The Well-Appointed Desk

I remain a loyal fan of General Pencil Company. They are one of the few remaining American pencil manufacturers and their pencil products support both daily use pencils as well as art-related pencils. The Cedar Pointe #333 is a classic hexagonal incense cedar pencil with no lacquer added so it smells like cedar and is soft in the hand. The pencil has a black ferrule and a black eraser which matches the black foil stamped information on the pencil.

The box of 12 came with the points pre-sharpened to a short point. I resharpened me test pencil with my trusty vintage Apsco Giant desk-mounted sharpener for a longer point.

I just realized I shot this photo of the writing sample before I actually did the eraser tests. It is not a silky pencil on paper, it makes a bit more noise on paper than some of my other higher-end pencils (pencils that sell for $20/dozen) but it is totally acceptable for a pencil that cost me 27¢.

The black eraser cap did moderately well erasing but the white plastic Staedtler eraser erased almost completely.

I am pleased with my dozen pencils. I love that they are hexagonal, unfinished cedar and I love buying domestically-made pencils. Of the six different types of writing pencils I have from General, the smoothest is probably the Test Scoring 580 if that’s a sticking point for you. If you prefer pencils without the added weight of an eraser, try the Kimberly 525, the General’s Layout No. 555 or the Semi-Hex Drawing No. 497.

I purchased a dozen pencils from Pieritz in Oak Park, IL for $3.25. Three dozen with a more historic paper wrap can be purchased directly from General for $11.

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Musgrave Pencil Co.

AnaJanuary 31, 2013Leave a comment

Pencils.com just started stocking pencils from the Musgrave Pencil Co. Musgrave is almost 100 years old and is still manufacturing their pencils out of their factory in Shelbyville, TN. Pencils.com is stocking the test scoring pencil (shown above), an assortment of jumbo pencils for young writers and a red/blue combination pencil. $2.25-$3.50 per dozen.

(via Pencils.com)

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Pencil Week: DIY Origami Paper-Coverd Pencils

AnaJanuary 30, 2013Leave a comment

If you, like me, have a whole mess of mismatched B-grade pencils, this tutorial will show you step-by-step, how to cover them up to create a matching set of pencils. Perfect for the jar on your desk or in your kitchen.

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Link Love: Pencil Week

AnaJanuary 30, 2013Leave a comment

Pencils on The Simpsons (via Pencil Revolution)

In honor of my self-appointed Pencil Week, this week’s Link Love is all pencil related.

Gepetto Pencil Sharpener (via Dave’s Mechanical Pencils)
Pencil Case (okay, you could pens in it too) (via Rhodia Drive)
Pencil Photography by Lisa Cargile (via Pencil Revolution)
I Steal Pencils from Ikea Flickr Group (via Pencil Revolution)

Favorite Pencil Blogs:

Pencil Micorscope (via Present & Correct) — Pencil Microscope (via Present & Correct)

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The Royal We “These Machines Kill Fascists” Pencil Roll

AnaJanuary 29, 2013Leave a comment

Inside this natural canvas roll is a message to political action or social change.

Unroll it and it reveals a hand silkscreen printed message “These Machines Kill Fascists” and ten brand new pencils emblazoned with their own individual message in black foil on a classic yellow-orange pencil: “This machine kills Fascists”. Curious where the expression originated? Its a nod to Woody Guthrie who scrawled the expression on his guitar.

This set is currently on sale through The Royal We for $11 for the whole set. Clearly, the pencil is a little bit more mightier than the pen.

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Lefty Sharpener

AnaJanuary 29, 2013July 6, 2018Leave a comment

I grew up using right-handed sharpeners because I didn’t know there were any other kind. I got used to holding a pencil in my left hand, sharpener in my right and twisting the pencil away from me. A left-handed sharpener allows me to sharpen towards myself. I never seemed to get a consistent point twisting away so I was hoping that the Lefty sharpeners would give me a proper angle to sharpen my pencils without too much wood left on one side or the other.

I received a new Lefty 2-hole magnesium-alloy pencil sharpener for Christmas. I already owned the larger Lefty sharpener with shavings holder but I was wanting something smaller and more portable. This smaller sharpener has no container to trap shavings but does include extra blades under the red plastic cover and openings to sharpen standard pencils as well as larger jumbo or art pencils. It sharpens with a nice even point though a little shorter than what I would prefer. I did not get uneven sharpening. Its well-constructed, sturdy and aesthetically pleasing. If you are having trouble with right handed sharpeners, either model of the Lefty sharpener would be a good alternative and both use good German blades.

However, for me, its taking a good deal of mental re-learning to twist towards myself after years of muscle-memory twisting away. Is it too late to teach this old dog new tricks?

(you may also want to read my previous review of the Lefty Sharpener)

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Paper Mate 07 Earth Write Mechanical Pencil Review

AnaJanuary 28, 2013May 28, 2017Leave a comment

The body of the Paper Mate Earth Write mechanical pencil is made from compostable corn-based plastics that will biodegrade within a year in soil or a compost pile. I bought it about a year ago but realized I hadn’t reviewed it or even mentioned it. Partly, I waited to see if anything untoward would happen to the pencil casing left in my office over time and partly because I can be forgetful when it comes to what office supplies I have.

The set came with one mechanical pencil body and a separate tube that stored refill leads and extra eraser caps. To be honest, I was more intrigued with this spare tube than the environmental aspects of this particular tool. Both the pencil and the extra tube are a soft cream color with light sage green accents. I liked the less garish colors and we all know if you make it green, I’ll buy it.

The photo above shows the pencil lead completely retracted and the clear plastic cover over the eraser so that it doesn’t pick up lint or gunge in the bottom of your bag. The sage colored grip is slightly rubbery to make for a comfortable grip.

Each end of the spare tube untwists from a center piece to access the leads from one end and the erasers from the other. I found this to be the most ingenious thing I’d found in a big box office supply shop.

The overall performance of this pencil is quite good. The lead is dark (HB hardness I beileve) and smudges a little but would be good for sketching and shading. If you prefer a different lead grade, that’s easy to change. The eraser that comes with the pencil is perfectly adequate. The point retracts into the pencil when not in use so it will not be damaged or stab the unsuspecting.

I love mechanical pencils for the on-the-go writing. I always have a mechanical pencil in my car because I don’t have to worry about the pencil not working in severe climates. This pencil, because of its environmental biodegradability, is not a pencil I’d leave in my car but rather keep it in a pocket, bag or just on my desk at work. The other advantage of a mechanical pencil is that you can fill it with whatever type of lead you prefer — harder lead, softer lead, colored lead — as long as it matches the diameter of the pencil mechanism.

If you happen upon this Paper Mate Earth Write mechanical pencil with lead and eraser holder I would recommend picking it up if only for the travel-friendly leadholder. I searched extensively for an online retailer with the set but came up empty handed. If anyone finds a vendor selling the mechanical pencil with lead/eraser holder, let me know and I’ll update this post. Thanks!