When I was a kid, I thought that they drilled holes into the wood and pushed the lead in. I would carefully remove the wood off of a pencil lead then shape a new piece of wood, drill a hole in it so I could make my own pencils. It never worked out too well. I also used to carefully cut open burnt lightbulbs, reattached the filament, then try to draw out the air and seal them back up. That too never worked out too well. But some would work at a much lower voltage. The few times I "sort of" succeeded in my experiments would be the highlights of my days. I guess you could say I always tried to reinvent the wheel. 😁
When I was a kid, my mom gave me my own hand crank pencil sharpener. I was SOOOOOO happy. To this day, there's nothing more gratifying than sharpening a pencil.
In the digital age it pleases me to know so many of us are still using pencils. I have hundreds and use them every day but I'm a sucker for a new sets.
It’s hard to believe that when my dad started school in 1941, he got a small 4” piece of a pencil that my grandfather would put a hole at the end and put a string though it and hang it on my dads neck. That pencil was supposed to last the entire school year, because they were so hard to come by and so expensive. It’s amazing how abundant and cheap they are that kids but dozens of them during back to school shopping these days.
My mom did the same for me .... only with my mittens instead! 👧🧤😂 (that was early 60's for me, yet I'm tempted to do that every time I get a new pair) 👵😂
I had to take an exam with #2 pencils some years back (about 10 or so years). I went into the kitchen drawer where we stored all things like pens and pencils and I found some that dated to my school era days (some 40 years back). I sharpened them using the same Bostitch crank sharpener that I used when I was a kid (in the same house which I grew up in) and added new cap erasers to those old pencils. I took the test and passed with flying colors. I considered those old pencils like old friends and good luck charms from my younger years.
Things I learned today; a) Cedar is used because it's a wood that doesn't warp. b) Cedar slats arrive at the factory already treated so that the wood doesn't warp.
My first job was at Reeves Industrial Equipment, Orlando Florida. I was 21, in college evenings and and worked during the day. One of the engineering projects we did was a pencil yellow paint machine @4:20 we did for Berol Co. In Mexico. Its exactly like the one shown. There's paint in the hopper one pencil is always in the hopper. A chain with push tabs pushes one after another. Then onto a 100 foot belt conveyor to dry. Then back into the pencil hopper for another coat of paint. This is repeated 6 times. Brings back memories. Now I'm retired from a vast machine design experience.
I still write a grocery list to take to the store. And I write myself little notes on "sticky notes" to remind me to do things. I love me some pencils. I'm still using _round_ Magic Muffler pencils, from a So. Cal. muffler shop, found in my dad's shop when he passed. I cherish those pencils because the remind me of dad, and of the "old days" when every Magic Muffler shop had one or more '56 Chevy's.
Back in 1990, my college art professor got me hooked on Prismacolor color pencils. I gave up painting and have used colored pencils ever since. Love them.
@@davidbosworth4751 Also, it also developed over a long process. One of the early "pencils" was just graphite wrapped in string. Plus, other advances were combining graphite with clay so that the darkness and hardness of the pencil lead could be adjusted, the addition of an eraser, and the six-sided shape developed over a long period. Added to that are things like the pencil sharpener (people used to sharpen a pencil with a knife), erasers (bread was used as an eraser at one time), and the color.
Many pencils are equipped with erasers…which are designed to smear the paper irreversibly, rip holes where you don’t want them, or have no effect on the graphite line at all….
As a commercial artist I use pencils all the time. The erasers on a pencil are ineffective and rip right through paper and will ruin the line drawn. I think they’re there just for decoration.
In grammar school we often joked about everything! My thing in 7th grade was to say " Does everyone have a sharpened # 2 Ticonderoga pencil ? Show me! "
@@plantbased5673 That reminds me of a UA-cam Video about John Steinbeck's pencil ritual so he didn't have to stop writing to sharpen pencils. He would sharpen 24 wood pencils, put them in a box, and start writing with one of the pencils. When it became dull he would put it into another box, grab another pencil, and continue writing. Repeat until all of the pencils are dull.
