h a l f b a k e r y"It would work, if you can find alternatives to each of the steps involved in this process."
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Solutions for sharpening pencils are numerous. The
quality,
appearance and capabilities of these devices vary
dramatically but in the end they all attempt to do the
same thing and generally do this through the inclusion
of
a
small, steel blade attached to the body of the device
by
the
means of a small screw.
I recently invested heavily in pencil sharpener called
the
Kum As2M Two Hole Automatic Long Point Pencil.
Despite
sounding increasingly, with each word, like the title of
a
pornographic movie, this is a fine product and has
brought
similarly fine points to nearly all of the pencils I live
with
(the exceptions being those the children have thrown
repeatedly to the stone floor, whose leaden corridor
has
been reduced to a series of small carriages).
Whilst I am currently enjoying its sharpening finesse, I
am a
worrier by nature and so have already foreseen the
point
in
the future where its abilities recede, my nibs become
dull, the wood becomes torn rather than neatly milled
and I
am left caressing what once was. No doubt I will then
toss
this conglomerate of plastic and steel into the dustbin
without so much of a second thought to its years of
loyal
service, without so much as wiping the graphite from
its
tender plastic orifices.
But why should my Kum be thrown so casually to the
trash?
Could not it be sharpened and honed like a chef would
sharpen and hone his knives? Could not this be done
in
situ,
with some kind of pencil shaped sharpening device?
Surely all one would need is a block of stone, like a
whetstone, only in the form of a pencil, so that it can
be
inserted into the sharpener and turned earnestly to
restore
any pencil sharpener to its youth? Then I could sleep
peacefully knowing the perpetual future my Kum
As2M
could look forward to. This is the kind of future I think
we
all deserve to experience.
Kum As2M
https://www.amazon..../product/B0084F7I1C Kum As2M Two Hole Automatic Long Point [oniony, Jul 05 2017]
[link]
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This is a worthy and laudable idea, but sadly impractical. |
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That is because of the shape of the blade, how it's installed, and how it operates. |
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The cutting edge is wedge-shaped. The flat base of the wedge is next to the pencil. An abrasive stone would grind this flat underside, spoiling the profile of the edge - what's needed is to abrade the upper, angled face to re-sharpen it at the correct profile. |
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This means removing the blade ... |
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This post is full of chortle inducing goodness + |
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//whose leaden corridor has been reduced to a series of
small carriages// |
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I will now look at the pencils on my desk in a new way. |
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Yes, it's refreshing to encounter a writer with such impressive
fluency in the English language, producing prose marvellosly
replete with such
unique similies. |
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Have you ever considered seeking to aquire such skill yourself ? |
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//whose leaden corridor has been reduced to a series
of small carriages// - best mixed metaphor I've read
today |
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//Have you ever considered seeking to aquire[sic] such skill
yourself ?// |
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Yes - could you give me some pointers? |
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Yes. Firstly, make sure that your computing device has a correct English dictionary in its spell-checker ... |
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[8th] If the sharpener radius was bigger than the pencil's (such that the blade pivots or bends to accomodate it) then bottom sharpening would work. |
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// bottom sharpening would work // |
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What you do in the privacy of your own home is your own business. Just don't bring it in here. |
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Also, no, it wouldn't. You'll initially create a hollow-ground blade, but very quickly it will become irretrievably misshapen. |
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A fine idea. But unlikely to function as intended. |
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If I were pressed to produce a pencil sharpener sharpener, I would construct a pencil-blank out of strong plastic, with a slot down the pointed end where the blade would be expected to meet it. A hollow chamber down the centre would connect the slot to a vacuum source. Then, pouring in a fine abrasive powder into the shavings bin, whilst the vacuuming pencil blank is inserted and positioned at the correct angle, would lead to a stream of abrasive flowing over the top edge of the blade and hopefully onwards to a suitable level of sharpness. |
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//a stream of abrasive flowing [...] hopefully onwards to a suitable
level of sharpness// sounds wonderfully like a sample of
totalitarian optimism from the 1920s; maybe Mayakovsky on an
off day. |
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That was a fun read. You're quite the word-slinger. [+] |
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But what will you do when the sharpening surface of
the Pencil Sharpener Sharpener gets worn out? |
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I see what you're saying, but... |
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You're assuming a flat-bottom wedge which meets the pencil at a 0deg tangent. The former is possible, the latter doubtful. |
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A flat-top wedge, on the other hand, which bottom meets the pencil at say 15deg, can maintain its shape by using an oversized sharpening rod which bends it up by 15deg during the sharpening process. |
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[edit: //hollow ground// might technically be accurate but, given the disparity between curved stone and blade thickness, it would for all intents and purposes be a wedge] |
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[oniony], I note that the blades on that pencil sharpener are replaceable, and it is supplied with two spares. |
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