in small plastic cases by 30 leads or less.

Prices vary for the different types of pencils. Yellow wooden pencils can be found in any shopping center. They range from small packs of 3 or 4 to larger packs of 30 to 96. Prices seem to be higher in smaller packages from .21 cents per pencil to .33 cents per pencil. Larger packages, 96 in a pack can be as low as 8.5 cents per pencil.

Mechanical pencil prices range higher. Since they come in many brands and are packaged for different uses. The normal in places like Walmart and Amazon show 40 count packages can have a cost of approximately $2.94 per pencil. Prices like this can range higher or lower as you look at the different brands available or shop in different places. Mechanical pencils have become more available as the years move forward since 2000.

Whichever you chose as your writing tool. Both types of pencils are readily available.

Reference:

https://somethinwonderful.blogspot.com/2009/01/5-interesting-facts-about-pencils...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pencil
{link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanical pencil:}

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