Ask The Desk: Sharpeners, Skripsert Converters and Staples Legal Pads

Ask The Desk: Sharpeners, Skripsert Converters and Staples Legal Pads

Geoffrey asked two questions: 1) What would your recommend for a short point pencil sharpener? Think the stubby point on a golf pencil. My husband is obsessed with short point pencils, but his current method of using a wider sharpener to make a short point isn’t always ideal. There are three readily available adjustable pocket…

Ask the Desk: Refills, Sharpeners & Stamp Pads

Ask the Desk: Refills, Sharpeners & Stamp Pads

Kiran asks: I love your blog! I had a pen that used Schneider topball 850 refills. I liked that pen but it has been damaged so I’m looking to replace it with something similar that uses the same refills. Do you know how I would find pens that fit the Schneider topball 850? I tried…

Sharpener Review: Blackwing One-Step Long Point

Sharpener Review: Blackwing One-Step Long Point

Review by Tina Koyama What is all the fuss about a “long point”? For this long-time colored pencil user, long points are not needed (or wanted) for most colored pencil purposes. So when I first began using graphite pencils more seriously for drawing and writing and became involved in the pencil community, I was fascinated…

Sharpener Showdown: Hand Cranks

Review by Tina Koyama The venerable Carl Angel-5 hand-crank sharpener (also known as a “classroom-friendly” sharpener) is a popular, reliable favorite for many pencil users. With a metal body and “original quality,” it has a classic, sturdy build. I’ve had mine for several years, but sadly, I don’t love it. For one thing, its pencil…

Sharpener Review: Caran d’Ache Pencil Peeler

Review by Tina Koyama For most uses, I sharpen pencils in the most expeditious way possible: my trusty electric Bostitch Quiet Sharp 6 (or, on the street, a portable Kum). But for some pencils or specific drawing purposes, knife-sharpening is the best or sometimes the only way. I have a knife that does the job…