This reminds me of a DC character named Rose Forrest who became immortal (she was born in the 20th Century and she's still alive in the 31st Century). One of her problems is that she keeps starting and losing journals because of advances in technology (she mentions saving one of a ZIP Disc). I agree that writing using pencil and paper will last longer than writing stored as computer data.
This is Where I used The Original Pencils since I was a Little boy, When I was Grade 1 to 6, This is How I Learn Everyday From School, And I was Philippines, so I Learned so Much That I can do Anything About Pencils However About That Reason, I Love Pencils to Learn, And I Love it.
My father for 25 years worked for Dixons Pencils in downtown Jersey City, NJ until 1971. It was called Joseph Dixon Crucible company back then. He was a machinist and set up man. It was a dirty place. His hands and “work blues” were always covered with graphite from working on the equipment. Graphite was used to lubricant the machine’s moving parts. As a kid, I did a science project on how pencils were made from various stages of pencil production. He supplied me with the leads, slotted wood blanks, half cut pencils in wood, sample of raw graphite and erasers in end caps. It was the only science project I ever received an ‘A’. The factory in Jersey City closed years ago. The buildings turned into condos.
@@kendallevans4079 Yes very specialized , drafting and art use, CAD has replaced almost all old fashioned drafting, I cant even remember if #1 was harder or softer lead but used because it did not smug as much.
So what's your best selling pencil? "The number 2" OK, what's your second best selling pencil? "The number 1" OK... Have you ever considered renaming them?
I still love writing with the pencil.. ❤❤❤thanks gor the amazing video.. and i am so humbled to hear the nsme of my country, Sri Lanka, to be the producer of the highest quality graphite ❤❤❤
I wonder if the pencils we see today are these. I used to be able to use pencils until there was a tiny stub left. Now you can't even sharpen them once without the graphite breaking every time.
Cheap pencils are made with wood from pressed sawdust-they're not firm enough, unlike the pencils shown in this vid-made from actual planks of wood, which is MUCH firmer. Less flexible, less broken lead.
@@josephgaviota This is why if I used a wooden pencils I'd only use a well-known name-brand one, it is worth it for the extra quality. However, I use mechanical pencils for that reason. With a good-quality mechanical pencil, combined with a softer lead (like a 2B) I rarely have a breakage problem.
Amazing process, but the narration requires proofreading before releasing the video. Here is one example; At 0:57 California cedar is chosen because it "doesn't warp" But, at 2:27 it is stated that cedar slats"...arrives at the factory already stained, dried, and waxed to prevent warping" Cedar definitely does warp.
I'm sure in the decades since I Pencil somebody has taken it upon themselves. I'd like to think someone did 5 years in each industry and figured it all out.
Another fine video thanks. Quick note on pronunciation: "homogenous," is ha-MODG-uh-niss, not ho-mo-GEE-niss, and "hexagonal" is hex-AG-ah-nil, not HEX-a-go-nil.
@@cedrdar okay, perhaps. I believe homogenous is more common these days. Perhaps homogeneous retains parity of usage when used in discussion of chemistry, which this subject is not. But even if we accept a regional variation, surely the pronunciation should be ho-mo-JEEN-ee-iss?
When my son was in first grade the nun told them the first day of school they must bring in two #2 sharpened pencils everyday. If a kid forgot their pencils she rented a pencil for 2¢ a day. Amazing after the second week none of the 30 kids seldom forgot to have their pencils. Hard & expensive now to find pencils made in the USA. ( at least at Target ).
Ticrondega...American Standard...Dixon by Oriole...loved getting new pencils. I find the rubbers are now more plasticy, so I use the rubber attachment. Anybody else?
This is how pencils are made: US shuts down its own lumbering industry but allows Japanese companies to continue harvesting trees on US soil. Then, the Japanese transport the lumber to Japan where they use Japanese factories to make pencils. The pencils are then shipped back to the US for the American consumer. A win-win for politicians on both sides of Pacific.
When I was a kid the pencils were really dark in the 70s. But now the color is very dull, not dark at all. Do they make high graphite pencils that are really dark ? How can I find pure graphite pencils ?
