Recommend me a good mechanical pencil...

[custard]

I struggle with the harder leads because they seem that bit more brittle. It's one thing if you're marking up an ultra smooth timber like Swiss Pear, but when you get to a more open grained timber like say Oak then a 2H lead keeps dropping into the grain and snapping off. Therefore personally I use a 2B lead in a propelling pencil, the virtue of a propelling pencil is that it has a constant line thickness, so it doesn't matter if it wears down. The other significant advantage of softer leads is that they're much darker, which makes it easier to see your layout lines and not wander past them!

Another option to consider is those ultra thick propelling pencils (much thicker than the lead in a regular pencil) that have either a built in or a separate sharpener. I know a couple of very fine cabinet makers who swear by them, they use a very soft lead and sharpen them up for precision layout work, but then let them run blunt for marking up rough sawn timber or adding face/edge symbols.

 

[MrTeroo]

One could argue the LaserWriter (with PostScript) was actually more of a game changer; near contemporaneous, of course.

BugBear

Certainly true. The perfect storm of Mac, LaserWriter and Aldus Pagemaker.

Simon

Let Rasen, rolls of border line tape, swann morten scalpels, spray mount...

They were the days....... :

Edit:
let rasen???

Letraset

 

[MikeJhn]

Is nostalgia good for you, it is when you can remember back far enough :wink:

Mike

 

[Doingupthehouse]

I struggle with the harder leads because they seem that bit more brittle. It's one thing if you're marking up an ultra smooth timber like Swiss Pear, but when you get to a more open grained timber like say Oak then a 2H lead keeps dropping into the grain and snapping off. Therefore personally I use a 2B lead in a propelling pencil, the virtue of a propelling pencil is that it has a constant line thickness, so it doesn't matter if it wears down. The other significant advantage of softer leads is that they're much darker, which makes it easier to see your layout lines and not wander past them!

Another option to consider is those ultra thick propelling pencils (much thicker than the lead in a regular pencil) that have either a built in or a separate sharpener. I know a couple of very fine cabinet makers who swear by them, they use a very soft lead and sharpen them up for precision layout work, but then let them run blunt for marking up rough sawn timber or adding face/edge symbols.

Thanks Custard, that's very informative and seems to make sense. My leads are breaking even when marking out smooth MDF! It's definitely not me being heavy-handed either. Like most things, I guess you get what you pay for and Mr Tesco's multipack of mechanical pencils probably leaves something to be desired.

Simon

 

[Doingupthehouse]

One could argue the LaserWriter (with PostScript) was actually more of a game changer; near contemporaneous, of course.

BugBear

Certainly true. The perfect storm of Mac, LaserWriter and Aldus Pagemaker.

Simon

Let Rasen, rolls of border line tape, swann morten scalpels, spray mount...

They were the days.......

I'd forgotten about border tape! Not sure I want to be reminded of it either, responsible for many a wavy line...

Is it any wonder I now produce in a day what used to take about a week, and ironically, allowing for inflation, get paid less for it. Still, wouldn't want to go back to the old ways.

Simon

 

[Jacob]

..
Another option to consider is those ultra thick propelling pencils (much thicker than the lead in a regular pencil) that have either a built in or a separate sharpener. I know a couple of very fine cabinet makers who swear by them, they use a very soft lead and sharpen them up for precision layout work, but then let them run blunt for marking up rough sawn timber or adding face/edge symbols.

I've tried sharpenable thick lead clutch pencils but the problem there is that the lead gets broken off or just needs extending - which is very easy to do just press the button - and the lead slips right out and disappears on the workshop floor.
Back to real pencils for me; 2H, HB and 2B. Different brands so they come colour coded. Sharpener or penknife/chisel/block plane etc.
Mechanical pencil just for the drawing board..

 

[MikeJhn]

Whatever happened to the pads of sandpaper we used to use in the drawing office to put a chisel point on our mifa pencils?

Mike

 

[CHJ]

Whatever happened to the pads of sandpaper we used to use in the drawing office to put a chisel point on our mifa pencils?

Mike

Well some lived on, I've still got one in use.

How come there was always one draftsman that could sharpen his pencils into a ridiculously long chisel point, produce beautiful clear lines of different emphasis, almost copper plate quality script and never ever having trouble with breaking leads.

Me I stuck with .5, .7 and 1mm clutch pencils, found some of the spares, wonder which individual has borrowed the missing clutch pencils?

