Mechanical Pencils

Did you know that modern wood-encased pencils are derived from an ancient Roman writing instrument called a stylus? Scribes used this thin metal rod to leave a mark on papyrus. Many early styluses were made of lead, which is why you still buy pencil lead, even though it’s actually a non-toxic graphite. Mechanical, or Propelling pencils are hollow fine writing instruments that hold pencil lead and have a lead advancement mechanism. They are used for general and creative writing, technical drawing and fine art. They do not have to be sharpened and are often popular with students. There are 3 types of Mechanical pencils: Ratchet-based pencils have small jaws at the tip, which hold the lead. Pressing the end button opens the jaws and pushes the lead forward; Screw-based pencils have a long screw which advances the lead when the end is twisted; and Clutch pencils use a ratchet-based variant and thicker leads (from 2mm to 5.6mm). Mechanical pencil lead is available in different colors and can be erasable and non-erasable.