2B or Not 2B – National Pencil Day

On March 30th 1858, Hymen Lipmen received a patent for a pencil with an eraser attached and the rest is history….
Can you imagine life without pencils? Used by school children, carpenters, work men and women, artists, writers, hang on a minute, what am I saying? Pencils are used by EVERYONE!

So to celebrate the pencil, such a simple little thing, with endless ways to be used I thought it would be fun to share some…

interesting facts about pencils …

Pencils can write under water unlike most pens. It’s probably best to swap paper for a writing slate for obvious reasons. Divers use pencils under water to communicate with each other and note down observations. Off for a swim? Don’t forget your Half Pencil Wooden Half Length HB Plain.

Eraser tipped pencils might be the norm now but did you know that before erasers made it onto the scene, people would use crustless bread to erase pencil marks? It doesn’t take long for bread to go mouldy so it wouldn’t have been ideal. Save your sandwiches for lunch and try the Euroffice HB Pencil Rubber Tipped.

Ever reached into your pencil case as a child, or as an adult for that matter and been stabbed by a newly sharpened pencil? Ouchy! “You’ll get lead poisoning if you’re not more careful” Sound familiar?
Well you can breathe easy because pencils are not made of lead, they are made of clay and graphite – which is non-toxic. Phew! To ensure you’re never stabbed by a pencil again, try the Bic Atlantis Mechanical Pencil Comfort-grip Retractable with 3 x HB 0.7mm Lead

Famous pencil users include John Steinbeck whose novel East of Eden is said to have taken more than 300 pencils to complete, Vincent Van Gogh who only used Faber Castell and Roald Dahl who would sharpen six yellow pencils before starting to write and only re-sharpen them once they were all unusable. Do you also like yellow pencils but don’t fancy all that sharpening?
How about giving the Paper Mate Non-Stop Automatic Pencil 0.7mm HB Lead Yellow Barrel Ref S0189423 a go?

Fears over the flammability of wood in pencils and the dangers of broken pencil tips in zero gravity led to NASA replacing the pencil with the Fisher space pen. Contrary to popular belief, NASA did not spend millions on the development of these pens while the Soviets simply carried on using pencils. Paul Fisher after having invented the pens independently asked NASA to try them, which they did, and after extensive testing they were purchased for use in space. If you don’t plan on nipping into space any time soon you won’t need to worry about the effects of broken tips so why not go all out and try the Derwent Academy Flip Double Ended Colouring Pencil Assorted?

The average pencil is said to be able to write around 45000 words or draw a line 35 miles long – that’s about 33 miles longer than a Bic Cristal. This hasn’t been officially tested so if you fancy being the one to test this theory, may I suggest the Staedtler 120 Noris HB Pencil Red Cap?

The metal band holding the eraser in place at the end of a pencil is called a ferrule. I’m sure you’ll all sleep soundly tonight with that little truth nugget. Is your pen lacking a ferrule? That just won’t do – this pack of Rexel Acco Natural Wood HB Office Pencils with Graphite Rubber Tipped will soon fix that.