Paul in PA, post: 372211, member: 236 wrote: I forgot.
I broke so many 0.5mm leads I finally switched to 0.7mm for all field work. The surveyor I work with calls it a crayon.
The only 0.5mm I have around now are the freebie give aways.
My leatherman could put a small crimp in at the top corner to bite into the eraser.
Scott, you may just have to stop making mistakes.
Paul in PA
Lol if he thinks 0.7 is a crayon, I wonder what he'd think of the 0.9 I use? I write heavy-handed, much less broken lead. Plus I can get sharp edges on the lead for finer lines.
I never erase anything.Just a diagonal line,and move on.
PoorPDOP, post: 372397, member: 8412 wrote: Lol if he thinks 0.7 is a crayon, I wonder what he'd think of the 0.9 I use? I write heavy-handed, much less broken lead. Plus I can get sharp edges on the lead for finer lines.
Gene, an old-time engineer/surveyor, told me this story about 50 years ago--
Gene's college instructor insisted that his students take notes with a very hard lead. He wanted the lead to dent the paper, and no smearing was allowed. Of course this was a drafting lead in a lead holder, since there were no Pentel pencils in those days. And of course the lead holders had no erasers. That was just as well, since erasing was forbidden.
The students did their best to comply. They started with 3H or 4H and worked up to the hardest lead they could buy, which might have been 7H or 8H. The instructor was not satisfied. It was still possible to smear the lead.
Finally the students found a solution. They bought some sewing machine needles. The needles had a thick shank on the blunt end for clamping in the machine. The shank was just the right size to fit in the lead holder, and the needle point made a nice dented line on the Rite in the Rain paper. The instructor was forced to admit that they'd finally gotten it right.
I like Pentel 207 for most writing
Have 205, 207 & 209,
Somebody ran off with my 203 and my Mars lead holders.
Pencil drafting was a world of its own
Wood pencils in the office, they are the best.....
Scott Zelenak, post: 372205, member: 327 wrote: I use a Pentel 0.5 mm mechanical pencil and the eraser gets some use. After a few years I have to raise it up in its little metal sleeve but it always slides down when I try to use it.
How the hell does the factory set it perfectly?
And what's the secret to keeping it in place once you've moved it up in its sleeve?
I use the same pencil and I am a bit surprised no one has suggested this yet....
Use a small piece of flagging between the pencil opening and the little metal sleeve. It will help apply more pressure and keep the eraser from sliding. Trim off the excess if you're a bit O.C.D. Like me.
Dave