![]() If the lead jams inside your pencil, you can poke the clean-out rod down through the top of the pencil tip to clear out the lead. Some mechanical pencils come with a thin wire called a clean-out rod attached to the underside of the eraser. Lead jamsĪ final note for users of mechanical pencils: occasionally the thin leads in a mechanical pencil may get jammed inside the pencil tip. However, they’re less ideal for shading, and writers with a heavier hand may find the lead snaps frequently. Because mechanical pencil leads are so thin, they produce fine lines without any sharpening. It’s easiest to find mechanical pencils that hold the most popular lead sizes, 0.5mm and 0.7mm. Mechanical pencils, on the other hand, use very slim leads, which range in size from very tiny (0.2mm) to rather large (0.9mm and even wider). If you prefer bold lines, write with a heavier hand, or do a lot of shading, you might prefer a wider lead. These wide leads can be sharpened to a point for fine writing or used for shading broad areas. Wooden pencils and clutch pencils use wider leads, usually around 2mm. The other thing to consider when choosing a pencil lead is size. The popular #2 is equivalent to an HB pencil. On this scale, the higher the number, the harder the lead will be. (Sometimes the HB scale also includes an F pencil, which falls between H and HB and indicates a lead that sharpens to a fine point.)īut what about the ubiquitous #2 pencil? The #2 pencil is graded on the numerical scale, which is used solely by American pencil manufacturers. The higher the number in front of the letter, the harder or softer the pencil is. A pencil might be marked H, 2H, 3H, or B, 2B, 3B, and so on. On the HB scale, H pencils are on the harder end of the spectrum and B pencils are on the softer end. However, they usually follow one of two grading scales: the HB scale or the less common numerical scale. There’s no universal standard for these pencil grades, so they may vary slightly from brand to brand. ![]() The numbers and letters on the side of a wooden pencil or on a pack of pencil lead, like “HB” or “#2,” indicate the grade or hardness of the lead.
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