Tom King Posted May 18, 2016 Report Share Posted May 18, 2016 ...but not today. http://www.ebay.com/itm/231934552185?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted May 18, 2016 Report Share Posted May 18, 2016 So those are the " old growth Honduras mahogany " of the pencil world ? I tried so many different brands of wood pencils after the quality went out of that industry. Ended up with a mechanical pencil that is no joy either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted May 18, 2016 Report Share Posted May 18, 2016 What's so special? Any old pencil will mark light woods...it's the quest for the almighty white pencil that eludes me. I've settled on General's but I'd still like to find something better. Any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted May 18, 2016 Report Share Posted May 18, 2016 3 minutes ago, Eric. said: What's so special? Any old pencil will mark light woods...it's the quest for the almighty white pencil that eludes me. I've settled on General's but I'd still like to find something better. Any suggestions? Quit using walnut so the market price will go down! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted May 18, 2016 Report Share Posted May 18, 2016 Tom, do those have a graphite formulation that marks well without breaking every time you look at it? Most pencils these days seem to have more clay than graphite in the lead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted May 18, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2016 They stopped making them in the '80s. Yes, the lead is not only more durable than any other pencil, but the formulation has some type of wax mixed in with it so it writes very smoothly. The 3's and 4's will leave a line as fine as a marking knife, while at the same time lasting longer than other pencils. They will leave a finer line right up against something than a mechanical pencil where the lead is encased in a tube. Berol Black Warriors had the same lead as the Mirado's, but were just round and black, versus hexagonal and yellow, but equally as good quality. Pencils made since these are pure crap in comparison. Papermate bought out Berol sometime back then, and the quality gradually went away. The prices have gone up ridiculously on ebay, but this was an especially good deal, and I'm very glad to get the 42 number 3's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted May 18, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2016 I don't claim to be a pencil expert, as opposed to a number of others on the internet, but when I find something that works well, I stick with it. I used to be able to walk in a Mom&Pop office supply store and buy a box off the shelf, but the big box office supply stores put them out of business sometime after Berol was bought out. I was glad when ebay came along, and I could find NOS ones. Not only do these last long, but it takes a lot less pressure to leave a marking line on wood than others. I use them for marking Walnut too. You just need good, cross lighting to see it well. Here's one of the real pencil experts: https://pencilsandotherthings.wordpress.com/tag/174/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted May 18, 2016 Report Share Posted May 18, 2016 Those must be some of those artisanal pencils. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted May 19, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2016 Not today either: http://www.ebay.com/itm/291753357648 The no. 4's are actually my favorites (I'm blessed with really good eyesight), but they are really hard to find for anything less than a buck a piece. No. 3's do okay, but need to be sharpened more often, although still maybe a factor of 10 less than newer pencils. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted May 19, 2016 Report Share Posted May 19, 2016 I really want to try one of these pencils out. The oldest pencils i ever used were from the mid 90s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted May 19, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2016 It might take a little bit to get used to them. You don't have to press anything like as hard to leave the same mark as you do with newer pencils that also break easier. I ordered some light gray colored Berols today. I'll let you know how they work on Walnut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted May 20, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2016 I decided that I need this hanging in the shop: http://www.ebay.com/itm/361554887443 and this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1946-ad-Eagle-Mirado-Writing-Pencils-original-print-ad/291753877099?