Talk:Mechanical pencil

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)[reply]

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)[reply]

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)[reply]

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)[reply]

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. – SilverBulletx3_talk^{contributions} 18:37, 27 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

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)[reply]

"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)[reply]

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)[reply]

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)[reply]

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)[reply]

Antique image

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