How To Put 0.7 Lead Into A Mech Pencil

Introduction

Nosotros love mechanical pencils. You'd probably guess that from the huge number of them nosotros stock. There's an astonishing variety of mechanical pencils available, in all sorts of styles, with all sorts of features, for many different purposes. So we thought some sort of guide might be useful. We're aiming for this guide to serve several purposes:

If you need some tips on using your pencil (pun intended), we can help. It'due south non always obvious how to add spare leads, for instance, or clear a jam when things get stuck.
If y'all desire to purchase a mechanical pencil, just you're not sure what type would exist best, we have a few ideas. The best pencil for yous could depend on a lot of things, just nosotros'll help you narrow things down.
We also promise it will be an interesting read, if you discover mechanical pencils interesting. We do!

What Is a Mechanical Pencil?

Definitions vary, but for the purpose of this commodity, we'll consider a mechanical pencil to exist any pencil with a lead-accelerate machinery that pushes the pb forward in some way. Nosotros'll mention clutch pencils briefly likewise, where the pb is released when you lot hold down a button, but we consider those to exist a split type. Woodcased pencils are obviously non counted here, but that doesn't mean nosotros don't love them also.

Other Names for Mechanical Pencils

Mechanical pencils may exist called different things in dissimilar places, by different people. Hither in the U.k., 'automatic pencil' and 'propelling pencil' are quite common terms, and people may also refer to 'clicky pencils'. Ones designed for technical drawing may exist referred to equally 'drafting pencils' (or even 'draughting' in British English), or 'technical pencils', though these terms have too been used for traditional clutch pencils.

Although not used here, Wikipedia tells us 'pen pencil' and 'lead pencil' are used in India, and 'pacer' is used equally a generic term by some people, though information technology'due south actually the name of an old Paper Mate pencil. We'll stick to 'mechanical pencil' here.

History of Mechanical Pencils

The beginning pencils were more than like modern clutch pencils than what we now think of as 'normal' wooden pencils. Graphite was first used in lumps, with perhaps a bit of fabric wrapped around to concur it. When things started to progress towards the pencil, the first attempts involved wooden holders to grip sticks of graphite, so they could be used more easily and cleanly. The first description of a leadholder was past Conrad Gessner, back in 1565.

If you want to be actually traditional, Cleo Scribent make a replica, called Der Gessner. Information technology'southward rather fiddly to adapt, because in that location's no leap machinery, just the basic elements of a clutch pencil are all there.

For many years, push-fit lead around i.18mm in width was most mutual, with a twist mechanism that wound the atomic number 82 down like a spiral as information technology was used, and pencils were often busy with ornate designs in sterling silver.

The demand to write intricate characters meant Japan had a greater incentive to make thinner leads, which atomic number 82 to the birth of the modern mechanical pencil in that location.

Tokuji Hayakawa made the 'Ever-Fix Sharp Pencil', which was a huge success, and his company took the name of the pencil, and became 'Sharp' - the electronics visitor we know today.

Thinner lead wasn't possible with the traditional mix of graphite and clay, every bit it was too brittle. Modernistic thin leads are based on loftier-polymer organic materials that can take much more force without breaking, and they're getting better all the fourth dimension.

Why Employ a Mechanical Pencil?

At that place are some good reasons why you might prefer a mechanical pencil over a woodcased pencil.

No Sharpening. If the lead is thin enough, you don't need to keep sharpening it - just keep writing or drawing. Not simply does it salvage time and effort, merely sharpening can be messy.
Consequent Line Width. When a woodcased pencil is freshly sharpened, information technology writes a very thin line. As before long as you've written a fleck, the line gets thicker and thicker. With a mechanical pencil, the line says the same, so it's a more predictable tool.
Consistent Balance. As a wooden pencil gets shorter, the balance changes. Mechanical pencils don't modify as you lot employ the atomic number 82. Information technology's not hugely important to everyone, but some artists find this makes a large departure for them.
Refillable. You don't throw away stubs, you just keep putting more leads in. There are no trees to be cut down. Information technology can be argued that mechanical pencils are the more environmentally friendly selection, if you use 1 for a long time. Given that the leads commonly come packaged in plastic boxes, though, it's not a simple calculation to know which is better, but at that place's a lot to be said for a single tool you tin can use for years.
Pick of Styles and Materials. Mechanical pencils can vary hugely in how they look - some look like technical tools, some await like luxury goods, and some look similar simple plastic-bodied pencils. Some fifty-fifty look like wooden pencils!

