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GRAPHITE PENCILS

Graphite Pencils

Graphite pencils are the most common types of pencil and are usually encased in wood. They are made of a mixture of clay and graphite and their darkness varies from light grey to black. Their composition allows for the smoothest strokes.

The lead of the pencil is a mix of finely ground graphite and clay powders. Before the two substances are mixed, they are separately cleaned of foreign matter and dried in a manner that creates large square cakes. Once the cakes have fully dried, the graphite and the clay squares are mixed together using water.

The amount of clay content added to the graphite depends on the intended pencil hardness (lower proportions of clay makes the core softer), and the amount of time spent on grinding the mixture determines the quality of the lead. The mixture is then shaped into long spaghetti-like strings, straightened, dried, cut, and then tempered in a kiln. The resulting strings are dipped in oil or molten wax, which seeps into the tiny holes of the material and allows for the smooth writing ability of the pencil.

A juniper or incense-cedar plank with several long parallel grooves is cut to fashion a "slat," and the graphite/clay strings are inserted into the grooves. Another grooved plank is glued on top, and the whole assembly is then cut into individual pencils, which are then varnished or painted.

Many pencils feature an eraser on the top and so the process is usually still considered incomplete at this point. Each pencil has a shoulder cut on one end of the pencil to allow for a metal ferrule to be secured onto the wood. A rubber plug is then inserted into the ferrule for a functioning eraser on the end of the pencil.

Graphite Aquarelle Pencils

Graphite Aquarelle Pencils are completely water-soluble. Graphite releases with water for a perfect wash effect. They are ideal for preliminary sketches of watercolor drawings and for complete watercolor techniques in graphite. The pencils feature thick 3.3mm break-resistant leads that are guaranteed easy to sharpen. They are available in 5 degrees of lead hardness.

graphite pencil grading

Courtesy of Wikipedia. (2023). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pencil

GRAPHITE PENCILS

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