Talk:Mechanical pencil

Chronology
I can't help but feel that the chronology of the "History" section is somewhat off. If the mechanical pencil was invented in 1906, then why are there patents for it as early as 1822? If 0.9mm lead was introduced in 1938, what was used in the pencils ordered by Sharp in 1915? What happened between all of these dates? 159.250.66.134 (talk) 23:34, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

Purpose of Mechanical Pencil
There should be an overall paragraph about the purpose of a mechanical pencil; currently those ideas are spread throughout the article-

Suggest adding: Mechanical pencils have an advantage over standard wooden pencils by maintaining a consistent point width without sharpening. This is useful for mechanical drafting, where line width is important, or quick sketching, when sharpening may be inconvenient.

and moving this elsewhere or removing: "Likewise to the name Ever-Sharp, mechanical pencils are used for their preciseness and the fact that they do not get dull."--192.195.66.45 23:55, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Clutch Pencil
I think clutch pencil is enough of a different device to have its own entry:

1. A clutch pencil needs to be sharpened (or pointed)

2. A clutch pencil can draw with varying thickness - mechanical pencils draw with a uniform thickness

3. The lead falls out when advancing - a mechanical pencil always holds the lead.

--192.195.66.45 23:55, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Additionally, in my experience (I use Staedtler Mars Technico and have a couple of old Platignum - anyone remember those? - clutch pencils) the cap is not usually an eraser. It contains a lead pointer.

Staedtler, and several other manufacturers make coloured leads for these devices, too.

SamXT (talk) 21:32, 16 June 2021 (UTC)

Image Request
does anyone have an image of a mechanical pencil that we can use? -Vince251
 * I can scan one in tomorrow. --Carnildo 09:38, 19 Dec 2004 (UTC)

What is a Metal propelling pencil?
One of the pictures is labelled "Metal propelling pencil", but there no discussion of what that means in the article.
 * Er, that would be a propelling pencil that is made of metal, I presume. 143.252.80.110 15:45, 22 March 2006 (UTC)


 * That's kind of misleading. The pictured pencel is a Pentel Graphgear - it looks shiny and silvery, but the body is actually plastic. Actually, almost the entire pencil is plastic. 58.104.104.130 10:01, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

Re Pentel Graphgear, Pentel state that the body is aluminium, not plastic.

Clicky pencil
I'm guessing that a mechanical pencil could also be called a clicky pencil, because it makes a clicking sound. – SilverBulletx3talkcontributions 18:37, 27 July 2006 (UTC)
 * They could... but are they?  Guessing at a possible term that you've never actually heard used is a kind of odd way to decide it belongs in the article.  --  AvatarMN (talk) 14:49, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

Environmentally friendly?
"Mechanical pencils are considered to be more environmentally-friendly than conventional pencils due to the fact that wood is not necessary for its manufacture and no wasteful wood shavings are created."

What? It seems to me that far more energy and materials would be needed to produce a mechanical pencil than a few standard pencils. And most softwoods, such as those used to make pencils, are farmed anyway. I'm removing this - if anyone can come up with a decent cite then by all means put it back. 143.252.80.110 15:45, 22 March 2006 (UTC)
 * "They are also more economical and ecological than standard pencils, making them a conscious choice for many users"
 * This has been added again... I really think we need a source or reference. --Knulclunk 20:32, 27 January 2007 (UTC)
 * This is pretty obvious. A mechanical pencil can be re-used. I've used a single one hundreds of times. Unlike a wooden pencil, when a mechanical pencil is used up, you only have to replace the lead, not the holder. The environmental cost of a wooden pencil is not only in the materials; it must also be manufactured each time. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Bostoner (talk • contribs) 23:15, 3 March 2009 (UTC)

Not for artistic expression
"not the preferred tool for artistic expression." I'm not so sure about that. Mechanical pencils don't need to be sharpened, making them extra handy for quick sketching. Some artists also may prefer the constant line width. It is simply part of the medium, y'know? I will never understand why any artist would use oil pastel (clumsy, random), so it may be a preference issue. --Knulclunk 20:50, 27 January 2007 (UTC)

I am one of those people who loves Mechanical penils, I base the coors of them on Mario bro charthers. It is also a not so nerdy hobby, it beats collecting:Bugs, socks, action figures (Nerd dolls),stamps, bottle caps, ect. Also they are more convienet that normal pencils... Heck, they beat all school supplies! They also make your handwriting smooth and unsloppy. The point is it is the most top supplies for offices, and school.