Non that nosotros have anything confronting other types of pencils - we have lots of clutch pencils, and a huge range of woodcased pencils here at Cult Pens, and they're all ideal tools for someone. A wooden pencil tin make a wider range of marks, and has a certain simplicity that mechanical pencils can't friction match. Information technology'south perfectly possible to honey them all!

Using a Mechanical Pencil

For the most office, mechanical pencils are quite simple to use - with most of them, you but click the button on the end to feed out more lead whenever y'all demand to. Retract the lead by belongings the button in and gently pushing the atomic number 82 in. When one stick of lead is used up, keep clicking until the side by side appears. When y'all're all out, just add more leads of the right size, usually through a hole under the push button, oft hidden under the eraser.

At that place are some variations and oddities, though…

Twist-click Mechanisms

This mechanism is most mutual in pencils that are designed to go with a matching ballpoint pen. You twist the top part of the barrel, and the lead clicks frontward. Release, and the top part springs back, just the lead stays put. Twist and hold, and you lot tin push the lead back in. It'southward just like the clicky mechanisms, but twisting takes the identify of pushing. These usually pull open in the heart to add together more than leads.

Inside, this type of pencil often uses an adapter, like in shape to the refill for the matching ballpoint, which contains the whole pencil mechanism and lead tube. Essentially, the pencil is a ballpoint pen with an adapter fitted to plow information technology into a pencil. There'southward normally a cap at the summit of the adapter which yous remove to add more leads.

All our twist-activeness pencils

(Some of the pencils at that link will be of the other twist type, simply we'll mention those specifically in the next department.)

Continuous Twist Mechanisms

These aren't so common these days, but there are a few around, like Faber-Castell'southward e-motion. The inside is a kind of screw-machinery, where yous wind the atomic number 82 downward as it'southward used. When yous finish a lead, yous remove the piddling stub, and push a new atomic number 82 into the mechanism, and wind information technology back up to the top. Sometimes these simply hold ane lead, but they oft have somewhere to store spares. The due east-motion, for example, has infinite for six extra leads hidden behind the olfactory organ-cone.

All our continuous-twist pencils

Shaker Mechanisms

Another solution to the trouble of stopping to click out more lead is the shake mechanism - give the pencil a firm shake up and downwards, and a weight hidden inside does the job of hitting the button for yous. These commonly take a button in the usual place too, only a quick moving picture of the wrist takes less time away from scribbling down your notes.

All our shaker pencils

Auto-feed Pencils

Some pencils don't make you stop at all to extend more lead, at least until you accomplish the cease of a stick of atomic number 82 and have to click the next one through. The way these work can be a little unexpected, as you need to write with almost no lead visible at all.

There is a (usually) plastic cone around the pb. Normally, you'd accept to make sure you clicked out more lead before it wore downwards enough to reach the supporting tube or cone, simply not with an auto-feed pencil. Just proceed writing or drawing. When the lead wears downwardly enough that the cone touches the newspaper, the cone is pushed back up a petty way. A spring inside pushes it back, feeding some lead back downward with it. The result is that the lead will vesture down until it reaches this cone, merely then won't go further.

It sounds as though it would be uncomfortable and scratchy to write with, but the cone is smooth and rounded and so information technology doesn't catch the paper. You may still find information technology more comfortable to click lead out the usual way when y'all have time, but if inspiration strikes, just go on scribbling!

All our automobile-feed pencils

Sliding Lead Sleeves

Information technology's a bit subtle, just we're going to make a distinction here between pencils where the sleeve that surrounds the lead can slide upward if pushed; and pencils where the sleeve is designed to slide up easily while writing. A few pencils now have sleeves with edges that are smoothly rounded, and so they won't grab on the newspaper, and fabricated to slide up actually easily. The event is that yous can keep writing in the same way you lot tin with an motorcar feed pencil. The difference is that these pencils won't really feed out whatever more lead, and then yous'll have to stop and click somewhen. By that indicate, though, there'due south leap to accept been enough of a suspension in proceedings for you to give the button a click.

Examples: Kuru Toga Slide Pipe, Pentel Orenz

Kuru Toga

Probably the biggest innovation in mechanical pencil applied science in the final few years, the Kuru Toga is, quite literally, revolutionary! As y'all write or draw with it, the up and downwards movement is used to rotate the lead.

