Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - A small collection of ... what do you call these ?

kronckew · 17th July 2017, 09:12 AM

as an marine engineer from the USA, i went thru a couple semesters worth of drafting classes at the SUNY Maritime College. i also spent a couple years approving (and correcting) small passenger vessel construction drawings for the US Coast Guard before leaving and going into petrochemical plant construction management, where we also worked extensively with drawings, blueprints, piping isos, sketches. we always called them, if referring to them other than just 'pencils', as we used a lot of wooden ones, as 'mechanical' or 'mechanical drafting' pencils when ordering them. british usages vary tho. i gather from the ref. below that this still is true. i note in google.co.uk 'shopping' search they are listed as either 'mechanical' or occasionally as 'clutch' pencils. the ones listed as 'clutch' seem to use aifferent dia. leads. and are sometimes mentioned as 'artistic' drawing pencils. clutch pencils allow the lead to drop by gravity when you push the button at the top to extend out the tip, propelling ones grip and push it out a bit. both are 'mechanical'.

see also https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-di...hanical-pencil

the ones designed for extensive use and the varying diameter 'leads' (actually graphite composites) required for drafting or artwork and 'regular ones like we used in schools and light business notations had better ergonomics, were sturdier, usually a bit longer too as they did not need to be carried in a shirt pocket.

whatever you call them, they are still pencils.

anecdote: the myth of the fischer space pen costing millions to develop for writing in zero gravity while the russians just used a pencil is untrue. bits of broken and conductive graphite floating around the delicate electronics would have led (another lead homophone - pun intended) to disaster. they bought and used fischer pens too.

the use of the mundane pencil remains on the increase as it is cheap, and correctable by erasure, the other ink based devices less so. the simple wood exterior pencil still is made and sold in it's 15-20 billions annually, as are their mechanical brothers in somewhat lesser numbers.

a parting factoid:

17th July 2017, 09:12 AM	#12
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,150	as an marine engineer from the USA, i went thru a couple semesters worth of drafting classes at the SUNY Maritime College. i also spent a couple years approving (and correcting) small passenger vessel construction drawings for the US Coast Guard before leaving and going into petrochemical plant construction management, where we also worked extensively with drawings, blueprints, piping isos, sketches. we always called them, if referring to them other than just 'pencils', as we used a lot of wooden ones, as 'mechanical' or 'mechanical drafting' pencils when ordering them. british usages vary tho. i gather from the ref. below that this still is true. i note in google.co.uk 'shopping' search they are listed as either 'mechanical' or occasionally as 'clutch' pencils. the ones listed as 'clutch' seem to use aifferent dia. leads. and are sometimes mentioned as 'artistic' drawing pencils. clutch pencils allow the lead to drop by gravity when you push the button at the top to extend out the tip, propelling ones grip and push it out a bit. both are 'mechanical'. see also https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-di...hanical-pencil the ones designed for extensive use and the varying diameter 'leads' (actually graphite composites) required for drafting or artwork and 'regular ones like we used in schools and light business notations had better ergonomics, were sturdier, usually a bit longer too as they did not need to be carried in a shirt pocket. whatever you call them, they are still pencils. anecdote: the myth of the fischer space pen costing millions to develop for writing in zero gravity while the russians just used a pencil is untrue. bits of broken and conductive graphite floating around the delicate electronics would have led (another lead homophone - pun intended) to disaster. they bought and used fischer pens too. the use of the mundane pencil remains on the increase as it is cheap, and correctable by erasure, the other ink based devices less so. the simple wood exterior pencil still is made and sold in it's 15-20 billions annually, as are their mechanical brothers in somewhat lesser numbers. a parting factoid: Attached Images Last edited by kronckew; 17th July 2017 at 09:59 AM.