 * cartoonist use technical mech pencils. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ericg33 (talk • contribs) 00:53, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

The article mentions this at the top and has a reference. But the link just goes to an image, with no context whatsoever. Should this be removed? 122.59.225.50 (talk) 10:01, 2 September 2013 (UTC)

The Inventors
Okay, if Penkala had significant contributions to the evolution of the mechanical pencil, please add them without removing sourced information. Also, please add sources correctly. The source provided by the last IP edit (66.76.67.66), was to the inventor, Slavoljub Eduard Penkala. At that page, the only source is the Penkala pencil factory. Sourced information will not be removed. Unsourced information will be. --Knulclunk 22:57, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Antique image
where is the first mechanical pencil image? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ericg33 (talk • contribs) 08:34, 6 May 2008 (UTC)

Propelling pencil
When I was in primary school in Kingston, Jamaica, about thirty years ago, what I referred to as a "propelling pencil" was the type I have described in this journal entry.

Apart from that journal entry, which is original research, the only information on these "propelling pencils" I have found on the web is a site for some Chinese company selling them.

Does anyone know of any third-party primary sources of information about these pencils?

Also, as these pencils contain no mechanism, would they be considered "mechanical pencils"?

Respectfully, SamBlob (talk) 14:42, 8 March 2009 (UTC)

The Wikipedia "Pencil" article includes these, called Pop A Point pencils--KDMP (talk) 19:15, 25 May 2009 (UTC)

Manufacturers
Suggest adding Cross as a manufacturer of mechanical pencils. My second edit and I hope I did it right. Tiyang (talk) 22:50, 11 May 2009 (UTC)

Fine by me, but perhaps this should be titled "Brands" rather than manufacturers. in todays world of out-sourcing and OEM factories, who knows if these companies are manufacturers any more?--KDMP (talk) 04:43, 25 May 2009 (UTC)

What is the point of this section? A list of brands or manufacturers is perhaps nice, but what is its encyclopedic value? There are hundreds, maybe thousands of brands and manufacturers, surely its pointless to list them all? So I would propose to delete this section entirely. I do note that the Pencil and Ballpoint Pen articles don't have such lists, but Fountain Pens do.--KDMP (talk) 19:12, 25 May 2009 (UTC)

Opening and Definition
I think the current opening definition needs tidying up.

"Lead pencil" – wouldn't that would be an ordinary woodcase pencil in large parts of the world? Certainly would be where I come from.

The term “clicky pencil” is used later in this article but missing from this opening list of names.

“an internal mechanism which pushes or propels the thin graphite lead through the tip” – so this definition eliminates clutch pencils/leadholders which have their own section in this article. So, does the definition change to keep clutch pencils, or do clutch pencils get removed from this article?

“Mechanical pencils provide lines of consistent thickness” – this isn't an inherent feature or purpose of mechanical pencils. Line thickness is constant if the pencil is held perpendicular to the paper so that the line thickness is the lead diameter, and only if you have a round lead. If you use a rectangular lead mechanical pencil then line thickness varies. If you hold your pencil at an angle to the paper line thickness varies, etc.

“Do not require sharpening” – depending on the users purposes, many leads larger than 1.4mm diameter require sharpening.

Any disagreement that the opening needs changing? --KDMP (talk) 04:47, 25 May 2009 (UTC)


 * I agree - I think much of this article needs signifigant work. Perhaps it is common practice, but I've never heard of lead holders being described exclusively as 'clutch pencils'. The article describes smaller-diameter mechanical pencils as 'ratcheting pencils' - however, the mechanism which advances the lead in these pencils is also a clutch, rather than a ratchet. While the lead is held in place as it is advanced, it is not prevented from retrograde movement - while the clutch is open, the lead can be pushed back into the body. A ratchet prevents retrograde movement. It is friction between the guide and the lead which prevents the lead from simply falling out when advanced. Many of the distinctions and definitions given in this article seem to be arbitrary, or even contradictory. Ennen (talk) 14:51, 27 March 2010 (UTC)