Considering a pencil is ordinarily held at an angle to the page, the lead wears down at an angle, and forms a chisel-shaped tip with a sharp point. This shape makes for a thicker line, and the precipitous signal tin can take hold of on the newspaper. Some people naturally work around this by turning the pencil every bit they become, wearing the lead down more evenly. The Kuru Toga does this for yous. The consequence is a effectively line, and less lead breakage.

While information technology probably works best with Japanese characters (yeah, no surprise, it was invented in Nippon!) where the pencil is lifted from the paper several times for each character, it however works well with English writing, and even helps a bit with cursive script.

The Uni Kuru Toga range

Twist-extend Erasers

With most mechanical pencils, the eraser is there for emergency use only. If you lot needed to erase much, you'd probably want a separate eraser. A few pencils, though, have larger erasers, with twisting mechanisms to extend them, and so they can last a long time. If you erase often, it's a great characteristic.

Examples: Pentel Twist-Erase, Faber-Castell Grip 2022, Staedtler Triplus Micro.

Lead Jams

If you employ mechanical pencils, at some point you lot're likely to have a lead jam. It happens. A tiny bit of lead gets stuck somewhere in the mechanism, and stops it from working. Pb might not click forward, or information technology might click forward but slide back in when you try to use the pencil.

Nigh mechanical pencils tin can be dismantled to some extent to articulate a jam. Usually, the function near the tip unscrews, which lets yous see the mechanism. If you so button the button down against your desk, the clutch mechanism pushes upwards. There's a brass ring around the clutch jaws, property them shut - push it down, and it will release the jaws. Once they've sprung open a chip of sideways borer should dislodge any tiny bits of lead.

If the mechanism can't be opened up, blockages tin usually be cleared by holding the pencil tip-up, with the push held downwardly against your desk, and feeding a cleaning pivot in through the tip to button any piddling bits of atomic number 82 out from where they're stuck. Some pencils include a cleaning pin, attached to the eraser, but many don't. If you lot don't have one to hand, another piece of sparse wire or a pin may fit, simply don't forcefulness annihilation too wide into the tip. At a push, a spare slice of pb tin can practice the job, but it takes a steady paw to feed it in without snapping it!

Multifunction Pens with Pencils

A lot of multipens have pencils as one of their functions. These are most normally either twist-activeness or gravity select models, and the pencil mechanism and lead sleeping accommodation are all fitted into the infinite of one of the tiny ballpoint refills. They normally operate similar most pencils do, past merely clicking a push button on the meridian to extend more pb. Adding more pb is a bit more fiddly, and generally involves pulling the little pencil mechanism off its mounting, but like you lot would to change the ballpoint refills. At that place's space for a few leads in the tube it fits onto, but don't put too many in there - two or iii spares is all there'south space for.

These aren't the best pencils for heavy users, but if you only need a pencil occasionally, they tin can be ideal - a couple of different ballpoint colours in one pen is quite useful, and a pencil thrown in so information technology's always handy!

Our range of multipens - nigh include a pencil.

Buying Guide

Buying a mechanical pencil is piece of cake. It can be a chip more difficult to purchase but the correct mechanical pencil for yous. And peradventure fifty-fifty more hard to buy the right i for someone else. The good news, though, is that they're nearly all quite reliable and tough, and near are quite comfortable to utilize, and so it'south unlikely you'll go too far wrong.

If you lot're the sort of person who likes to put a flake of idea into this sort of decision, though (and a lot of our customers are), we're hither to help.

Purpose

It'due south not a bad idea to commencement with thinking about what you're probable to use the pencil for. If it's mostly going to be for writing, you're probably going to look for different features to someone who will apply their pencil for sketching.

Writing

If yous're going to exist writing with your pencil, you'll want lead thick enough that information technology won't pause too easily. With modern leads, 0.5mm is quite stiff enough for most people, but more heavy-handed people exercise sometimes observe they snap such thin leads, and 0.7mm or even 0.9mm leads are better for them. Some have cushioned lead, where an internal jump cushions the atomic number 82 against rough treatment.

If your writing includes the sort of notes where you sometimes just can't finish scribbling, like taking down lecture notes or meeting minutes, yous might want to consider pencils that make information technology easier to feed more lead in a rush, with shaker mechanisms or side buttons. Auto-feed pencils can work well, also, keeping the pb usable at as yous continue going.

