Recently I’ve realized that I have a thing for the lowly, wood encased pencil. Not mechanical pencils. Not pens and not colored pencils. It’s not a kink, so relax. It’s just a fascination with the wooden pencil. This new fascination has been fueled by Pencil You Tube videos and Amazon. I’m still feeling my way around the hobby, if you can call collecting a hobby, and trying to isolate where my interests are. Do I like everything, or do certain kinds of pencils stand out more for me? After about a month of this new interest, I’m finally narrowing things down to the types of pencils that interest me.
I like pencils that I’ve used in the past for homework or work. They usually have erasers attached to them and many of them are yellow. But it’s not just American school and work pencils that fascinate me, I’m also attracted to foriegn pencils, many of them do not have ferrules and erasers. I tend to like softer, dark leads that allow for smooth writing, but I also really appreciate a good #4 hard lead that keeps it’s point longer.
I’m learning which makers still exist in the US and what lines of pencils have long since died that I remember fondly. It’s been a real education, and I’ve not even read the first book about pencils yet. Some of my favorite brands from my youth are Sanford, Venus and Eagle. I may purchase some of them before long just for memory’s sake. But that won’t put an end to my pencil fascination.
I also like many of the new American pencils and have begun trying them to see which ones I favor. I love the idea of supporting American Made products. So I’ll be using American pencils for a long time to come. But I also love to explore other countries, some of witch I have been to and others that I have not.
I plan on posting my observations here as I make them. So if you’re also a pencil person, stay tuned.
So why pencils? A pencil gives it’s life so that you can create. And when you write with them, as a writer does, that makes the lowly pencil a heroic little piece of wood.
