I love mechanical pencils, but my love is unrequited. I am a clumsy and careless sort of person, constantly dropping, misplacing, sitting on and stepping on my pencils.

This is not endearing to the mechanical pencil, which is by nature a tidy and delicate creature. They are almost neurotically precise. They detest lint, grease, and detritus.

To a mechanical pencil, any piece of lead less than a centimeter is detritus.

Since I am not given to long, tragic romances, I have not promised to change my ways. I am heartless, and I will simply move on.

I am looking for a pencil which is solid, but forgiving… a pencil which will support my lead, and not go to pieces when it falls. Is that too much to ask?
-- tiromancer, Dec 23 2004

Picture http://tiromancer.e...ign.com/pencil.html
You did just skip down to here, right? [tiromancer, Dec 23 2004]

Papermate "Ingenuity" Liquid Pencil http://www.papermat.../OF2063/index.jhtml
Excessive flash promo of what is, basically, a lousy pen [tiromancer, Dec 24 2004]

Parker "Liquid Lead" Pencil http://www.penhero....iquidLeadPencil.htm
Review on a site which I think is about collecting pens [tiromancer, Dec 24 2004]

Possibly Staples Brand "Stylus Liquid Lead Pencil http://www.officesu...om/product/s/498324
These are the ones I had. They were abysmal. I don't know how long this link will last; the staples catalog number is 498324. They are clear yellow with a pink eraser on the cap, which is black. Avoid. [tiromancer, Dec 24 2004]

nice drawing, but I'm not sure you are offering enough support for the lead. I think it would move around too much for normal operation.
-- ato_de, Dec 23 2004


It never occured to me that a pencil could be romanced and be written about almost poetically, even though I myself have a love/hate relationship with pencils. Interesting drawing, sheds a bit more light on the gist of your idea. You might just have something there.
-- Machiavelli, Dec 23 2004


Yeah, the part where it says foam? Read that as "some rigid material, such as aluminum or plastic"

This occured to me on the toilet.
-- tiromancer, Dec 23 2004


Alliteration in the title and the toilet.
-- mensmaximus, Dec 23 2004


How inspiring.
-- Machiavelli, Dec 23 2004


[+] - - You obviously put a significant amount of effort in this!
-- contracts, Dec 23 2004


I just had a thought: would it be possible to make a ballpoint pencil which operated using powdered graphite instead of ink, or would it be too smeary?
-- supercat, Dec 24 2004


I believe graphite can be used a lubricant, but I'm not sure. I know it can be used as a coolant, even though it's flammable. It worked particularly well as a coolant in a certain Russian nuclear reactor.
-- Detly, Dec 24 2004


They actually make those; ballpoint pens with a suspension of graphite in... well I don't know what it's in, but it's something miserable. It's runny, it's smears badly, the color isn't even, and it doesn't erase properly.

That's not a scientific assesment; I bought a pack of 8 once at officemax. Don't recall the brand. Regardless though, the texture is totally different from a pencil.
-- tiromancer, Dec 24 2004


I saw them at the bulk food store tonight. It's pens on three foot long miniature coiled plastic cables. They don't fall, get lost or stepped on; attach one to a shirt pocket or writing station. Either that or break down and hire somebody to write things down.
-- mensmaximus, Dec 24 2004



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