_trksid=p2047675.c100011.m1850&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D36143%26meid%3D52c6e361d1914693985715f2d33e948a%26pid%3D100011%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26sd%3D361554887443 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted May 27, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 27, 2016 The no. 4's last bought came today. They were either from the 1940's or 50s. I hope you can see the lines in the picture. I sharpened one, and drew lines all over a rough cut Cypress board in two directions. After that, the last line I made is the one going a different direction than the others right off the end of the pencil point. The last line is maybe 2 thou wide. All those lines were made with that one sharpening, and you can see what's left of the pencil point. They really don't make them like they used to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted May 27, 2016 Report Share Posted May 27, 2016 I have severe pencil envy. Mine isn't near that long, or sharp 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davewyo Posted May 27, 2016 Report Share Posted May 27, 2016 On 5/18/2016 at 8:37 PM, Eric. said: What's so special? Any old pencil will mark light woods...it's the quest for the almighty white pencil that eludes me. I've settled on General's but I'd still like to find something better. Any suggestions? Eric, have you tried the Fons and Porter mechanical pencil that someone mentioned a while back? I tried it out and I like it much more than the Generals. They don't have that charcoal feel like the General. The lead is thick for woodworking, but you can shave it down on sandpaper when you're making a precise mark. It works very well for coloring a marking knife cut. Another downside is that it's a fabric pencil intended for sewing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardA Posted May 27, 2016 Report Share Posted May 27, 2016 2 hours ago, Tom King said: The no. 4's last bought came today. They were either from the 1940's or 50s. I hope you can see the lines in the picture. I sharpened one, and drew lines all over a rough cut Cypress board in two directions. After that, the last line I made is the one going a different direction than the others right off the end of the pencil point. The last line is maybe 2 thou wide. All those lines were made with that one sharpening, and you can see what's left of the pencil point. They really don't make them like they used to. They don't make anything of consequence, like they used to! I cut my finger a day or so ago, and the damn band aid came apart...fresh box. Almost everything is use, toss, buy new........ suckers! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted May 28, 2016 Report Share Posted May 28, 2016 I have this left over from the 70's made by Burol. The top is a lead sharpener. Just can't find the leads anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted May 28, 2016 Report Share Posted May 28, 2016 Coop, does that take a 2mm lead? Looks a lot like some pencils my Dad uses for illustration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted May 28, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2016 Plenty of Berol leads on ebay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted May 28, 2016 Report Share Posted May 28, 2016 2 hours ago, wtnhighlander said: Coop, does that take a 2mm lead? Looks a lot like some pencils my Dad uses for illustration. I don't know. I may need to get the eye glass out for this. Yep, says 2.10. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted May 28, 2016 Report Share Posted May 28, 2016 I think he finds his leads at the local Hobby Lobby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted May 28, 2016 Report Share Posted May 28, 2016 Thanks Ross, never thought about them. Just tried the obvious like Office Depot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted May 28, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2016 The little sleeve around the lead in mechanical pencils always bothered me. I like the bare lead that can be sharpened in a regular hand crank pencil sharpener to a very fine point quickly and easily. I mark almost everything with a pencil. Even for hand cut dovetails, I like a sharp no. 4 best. It's easier for me to cut outside a thin pencil line than a marking knife line. The marking knife line is usually more bother to me since it makes it harder to leave the marked line than a pencil mark sitting on the surface. Leave the lines for things like dovetails, and you get a perfect fit. If the marking knife line draws the saw teeth that way, it's harder to get a tight fit. For things marked with a preacher, take the line and nothing more, and you get a perfect fit that way too. I don't remember the last thing I used a marking knife on. Some people think they're worth more than I do: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Antique-Eagle-Mikado-174-No-4-with-Long-Ferrule-NOS-single-pencil-/222121376845?hash=item33b7773c4d:g:VMQAAOSwLpdW-XoK This 1935 ad shows how they were made. They were called Mikado before it was changed to Mirado. More useless information, including about the name change from Mikado to Mirado: http://pencils.com/pencil-library-mirado-pencils/ Someone likes them even better than me: http://www.ebay.com/itm/162092038827?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT amazing what those sold for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted September 14, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2019 Not today either: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Berol-Mirado-Eagle-Writing-Pencils-174-4-Hard-1-Dozen-New-In-Box/163641951654?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649 I bought what they had. I'm sure I have more than I will ever need, but the no.4 side of the box was still a little lower than the no. 3 side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted September 14, 2019 Report Share Posted September 14, 2019 Reminds me, I need pencils. Although I use mechanicals for drawing I like the real ones in the shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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