Some good pencils for writing: shaker pencils, auto-feed pencils, Uni Kuru-Toga, Faber-Castell Grip Plus, Pentel Energize.

Drawing

Cartoon or sketching can have quite different requirements to writing, and can crave a bit of experimenting to see what suits you, and what feels right for your style.

Lead thickness is very important for drawing. Rough sketching can benefit from thick leads, for bold lines, usually using softer grades of atomic number 82. For this manner, you may well want to consider clutch pencils too, every bit in that location are more than of them available with thicker lead. 0.5mm is the classic size for more technical styles, but the humble 0.5mm mechanical pencil is a very versatile tool, and is used past many artists for all sorts of styles. For detailed drawing, you might want to consider 0.3mm leads.

If the pencil is going to alive in a pencil pot on your desk-bound, it won't thing much to you if it isn't pocket safe. If you lot're going to be sketching out and about, though, it can be very of import. Conical tips aren't unremarkably too risky anyway, but tubular tips can be a bit as well abrupt to want them in your pocket if they don't retract. For quick and easy retracting, a 'double-knock' mechanism helps - the mechanism is retracted with either a side button or a firmer push of the end button. Others may demand you to button the tip in against something while holding the button down.

If the eraser is important to you, you'll need to brand sure it'due south a good size, probably of the extendable type. These commonly twist up and down to expose more than eraser every bit needed, usually with the added bonus that you can twist it back downwardly out of the style when pocketing the pencil. For drawing, though, y'all may already have a preferred eraser that you'll conduct separately, in which instance, whatsoever eraser would be for emergency use but.

Mechanical Pencils: 0.3mm, 0.5mm, 0.7mm, 0.9mm, 2mm.
Clutch Pencils: 2mm, five.6mm
Pencils shaped like wooden pencils: OHTO Sharp Pencil, Fixpencil 22 (clutch), Caran d'Ache 844, Cleo Skribent SilverSign.
Chunky sketching pencils: Lamy Scribble, Kaweco Sketch Upward, e+m Sketch Pencil.

Features

Mechanical pencils can have a surprising variety of features. If you recall the number of possible features to consider is a flake much when you're trying to choose which pencil to buy, merely imagine how it is for someone who has to write an article all about them!

Hither are some of the features you may want to consider when buying a mechanical pencil.

Mechanisms

The classic mechanism for feeding lead is a push button on the opposite end to the tip that pushes lead forrard ane 'click' at a time. In that location's quite a complicated fix of parts inside to make it all piece of work, simply it's all so tried and tested that they work very reliably, and you tin usually go years of use out of even the most basic mechanical pencil.

So why might you consider other mechanisms? Well, side-mounted buttons, shaker mechanisms and machine-feed mechanisms can all feed lead a flake quicker. For most people'south use, it's not that critical, but if y'all have to proceed up with lecture notes or take minutes in meetings, the fourth dimension taken to click out more pb might be enough to put y'all backside.

They're all based on a machinery very similar to the push-push clutch, so they're all usually very reliable.

Shaker pencils have a weight inside that volition knock the lead forward by one 'click' when you requite the pencil a quick up-down shake. Information technology's quicker to do than pressing a button, and then these can be quite popular for students. They ordinarily take a push button too, and then you can ignore the shaker office when you lot don't need information technology.
Auto-feed mechanisms tin piece of work really well. Just keep writing, fifty-fifty afterwards the visible lead has all been used. You lot won't see more lead feeding, but it won't ever disappear back into the atomic number 82 cone/tube. What actually happens is that the cone or tube that surrounds the lead is smooth and then information technology doesn't take hold of on the paper, and when the lead wears downwardly far enough that it touches the paper, it slides dorsum in a footling. A bound pushes it back out again, and pushes the pb forrard at the same time.

Erasers

Most mechanical pencils take an eraser. They're very important to some people, and completely irrelevant to others. If you rarely erase, you probably don't care much about the eraser. Oddly, though, people who erase a lot may not care much either, because they accept their favourite eraser, and they're happy to carry it separately. Those in the mid-basis, who do care about the eraser, need to consider the size and replaceability of the built-in eraser. They tin can almost e'er be replaced, merely make sure you lot can actually go the replacements. At that place are very few cases where spare erasers exist and we don't stock them, and nosotros do accept spares for almost of the pencils we stock, merely it's best to check if information technology's important to y'all.