 

[ColeyS1]

I'm looking forward to the pentel arriving- thanks guys.

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[RossJarvis]

Bearing in mind how easy it is to lose several gross of cheap pencils (see the findable pencil thread) I'd have thought using propelling pencils was likely to cost several octopods of arms and legs.

I remember working in an "art studio" in the 80s. Two floors of chaps with Cow Gum and Swan & Mortons, plus proper Magic Markers. I believe the entire lot were replaced by a chap with a Mac. When we had to airbrush out someone's cellulite, I had to take a 6x7 neg up to a chap with a couple of DeVilbisses, and fine brushes on Drury Lane.

 

[Bodgers]

Japanese Uni Kuru Toga's. The lead rotates as you use it so you don't end up with blunt points. Lead seems ok to me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_OXoxy ... e=youtu.be

They are about £5-10

 

[MikeJhn]

Whatever happened to the pads of sandpaper we used to use in the drawing office to put a chisel point on our mifa pencils?

Mike

Well some lived on, I've still got one in use.

How come there was always one draftsman that could sharpen his pencils into a ridiculously long chisel point, produce beautiful clear lines of different emphasis, almost copper plate quality script and never ever having trouble with breaking leads.

Me I stuck with .5, .7 and 1mm clutch pencils, found some of the spares, wonder which individual has borrowed the missing clutch pencils?

Nice to see, trouble I have is that .5, .7 and 1mm clutch pencils did not exist when I was designing, so it was always the blue Swan Morton and sandpaper, but then our drawings where in ink the 6H was only to draw the outline, then it was out with the Graphos or Rapidograph to ink in.

Mike

 

[CHJ]

We had assistants inking in on record copy masters but they disappeared when starch glazed linen stock went out in favour of plastic film. I only ever worked on plastic film probably a good job I don't think Indian ink and me would have got on for anything other than stencil work.

 

[MikeJhn]

I used to love the starched linen, I was designing and detailing civil and structural works, could not trust anyone to intemperate the design and make changes that where not authorised (it happened) I still get all my left over gear out and draw a few things every now and again, but I have lost the finesse of times gone by.



Mike

 

[TFrench]

I just buy bulk cheap pencils and have them scattered round the workshop. Theres normally one where you need it then. Had a sharpening session today because I had a big stack of blunt/snapped ones. Stick them in the drill and sharpen them. Done in seconds!

 

[Doingupthehouse]

Japanese Uni Kuru Toga's. The lead rotates as you use it so you don't end up with blunt points. Lead seems ok to me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_OXoxy ... e=youtu.be

They are about £5-10

These sound interesting as well! Might have to get a Pentel and one of these see which I prefer.

Simon

 

[Doingupthehouse]

I just buy bulk cheap pencils and have them scattered round the workshop. Theres normally one where you need it then. Had a sharpening session today because I had a big stack of blunt/snapped ones. Stick them in the drill and sharpen them. Done in seconds!

For conventional pencils, this is also my tactic - pencils everywhere, always a sharp one to hand. I use a Helix rotary desktop sharpener clamped to a shelf, couple of turns of the handle and its sharp. Was always losing traditional sharpeners, or found they didn't work. It might just be my most used tool!

Simon

 

[MarkDennehy]

For drawing in notebooks and such, the Kura Toga's damn hard to beat (I so wish I'd had it during the technical drawing courses in college, it's better than the stadler and faber-castell ones).

But for the shed? Bic disposable pencils all the way, I keep a few of them in a bucket on the wall.

But I also keep a koh-i-noor 5.6mm clutch pencil with lead and one with chalk, for rough-marking on wood (and a few normal wooden pencils as well)

 

[MikeJhn]

Just make a few trips to Screwfix and come out with a few, Argos and Toolstation have them as well, small convenient and disposable, unfortunately small enough to fall through the rift in the space time continuum in my workshop, the one where all my tape's go.

Mike

 

[ColeyS1]

For drawing in notebooks and such, the Kura Toga's damn hard to beat (I so wish I'd had it during the technical drawing courses in college, it's better than the stadler and faber-castell ones).

But for the shed? Bic disposable pencils all the way, I keep a few of them in a bucket on the wall.

But I also keep a koh-i-noor 5.6mm clutch pencil with lead and one with chalk, for rough-marking on wood (and a few normal wooden pencils as well)

That's a nice tidy setup you've got there

Coley

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