Making Pencils - the Hand Tooler's Alternative to Pens

[D_W]

That is a fantastic sharpener!

I hope I don't have to match weight between the pencils and the planes (transferred back vs. transferred out)! It would probably take two years to make that many pencils.

 

[D_W]

New Sharpening thread, "How to Sharpen a Pencil"

"I do it free-hand, no fancy sharpening jigs here!"

:lol:

You'd think nobody would ever have an opinion about sharpening pencils after you made them, but I used that kum sharpener from above, and where I posted this originally as I was figuring out the process, I got several very loud complaints about how that was totally unsuitable vs. sharpening with a knife.

Well, i didn't find the knife that great, but a japanese chisel makes short work of cutting the big bits off of the barrel at first (any chisel would). The most demanding part of this (since the cap iron smashes the wood back into itself and prevents tearout) turns out to be faceting the top end of the pencil and having zero breakage or voids (very light wood, not much conviction to resist an edge across the grain) - thus the absurdly sharp japanese chisel.

I never heard of boutique sharpening before and was surprised opinions on pencil sharpening even existed.

 

[ED65]

I never heard of boutique sharpening before and was surprised opinions on pencil sharpening even existed.

So was I when I first discovered it! It was subsequent to this that I found out about straight razor forums and saw what real obsession (and arguments based on same) could be like.

Are you seriously going to try making your own leads? If you are and haven't bought yet I was just on the Kremer Pigmente site for the first time in years looking up something else and because I was in the right area I spotted they sell the powdered clay, so presumably you can get it from their US-based arm which IIRC is based in New York.

Then you're going to need a ball mill, and er, well, best of luck running one of those and maintaining domestic bliss :mrgreen:

 

[AJB Temple]

This is brilliant. I don't have time to make pencils as my list is too long of other stuff. If I did make pencils I would be reluctant to use them as a) I would hate to destroy my book b) pencils are capable of hiding and c) they have a magnetic attraction to the floor.

{ My last lot came in a box from Amazon. 100 for £4.99}

 

[marcros]

Struggling to get incense cedar over here to have a go but Western red looks similar.

Would you want a close grain pattern or quick growing?

 

[novocaine]

Dave, I'm aware you like to dive deep in to what you do. so here's a little diversion from another Dave, by another Dave.
Chapter 11 is perhaps one of my favorites.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Sharpen-Pe ... 097&sr=8-4

Edit, Whoops beaten to it by Chappy above.
I will add then, I have a copy of this book on my desk, it was bought as a joke for me but is actually rather a good read.