To whomever is stealing my pencils..

[LancsRick]

... Please give them back. I've got tens of the bloody things and they're all vanished. Anyone else noticed this unreported problem over the years?

 

[johna.clements]

I'm sorry they are in my pencil case.

 

[niall Y]

Try looking amongst your wood shavings, or behind your ear. I find bright fluorescent ones are easier to keep hold of.

 

[johna.clements]

I was having a tidy up a few weeks ago and found some covered in glitter in the back of a cupboard. Even that did not stop them spending a decade lost.

 

[thetyreman]

has anyone else been looking for a pencil when it's been in your hand the whole time?

 

[Ozi]

has anyone else been looking for a pencil when it's been in your hand the whole time?

Never a pencil but went looking for the glasses I was wearing

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I once cleared one of my benches and found forty one pencils, seven Stanley knives and eleven tape measures.

 

[Ollie78]

Get a Pica or Tracer pencil.
The little holster thing sits in your pocket, you just get used to putting it back every time and it has a little sharpener built in.
I have had one for over a year now.
Previously I was loosing 3 or 4 a week !

Ollie

 

[redefined_cycles]

Same here. Only thing is, it's the kids pencils I'm losing. They're so nice in replenishing (after a few minor threats).

 

[screwpainting]

Stick a 3" rubber band on the end, it actually works.

 

[dannyr]

I'll return them if you give me back my socks, my specs, my biros, my keys and my glasses.

 

[Spectric]

Are you left with just the leads, might be mice taking the wood away for nesting, they leave the lead because of the health risk.

 

[johna.clements]

Are you left with just the leads, might be mice taking the wood away for nesting, they leave the lead because of the health risk.

Mice like the pencil sharpenings.

I have a hand held or finger held sharpener.
I have used a desk mounted sharpener in the past but you have to be careful not to produce too much for the mice.
You can also use a Stanley knife but it is difficult to get a sharp point and best used for carpenters pencils.
If you are away from a pencil sharpener you can sharpen on a paving slab but the results are mixed.

But maybe we should not discuss pencil sharpening.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I too have a hand held pencil sharpener. A chisel. I was 51 when my mother died and she'd still tell me to careful or I'd cut myself ............. despite the fact I'd been shown how to do it safely when I was 12.

 

[mikej460]

I once cleared one of my benches and found forty one pencils, seven Stanley knives and eleven tape measures.

That's almost a Christmas Carol...

 

[Terry - Somerset]

The solution is to only own ONE pencil.

We tend to take special care of those that we have only one of. In addition to certain parts of one's anatomy, the same applies to tape measures, Stanley knives, Phillips screwdrivers, chuck keys etc etc etc.

 

[Spectric]

You are lucky in that it is only your pencils disappearing, I bet there are a few of us who find all our tape measures have the same problem of disappearing.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Yes. My disappearing pencils are sometimes followed by my will to live.

 

[baldkev]

Ive been using mechanical pencils on and off for a few years, including tracers. My main gripe is the lead often breaks within the pencils if the pencils get dropped, which happens on building sites fairly regularly or at least it does to me!

In tesco, right before a new school term, they sell the staedler pencils on cheap, i always pick up a couple of packets and flood my boxes with spare pencils

 

[sawtooth-9]

I had this problem for years - until I woke up !
There are two types of pencils, ones with legs and ones without.
The legs are really tiny but they work really well. And they know how to hide.
Put a small screw eye and attach a piece of string to those that have legs !