There are all kinds of interesting but little-known facts (i.e., trivia) about pencils. Did you know that John Steinbeck was an obsessive pencil-user? He didn’t even use a typewriter; instead, he would use up to sixty pencils a day to writer his novels. It is said that he used over 300 pencils to write East of Eden.
Graphite pencils are the most common types of pencils. They’re made from a mixture of clay and graphite, and their darkness varies from light grey to black. Charcoal pencils, which are made from charcoal, provide a fuller black than graphite pencils, but they tend to smudge easily and are more abrasive. They tend to be used mostly by artists. Carbon pencils are also commonly used by artists. They’re made from a mixture of clay and lamp black, and are sometimes blended with charcoal or graphite. They produce a fuller black than graphite, but are smoother than charcoal.
Colored pencils are used by artists and children. They have wax-like cores with pigment and other fillers. Multiple colors are often blended together. There are erasable colored pencils, but they aren’t wax-based. Grease pencils, also called “china markers,” can write on almost any surface (i.e., glass, plastic, metal, and photos). They are most commonly encased in paper, but are also encased in wood. Watercolor pencils are used by artists creating watercolor paintings. These pencils are dunked in water, used to draw lines, and spread out with brushes.
Promotional Pencils are categorized according to their use. For example, carpenter’s pencils have a shape that prevents them from rolling, and their lead is strong. Copying pencils, invented in the late 1800s as a substitute for fountain pens, are graphite pencils with an added dye that creates an indelible mark. They were replaced by ball-point pens in the early 1900s. Non-producing, or non-photo blue, pencils make marks that aren’t reproduced by photocopiers. Stenographer’s pencils have break-proof lead. Golf pencils, also called library pencils, are short (usually about 9 centimeters) and very cheap.
One of the most popular non-wooden pencils is mechanical pencils. They use mechanical methods to push lead through a hole at the end. The erasers are removable (and replaceable) and cover the space that holds extra lead. They’re popular for their longevity and because they never need to be sharpened.
Personalized Pencils come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. They can be triangular, hexagonal, round, and even bendable. The most common type of pencil is a hexagonal, #2 pencil. It’s ¼-inch (6 mm), with a slightly larger outer diameter (about 9/32-inch, or 7 mm). The biggest pencil in the world was made in 2007 by Ashirita Furman, the holder of the most Guinness world records in the world. His pencil was 76 feet (23 meters) long and weighed 18,000 pounds (8,200 kg).
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