the pointy tip of a pencil

Posted on August 31, 2010 by Marie Kennedy

i prefer old fashioned pencils. i like the feel of the wood and the weight of the pencil, which is lost with the mechanical versions. for general office use i prefer the 2b grade, which is a plain old, standard pencil. there’s a nice image on wikipedia that demonstrates the grading and classification of pencils: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pencil.

so. i like a regular old pencil, but it has to have a SHARP point. i get grumpy when they’re dull; what’s more depressing than pulling a pencil out of the pencil holder to discover the sharp is worn down to a nub? well, lots of things are more depressing, actually, but i’ve got this sharp point problem licked. here’s how:

  1. sharpen a bunch of pencils
  2. insert into cup on desk with the pointy tips facing up
  3. after using one, return to cup with now dull tip facing down
  4. when there are no more pencils with pointy tips facing up, it’s time to sharpen all of them

this way i am guaranteed to always choose a pencil with a sharp point.  woohoo!

pencil shaving

About Marie Kennedy

Putting everything into neat piles.
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5 Responses to the pointy tip of a pencil

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  3. Adam Chandler says:
    January 11, 2013 at 9:14 am

    There is something important missing from your blog post: what kind of sharpener do you use? I tried a couple of electrics at home and they worked poorly. I also tried a big expensive hand crank one, but it didn’t sharpen evenly. If I need a sharpener at all now (my daughter need one for colored pencils) I just buy small German made ones for a few dollars instead of trying to get one large one. Actually, for home, I now buy cheap mechanical pencils so I don’t have to deal with poor quality sharpeners. Do tell!

  4. Marie Kennedy says:
    January 11, 2013 at 11:44 am

    Adam, though I prefer the hand crank sharpeners right now I’m using the X-ACTO electric sharpener that we have in the office. The trick I’ve found is that as you insert the pencil into the sharpener, rotate it and push in gently. I’ve had terrible sharpening experiences with colored pencils or pencils that have been dropped.

  5. Marie Kennedy says:
    January 11, 2013 at 11:52 am

    Here’s a little video I made of how I sharpen. Let me know if it works for you! http://youtu.be/8s7FU5gzchg

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