Try a pencil in the higher B range, like a 2B or a 4B. A 2B is noticebly darker than an HB/#2 and also writes more smoothly.. The main disadvantage is that tip wears down much faster so you have to sharpen it more often.
When I was a kid, I thought that they drilled holes into the wood and pushed the lead in. I would carefully remove the wood off of a pencil lead then shape a new piece of wood, drill a hole in it so I could make my own pencils. It never worked out too well.
I also used to carefully cut open burnt lightbulbs, reattached the filament, then try to draw out the air and seal them back up. That too never worked out too well. But some would work at a much lower voltage.
The few times I "sort of" succeeded in my experiments would be the highlights of my days. I guess you could say I always tried to reinvent the wheel. 😁
That experimentation is GOOD for you.
I'd be so happy if my kid was experimenting like that. Stay curious, always!
@@jasondashney _Stay curious_
💯
What kind of work do you do? Are you an engineer now!?
I think Tomas Edison had started his inventory success from so kind of experience. Like many other famous inventors.
When I was a kid, my mom gave me my own hand crank pencil sharpener. I was SOOOOOO happy. To this day, there's nothing more gratifying than sharpening a pencil.
That smell of cedar...
That qualifies you to get hired just about anywhere.
I don't know what the goat is supposed to mean but I liked it.@@KpxUrz5745
Why all the pencils are made sharpened? Because we always chew through it than using pencil sharpers!
You know dats right😊
In the digital age it pleases me to know so many of us are still using pencils. I have hundreds and use them every day but I'm a sucker for a new sets.
Same, all great ideas start on paper
@@Factora_eng: 14 billion pencils and I’ve misplaced most of them somewhere around the house.
@@rayray8687and yet they’re nowhere to be found!!
I swear they breed when left in a case in the dark. Else they open wormholes and gate them in.
Dork
It’s hard to believe that when my dad started school in 1941, he got a small 4” piece of a pencil that my grandfather would put a hole at the end and put a string though it and hang it on my dads neck. That pencil was supposed to last the entire school year, because they were so hard to come by and so expensive. It’s amazing how abundant and cheap they are that kids but dozens of them during back to school shopping these days.
My mom did the same for me .... only with my mittens instead! 👧🧤😂 (that was early 60's for me, yet I'm tempted to do that every time I get a new pair) 👵😂
First things kids starting to write is “we are parasites living and eating off this planet very slowly “.
I had to take an exam with #2 pencils some years back (about 10 or so years). I went into the kitchen drawer where we stored all things like pens and pencils and I found some that dated to my school era days (some 40 years back). I sharpened them using the same Bostitch crank sharpener that I used when I was a kid (in the same house which I grew up in) and added new cap erasers to those old pencils.
I took the test and passed with flying colors. I considered those old pencils like old friends and good luck charms from my younger years.
@@googleusergp wish I had saved some of mine. I also loved my pee chee folders. The new ones my kids use are just not the same.
1941 was during WW2, I guess that's why they were "hard to come by".
Things I learned today;
a) Cedar is used because it's a wood that doesn't warp.
b) Cedar slats arrive at the factory already treated so that the wood doesn't warp.
My first job was at Reeves Industrial Equipment, Orlando Florida. I was 21, in college evenings and and worked during the day. One of the engineering projects we did was a pencil yellow paint machine @4:20 we did for Berol Co. In Mexico. Its exactly like the one shown. There's paint in the hopper one pencil is always in the hopper. A chain with push tabs pushes one after another. Then onto a 100 foot belt conveyor to dry. Then back into the pencil hopper for another coat of paint. This is repeated 6 times. Brings back memories. Now I'm retired from a vast machine design experience.
I still write a grocery list to take to the store.
And I write myself little notes on "sticky notes" to remind me to do things.
I love me some pencils. I'm still using _round_ Magic Muffler pencils, from a So. Cal. muffler shop, found in my dad's shop when he passed. I cherish those pencils because the remind me of dad, and of the "old days" when every Magic Muffler shop had one or more '56 Chevy's.
When i was six and got pencils from my dad and they were Ticonderoga, now i get pencils for my daughters and those are still Ticonderoga.
