Thin Lead Drafting Pencils

Other areas of Leadholder with information about thin lead drafting leadholders:

• Leadholder Patents
  
• Thin Lead Drafting Leadholder History

I’m sorry. I used to have a rant here about how much I hate thin lead mechanical pencils that was rather amusing I thought [1]. People often wrote saying things like, “I know you hate them, but I have a question about [insert favorite thin lead pencil here],” which suggested to me that my rant was causing consternation and apprehension among those who had questions about thin lead pencils. So I’ve retired that bit, but you can still read it here if you like.

Distinguishing between a Mechanical Writing Pencil and a True Drafting Pencil

The elongated sleeve is what distingushes a drafting pencil from a writing pencil. The sleeve is the tiny tube out of which the lead protrudes. Drafting pencils have sleeves of 3 to 5 mm while a writing pencil typically has a 2 mm sleeve or sometimes no visible sleeve. The elongated sleeve's purpose is to glide along the edge of a rule or template.

With Thin lead drafting pencils the pencil is held perpendicular to the straightedge instead of aiming the pencil point toward the intersection of the strightedge and the surface of the paper as is done with thick lead leadholders and wood cased pencils. Thin lead pencils are however slightly angled away from the direction of movement so as to counter lateral forces on the lead.

There are countless mechanical pencils these days sold in 0.5 mm and 0.7 mm lead diameters for the purpose of general use, but if a pencil is also available in 0.3 mm or 0.9 mm chances are it is a drafting pencil.

Until the last decade or so, the trend in general use mechanical pencils has been toward thinner leads. There is now a trend toward slightly thicker leads including 0.9 mm, 1.1 mm, and 1.4 mm.


This excellent Faber-Castell mechanical drafting pencil has an elongated sleeve at the point. (The lead itself is not visible in this image.)

One feature that is endemic to drafting mechanical pencils is an elongated sleeve. The sleeve is the tiny metal tube that envelops the lead and protrudes from the point of a mechanical pencil. For drafting use it is preferred that the sleeve protrude at least 3 mm and be strictly cylindrical so as to be ridden smoothly along the edge of a square etc. Some pencil designs include a sliding sleeve, which slides inward as the lead is worn thereby protecting the lead from breakage. The sleeve in drafting pencils is most often fixed whereas the sliding sleeve is more common amongst writing pencils.

Notes

1: The retired rant:
I NEVER thought the day would come when thin lead mechanical pencils would find their way onto this website. I've been ranting since long before this site began about the evils of thin lead pencils and the corruptive power they have over impressionable youth. Although these impure drawing implements are now represented in the collection, thin lead mechanical pencils and their use are in no way endorsed by Leadholder.

One problem I have with such pencils is the uninspired design of almost all of them. Even poor quality thick lead drafting pencils have a sturdiness about them. They hold the lead firmly and confidently. Almost without exception their design is spare and restrained. Thin lead pencils, in contrast, have little jiggy-jogs and plastic protrusions all over their wimpish forms. They have a weak, ambiguous feel to the mechanism, and reveal their inferior nature through the offensive little clicks they generate as the lead is advanced. The difference between a very high quality thin lead mechanical pencil and a cheap one is damn close to no difference at all. The spectrum of thin lead drafting pencils runs from all metal rotrings to deep within the territory of mega-mass-produced disposable shit clickers sold by the carload full for the use of faceless populations of office drones. Yet, aside from the heft of the metal variations they have indistinguishably sloppy actions.

OK. I'm being too hard on these poor sticks. They are a legitimate drafting tool, and they deserve mention on a website purportedly devoted to drafting pencils. I knew I'd regret expanding my collection to "drafting pencils" rather than the more exclusive "leadholders." Oh the shame of it all!