In most pencils, the erasers won't last long, because they're and so small. If you lot look to use the eraser enough that this is a trouble, look for pencils with large extendable erasers. Several different brands have pencils with long erasers that can be extended by twisting.

Mechanical pencils with big erasers

Price

You lot probably have some idea how much you desire to spend, or at to the lowest degree how much you're willing to spend! At that place are plenty of perfectly skillful mechanical pencils around for less than £five, simply yous might demand to spend more to get what you want.

Tougher build. While even the cheapest plastic-barrelled pencils should concluding well, something with a metal body is likely to be tougher.
Features. You lot may have to pay a trivial chip more if y'all want a big extending eraser, say, or a quicker way of advancing the lead.
Looks. A inexpensive plastic pencil will exist perfectly functional, but might not look the part in a meeting. If yous're wearing a squeamish suit, it would be a shame to have the cheapest pencil poking out of your pocket. Your tastes might be more towards the technical or machined-metallic look, but again, you'll need to invest a trivial more for the right look.
Experience. In some ways, this tin can be the nigh important thing. If your pencil feels right in your hand, it can make a big difference to how much you employ it. The most critical role is the grip - yous might love knurled metal for the grip, or find it too crude; rubber is best for some people, while others like a smooth surface to bear upon. The balance of the pencil is probably less important to the experience of it, simply information technology can withal brand a divergence. More expensive pencils volition usually feel more solid than the cheaper ones.
All our mechanical pencils, cheapest start

Lead Thickness

If you know what thickness of pb yous desire to use, this is a nifty style to narrow downward the choices. Many pencils are merely bachelor in 1 size, so if you know you desire 0.9mm lead, it'south no adept looking at pencils only available in 0.5mm. Many of the more than technical style of pencil are bachelor in several different widths, well-nigh often 0.5mm, 0.7mm and 0.9mm, while some add together 0.3mm or 2mm to the range.

The thickness you want depends very much on your usage, and depends a lot on personal gustatory modality, besides. If your writing is small, or your drawings detailed, you'll need thinner lead. If you're heavy-handed, you'll need thicker lead. 2mm leads are similar in width to the cadre in a standard wooden pencil, so for about purposes, you'd need to sharpen them to get a sharp enough point.

You can filter our mechanical pencils page by size using the links near the top

Other Types of Pencils

While this commodity is all most mechanical pencils, there are other types of pencils to consider - a mechanical pencil isn't the right answer to all problems for all people!

Woodcase Pencils

We're all perfectly familiar with wooden pencils - a stick of woods with a 'lead' core, sometimes with an eraser on the stop. They don't have the anticipated line width of a mechanical pencil, and they get awkward to use when you've worn them down with sharpening. There's a simplicity about them, though, that'south impossible to beat. That simplicity means you ever know it's going to write, and you can pass one to anyone without having to explicate annihilation.

Our selection of wooden pencils

Clutch Pencils (Leadholders)

Clutch pencils are closely related to mechanical pencils. They use a very similar clutch mechanism to grip the lead, but they lack the extra complication required to push the lead frontwards with a click or twist. And then usually have a button on the stop, and when y'all press the push button, the lead is released. Yous manually movement the lead to where you need it, and then permit get of the push.

They are just commonly available for 2mm atomic number 82 and thicker, and there are plenty of clutch pencils available in sizes upwards to 5.6mm.

To many people, they combine the best features of mechanical pencils with the best features of woodcase pencils. They don't vary in length as you lot use them, and while they can be sharpened to become a good point on them, sharpening isn't vital if you really demand to continue scribbling. They keep much of the simplicity of a wooden pencil, though, with big, simple clutch jaws gripping the pb, and but a spring to brand them close and grip.

The thick lead makes them less practical for many, though, as yous exercise demand to keep sharpening if you need a reasonably thin line.

Our choice of clutch pencils - nosotros take lots!

Other Resources

If you've read all that and you still desire to know more about mechanical pencils, y'all might have a flake of an obsession developing! We do know a few peachy places to send you, though, if you want more:

Leadholder.com - the drafting pencil museum - a neat resource.
Dave'south Mechanical Pencils - while Dave has now stopped updating this blog, it's even so a treasure-trove of well-written reveiws and articles.
Our own selection of mechanical pencils - don't just read about them, buy 1!