Back in 1990, my college art professor got me hooked on Prismacolor color pencils. I gave up painting and have used colored pencils ever since. Love them.
i saw in a cartoon that they put a whole tree through a grinder to make a single toothpick. Glad this works better.
You were watching foghorn the big white rooster. I always liked that cartoon.
@@galewinds7696 I think that was one of the Tex Avery cartoons, one where they show how things are made.
what really amazes me is that someone had to invent all those machines to make the pencil, wow!
That's always fascinated me, not just for pencils, but any machines used in manufacturing. It really is incredible.
This factory is located in Pencil-Vania!
😂
😂 haha funny
@@melissaarriaga3359 - c y x ax c -xxx.
Pencil-vania's excellent graphite is what lead them there.
😂
Who would have thunk something we take got granted, something so utterly simple as the lowly pencil would take such an involved process to make???
but everything that is done by machines now was probably once made by people!
@@davidbosworth4751 Also, it also developed over a long process. One of the early "pencils" was just graphite wrapped in string. Plus, other advances were combining graphite with clay so that the darkness and hardness of the pencil lead could be adjusted, the addition of an eraser, and the six-sided shape developed over a long period. Added to that are things like the pencil sharpener (people used to sharpen a pencil with a knife), erasers (bread was used as an eraser at one time), and the color.
A short pencil is better than a long memory
😮
Back in my day pencil fights were the real deal and being a pencil fighting champion in the 4th and 5th grade got you a lot of respect and prestige.
Pencils are just so amazing and simple, love their feel
Looks like the production process hasn't changed in 100 years. Would be interesting to see how a new factory would tackle pencil production.
Many pencils are equipped with erasers…which are designed to smear the paper irreversibly, rip holes where you don’t want them, or have no effect on the graphite line at all….
😂
Ideas on paper👍😆
And many people don't know how to use an eraser correctly..
As a commercial artist I use pencils all the time. The erasers on a pencil are ineffective and rip right through paper and will ruin the line drawn. I think they’re there just for decoration.
You need to get a kneaded rubber. They work just fine. And don't leave those annoying little bits behind to brush all over the desk.
A Pencil, writing history for 172 years and still growing.
In grammar school we often joked about everything! My thing in 7th grade was to say " Does everyone have a sharpened # 2 Ticonderoga pencil ? Show me! "
….i don’t get it….?
@@AMcDub0708 HI! Ticonderoga was the pencil company and the #2 denoted the hardness of the pencil !
I kept braking my mechanical pencils so I started buying wood pencils and it’s been the best decision yet. ❤
and you get a hearty thumbs up from John Wick!
Braking? Why were you stopping your pencils?
Do the wood pencils not have brakes?
@@eagle25311Low-tech pencils have no brakes. So, once you start writing, it's hard to stop. 😂
@@plantbased5673 That reminds me of a UA-cam Video about John Steinbeck's pencil ritual so he didn't have to stop writing to sharpen pencils. He would sharpen 24 wood pencils, put them in a box, and start writing with one of the pencils. When it became dull he would put it into another box, grab another pencil, and continue writing. Repeat until all of the pencils are dull.
You can lead a horse to water but a pencil needs to be lead.
Ironic that something written with pencil on a good quality paper will probably outlast almost all digital files made today.
This reminds me of a DC character named Rose Forrest who became immortal (she was born in the 20th Century and she's still alive in the 31st Century). One of her problems is that she keeps starting and losing journals because of advances in technology (she mentions saving one of a ZIP Disc). I agree that writing using pencil and paper will last longer than writing stored as computer data.
The hexagon shape stops it from rolling, that's so adorable!
A personal handheld wooden enclosed graphite scribing device is a good tool
what a genius invention for this simple and useful tool for every human who learn how to write for the first time
This is Where I used The Original Pencils since I was a Little boy, When I was Grade 1 to 6, This is How I Learn Everyday From School, And I was Philippines, so I Learned so Much That I can do Anything About Pencils However About That Reason, I Love Pencils to Learn, And I Love it.
I used to work in a pencil factory.they have sure changed the way they make them.