Request protection?
I was going back in the history to find out who added the poorly worded items in the "Propelling Pencil" section, and noticed that almost everythingis vandalism from anonymous IPs. Is there any particular reason that this page isn't protected? If not, we should definitely request it. Tealwisp (talk) 03:36, 2 June 2011 (UTC)

My thoughts on the name
'Propeller pencil' is used worldwide but especially in the UK and to an extent Canada. 'Mechanical pencil' used in UK, US, Canada and English-speakers around the world (most are taught AmE in places other than native English countries. ZaE sounds like AuE sounds like BrE. They are all different.) JJhashisreasons (talk) 20:33, 16 July 2012 (UTC) JJhashisreasons (talk) ~

I'm a Brit and in all my 62 years, I've never heard 'Propellor pencil'. Propelling, yes, propellor, no.SamXT (talk) 07:11, 11 July 2021 (UTC)

Science
I also would like to know why have there been no way to know what kind of people make it or what it's made from or what energies are used or ANY SCIENCE WHAT SO EVER??? Come on Wikipedia, update update UPDATE!!!!!!!! — Preceding unsigned comment added by Wilson Manninidan (talk • contribs) 19:59, 5 April 2015 (UTC)

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Lead Measured in Inches
I find it odd that this article doesn't mention lead measured in inches. The pencils I used in the 60's and 70's used lead measured in inches, not mm. I checked my desk drawer, and I found lead made by Scripto in two sizes, 0.046" and 0.036". A search of the web turned up a couple articles that mention this.

http://www.roger-russell.com/scripto2.htm#oldleads http://www.vintagepens.com/FAQbasics/pencillead.shtml

Does anyone know how this fits into the history? Were inch sizes used first, and later converted to mm? Were these sizes only used by certain companies, or in certain countries? (I'm in the US.) I feel like part of the history is missing, but I don't know where this fits in. Jayscore (talk) 04:09, 3 August 2016 (UTC)
 * After a quick research it seems to me as if the inch sizes and the metric sizes are the same - just different numbers. (0.3 mm/0.012" - 0.5 mm /0.02" - 0.7 mm / 0.028" - 0.9 mm / 0.036") However 0.9 mm would actually be 0.035" if it were rounded correctly, so maybe it was standardised in inches not in millimetres as 0.036" are 0.9144 mm. In any case, it is advisable to make the information not only metrically but also in English units.--Blaubeermarmelade (talk) 15:28, 10 January 2019 (UTC)
 * I've added those values in inches for which I could find equivalents on the internet. For which I did not find any offers, I did not specify anything. One could supplement the other values mathematically, be it in fractions or in decimals or both. Whereby this should be indicated, where there are only conversions and where the appropriate sizes were traded or are still traded. Some of the values have probably been originally scheduled in inches. The ones I have specified in the table in fractions. Unfortunately I could not really rely on reputable sources in my research, but it is an undeniable fact that 25.4 millimetre are equivalent to an inch.--Blaubeermarmelade (talk) 17:55, 10 January 2019 (UTC)

Uses
I would like to question the purpose of the lead variations chart. The uses column does not seem to make sense when these leads are used for many different purposes interchangeably. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 129.22.21.197 (talk) 01:58, 12 February 2017 (UTC)

Agreed. I'm an artist and graphic designer, and I've used just about every grade there is at various times. SamXT (talk) 07:12, 11 July 2021 (UTC)

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Auto-rotating
The article gives the impression that auto rotating were invented by Mitsubishi pencil, but they only invented their own mechanism. There were at least two auto rotating mechanisms before theirs, see https://bleistift.blog/2015/10/the-kuru-toga-an-old-hat/ --86.17.35.216 (talk) 18:37, 17 February 2018 (UTC)

propelling pencil
Propelling pencil is directed here but I can't find any information — Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.70.221.119 (talk) 12:54, 28 October 2019 (UTC)

Mechanical pencil
Hi l only wish to say that when l was at school in Birmingham 1960 the teacher always referred to these pencils as a Pelling pencil no one else l have known remembers such a name so l can only assume he shortened the name from propelling pencil — Preceding unsigned comment added by Gary Manders (talk • contribs) 11:30, 31 January 2021 (UTC)

More than likely. The world is full of people who can't speak properly. For example, my mother in law says chimbley for chimney and pacifically for specifically.