Believe it or not, this is not the first time in history that a little stick of graphite has made or broken men’s fortunes. The humble pencil’s history has been peppered with quite a few interesting ...

He prefers the brand’s 9000 series, which feature leads made from a combination of finely ground graphite and clay, while Krusch opts for Faber-Castell’s Pitt Pure graphite pencils (6B or 9B ...

You could also control the lightness and darkness: “Harder pencils” contained a greater clay to graphite composition, leaving lighter marks; softer pencils left darker marks because the ratio ...

Indeed there are. Pencil makers manufacture Nos. 1, 2, 2.5, 3, and 4 pencils—and sometimes other intermediate numbers. The higher the number, the harder the core and lighter the markings.

German pencil-makers tried out different proportions of clay and graphite to achieve softer and harder pencils that made darker or lighter marks. These experiments weren't confined to Europe.

True or false: You can get lead poisoning if you’re stuck with a lead pencil. False. Lead pencils contain graphite (a form of carbon), not lead. In fact, contrary to what many people believe ...

They’re all No. 2 or HB grade, which refers to the ratio of graphite to clay in the core, determining its color and hardness. Some are presharpened, but they’re all about 7½ to 8 inches long.

8. French pencil boosters include Nicolas-Jacques Conté, who patented a clay-and-graphite manufacturing process in 1795; Bernard Lassimone, who patented the first pencil sharpener in 1828; and Therry ...