My father for 25 years worked for Dixons Pencils in downtown Jersey City, NJ until 1971. It was called Joseph Dixon Crucible company back then. He was a machinist and set up man. It was a dirty place. His hands and “work blues” were always covered with graphite from working on the equipment. Graphite was used to lubricant the machine’s moving parts. As a kid, I did a science project on how pencils were made from various stages of pencil production. He supplied me with the leads, slotted wood blanks, half cut pencils in wood, sample of raw graphite and erasers in end caps. It was the only science project I ever received an ‘A’. The factory in Jersey City closed years ago. The buildings turned into condos.
@@jazzgtrs1243 That's REALLY COOL, to take the raw materials to school like that!
No.2 Dixon Ticonderoga. Best pencil ever!
I respectfully disagree and vote for Blackwing 😉
That's fascinating; I'd always wondered how pencils were made.
Haven't used one in a few years due to work requiring using pens but still believe the Dixon Ticonderoga #2 is the king of all pencils
Actually, I've never seen any other pencil besides a #2. Do they make a #1 or #3?
@@kendallevans4079 Yes very specialized , drafting and art use, CAD has replaced almost all old fashioned drafting, I cant even remember if #1 was harder or softer lead but used because it did not smug as much.
@@tommal-bm5mq Thanks!👍
Erasor Head is the best pencil documentary every made.
So what's your best selling pencil?
"The number 2"
OK, what's your second best selling pencil?
"The number 1"
OK... Have you ever considered renaming them?
Lol
Have always wondered how they were made.Very interesting.
This video is super cool and educational man I love pencils✏️✏️✏️✏️✏️
In my NYC office job, none of us could get any work done. Someone was always asking out loud: "Okay, who has the pencil??"
I still love writing with the pencil.. ❤❤❤thanks gor the amazing video.. and i am so humbled to hear the nsme of my country, Sri Lanka, to be the producer of the highest quality graphite ❤❤❤
1:00 “sustainable forestry factors” a fancy way of saying “yes we destroy the forest but not as much as we want to”
Kareeeen
@Kareem Abdul-Jabbar?
Remember putting a pencil in your mouth in school? Who would have thought that the paint on the outside was so flammable. To this day.
I wonder if the pencils we see today are these. I used to be able to use pencils until there was a tiny stub left. Now you can't even sharpen them once without the graphite breaking every time.
Cheap pencils are made with wood from pressed sawdust-they're not firm enough, unlike the pencils shown in this vid-made from actual planks of wood, which is MUCH firmer. Less flexible, less broken lead.
@@josephgaviota This is why if I used a wooden pencils I'd only use a well-known name-brand one, it is worth it for the extra quality. However, I use mechanical pencils for that reason. With a good-quality mechanical pencil, combined with a softer lead (like a 2B) I rarely have a breakage problem.
Great video and information but the glow stroke on the font is annoying and painful to watch... ✏️
Hit like if you chewed on the eraser when you were a kid
Boy this is definitely a process. ✏️
Yeppp
Amazing process, but the narration requires proofreading before releasing the video. Here is one example;
At 0:57 California cedar is chosen because it "doesn't warp"
But, at 2:27 it is stated that cedar slats"...arrives at the factory already stained, dried, and waxed to prevent warping"
Cedar definitely does warp.
I love pencils, may they always be present.
Simply fascinating!!! Thank you for sharing, it is very interesting.
Used to play pencil break in middle school!
Did you know that trees poop?
- that's where no. 2 pencils come from.
I miss writing with pencils in school or at home. #GoodOldDays
Haven't had an eraser that works in yrs!
😂
Thank you to share this video ❤
So nice of you
Billions of pencils and there is never one around when I need one.
Very interesting. I am enjoying this video.
An object so "simple" and ubiquitous yet no single person contains the knowledge to build one.
I'm sure in the decades since I Pencil somebody has taken it upon themselves. I'd like to think someone did 5 years in each industry and figured it all out.
@@jasondashney Sounds good. I'm waiting for their product.
Ok milton friedman ;)
Interesting. Pencils that come already sharpened. Never seen that before.
I was thinking the same thing. And I've been around a while.
LOVED having new pencils to start the school year in grade school!
This is great. I never knew how the pencil was manufactured. The pencil...fabulous invention!!!
Another fine video thanks. Quick note on pronunciation: "homogenous," is ha-MODG-uh-niss, not ho-mo-GEE-niss, and "hexagonal" is hex-AG-ah-nil, not HEX-a-go-nil.
Except it’s “homogeneous” not “homogenous”. Two different words. He said it correctly.
@@cedrdar okay, perhaps. I believe homogenous is more common these days. Perhaps homogeneous retains parity of usage when used in discussion of chemistry, which this subject is not. But even if we accept a regional variation, surely the pronunciation should be ho-mo-JEEN-ee-iss?
Keep it up.knowledge from ur videos is appreciated and treasured❤🎉
Thank you, I will
Salamat sa lumikha nang bagay nato! ❤
Amazing video.👍.
Very intelligent pencils and not so intelligent Humans, so many, many conventional wars.
Thank you very intelligent Americans and thumbs up 😊👍
Poor Mary Phagan, such a tragedy. RIP
When my son was in first grade the nun told them the first day of school they must bring in two #2 sharpened pencils everyday. If a kid forgot their pencils she rented a pencil for 2¢ a day. Amazing after the second week none of the 30 kids seldom forgot to have their pencils. Hard & expensive now to find pencils made in the USA. ( at least at Target ).
General's pencils are made in USA. They can often be found at craft stores.
Walmart sells pencils made in Tennessee.
Wow the wooden part is in 2 halves.
Im going to try to find the split line in the next pencil I find.
Perfecto nos sirve día con día 🎉
This would make a great ASMR video
It very nice
Ummm sandwich, i appreciate factory workers' even more. Thank you 4 the pencils i use 2 sketch
Pencils of any quality are horrendously expensive nowdays. Even the cheaper rubbish certainly can't justify the current cost.
Thank you I wanted to know how pencils are made
Love watching this✏✏✏
we all use pencils, but most of us don't even know how they are made. they think pencils fall from the sky
I'm so obsessed with pencils.
1:32 looks like the poop I had this morning.
Ticrondega...American Standard...Dixon by Oriole...loved getting new pencils.
I find the rubbers are now more plasticy, so I use the rubber attachment. Anybody else?
From Sri lanka ❤
The best communication item…..love my personal pencils
So satisfying to watch. I would love to work in a pencil factory now ✏️
Great video
This is how pencils are made: US shuts down its own lumbering industry but allows Japanese companies to continue harvesting trees on US soil. Then, the Japanese transport the lumber to Japan where they use Japanese factories to make pencils. The pencils are then shipped back to the US for the American consumer. A win-win for politicians on both sides of Pacific.
Most outstanding!
When I was a kid the pencils were really dark in the 70s.
But now the color is very dull, not dark at all.
Do they make high graphite pencils that are really dark ?
How can I find pure graphite pencils ?
Try a pencil in the higher B range, like a 2B or a 4B. A 2B is noticebly darker than an HB/#2 and also writes more smoothly.. The main disadvantage is that tip wears down much faster so you have to sharpen it more often.
I am glad that so far , the Computer hasn't killed the pen , pencil and book.
Pray for my brother, he thinks with his pencil, he always wants to sharpen it🙏
Very good
Thank you Fred Roger for taking us to the Pencile factory.
Wow, I've always wanted to know how this worked; thank you!
But then how are things printed onto them?
Thank you! I had no idea that clay was added due to a shortage caused by a blockade during the French Revolution!
And I still drop my pencil
Good job!
Thank you 😊 awesome video
Nice.lovely video 💜💜💜💜👍👍👍👍👌👌
Enjoyed this video
For all the work to manufacture a pencil I sincerely apologize for ever breaking one in half.
the eagle pencil company...14 th street in the city...
we got to go inside!!!!!!!!
One of the mysteries of the universe is why does the eraser get hard with time?
The phrase I heard was erasers “dry out” over time if very old. I’m still not sure what it means though lol😊
i never knew that pencils were made that way.
Crazy
I had no idea Clay was in pencils
I had no idea they used cedar to make pencils.
The video is really interesting, it helps me understand more about the process of making it