Giant Wooden Pencil

Product Information

Some crank sharpeners also include a tool to adjust the length of the point on your pencil – so you can choose anything from a super sharp, long point to a short, more blunt point. This mechanism is usually controlled through an adjustable screw at the base of the handle. Our range of sharpeners can be split broadly into four categories: simple manual sharpeners, reservoir sharpeners, crank sharpeners, electric sharpeners and other sharpening accessories. Aside from our sharpening accessories, these groups of sharpeners will work using either a single blade or helical sharpening mechanism. Single Blade Sharpeners Our other sharpening tools include sharpeners and accessories suitable for non-standard pencils or specialist sharpening techniques.

Electric Sharpeners can use either a blade or helical sharpening mechanism, but the whole process is powered by electricity. These sharpeners require very little in the way of manual work – all you need to do is insert your pencil and let the machine do the rest. These heavy duty sharpeners are perfect for artists who use pencils daily, or for those who just don’t want to waste time manually sharpening their pencils. It’s pretty easy to sharpen a high volume of pencils with these sharpeners. Like with a canister sharpener, the bin will need emptying regularly. We hope this article helps you find a great sharpener Manual crank sharpeners, also sometimes referred to as helical sharpeners, have a completely different sharpening mechanism to pencil sharpeners with a single blade. These pencil sharpeners tend to be large and often bulky, so not very portable or suitable for outdoor work. You’re best keeping them in the studio, or in a room where you prefer to create your artwork. You can also mount most of our models onto a desk, giving them a bit more stability during sharpening. Detail of the pincer mechanism on a manual crank sharpener. Some types of pencil require different types of pencil sharpeners. If you’re using larger or smaller than standard pencils you might need to get a sharpener with a different size hole. Some soft lead pencils may also require a blade that is a more gentle to avoid chips and broken leads. Soft leaded pencils, like pastel pencils, require a delicate touch. Use a standard sharpener and you could end up with a chewed up pencil and a pile of pastel powder. In 2002 a giant version of the Faber-Castell 9000 pencil set the record for the world’s largest pencil. It is housed in a specially built glass building to show it off in all its glory. The pencil was built from local Malaysian timber and the graphite core was manufactured in Germany and then shipped to Malaysia. If you want to see the pencil it is at the Faber-Castell building in Subang Jaya, Malaysia.

The humble pencil sharpener is an age-old accessory that no artist should be without. Some artists prefer the hands on approach of a manual sharpener that puts you firmly in control. Other artists, especially prolific pencil users, may prefer to save time and use an electric sharpening machine. There’s so much choice available, and so many different types of pencils, that it can be mind boggling trying to find the best sharpener for your materials. Here we compare our sharpeners side by side to help you select the perfect one. Helical Sharpeners don’t really have a ‘blade’ as such. Instead they have a cylindrical barrel cut with a spiral pattern. This barrel moves around your pencil when you turn the crank, griding against pencil to remove the wood casing and sharpen the tip to a fine point. They’re a lot more heavy duty than a single blade sharpener, and much better for sharpening high volumes of pencils. Simple Manual Pencil Sharpeners

A blunt blade can damage your pencil and leave a less than satisfactory point on the lead. But how can you tell if a sharpener is blunt? Two good indicators are the wood around the point of your pencil and the shape and size of your sharpenings. M&R’s Pollux Long Point Brass Pencil Sharpener has a unique concave design that sharpens pencils to an extra long, super fine point. For canister sharpeners the only other maintainance will be making sure that you empty the removable bin regularly. Helical Pencil Sharpeners Read below to see a comparison of all our sharpeners and it should help you find the perfect sharpener for you. What are the different types of pencil sharpener? When Count Anton Wolfgang von Faber-Castell set one of the earliest records for the world’s biggest pencil he commissioned a miniature pencil that was 17.5mm in length and 3mm in diameter with a 0.5mm graphite core. A limited-edition of 50 miniature pencils was manufactured.

An effective pencil sharpener is a worthy investment that any artist should make. After all, pencils can be expensive and you don’t want a poor sharpener to chew up the wood and damage the leads. At their most basic, they’re one of the most simple tools you’ll have lying around in your studio. You might even give little thought to the vast amount of sharpeners available. While your standard two hole manual sharpener can do a fantastic job, there’s a whole world of other sharpeners to try. Choosing the right one can completely transform the way you use your materials. Read below to find out more or use the links below to navigate to a particular topic. On the face of it sharpening a pencil couldn’t be easier. Just insert the pencil into the hole and rotate the pencil in your hand. Making sure the pencil and sharpener are inline – not at an angle – will ensure the cleanest possible sharpening. It’s also important not to apply too much pressure or your pencil lead may break. If you’re finding sharpening your pencils frustrating try some of these tips. Make Sure Your Sharpener isn’t Blunt Electric sharpeners can be either mains or battery powered. Any sharpener using mains power, like our Electric Pencil Sharpener, you can really only use in the studio. They’re quite bulky, and you’ll always need a power outlet nearby. Both our battery powered models ( Derwent and Jakar) are much more lightweight. However, they are still more bulky than a standard sharpener and aren’t exactly what most artists would consider to be ‘portable’. There’s nothing stopping you popping one in a bag and taking it on your travels though – although some extra batteries might be worth taking too. Miscellaneous and Specialist Sharpening Tools It may not be a world record holder but the folks at Casey Illinois are certainly proud of their giant size pencil. It is proudly displayed at 19 W Main St, Casey, Illinois 62420 USA. The tip of the pencil is sealed in a see-through reinforced cone to protect it.

The World Record for the biggest pencil was set in New York in August 2007. This pencil has some incredible stats that are unlikely to be broken for a very long time. The wood around the point of your pencil should be smooth. If it is smooth then the blade in your sharpener is sharp enough. If the wood looks a little rough or furry then that’s a sign that the blade on your sharpener is dull. The Derwent Pastel Pencil Sharpener is perfect for artists working with pastel, charcoal or other soft pencils. If you work with these materials you’ll probably find that most standard sharpeners are too harsh and will break their soft lead.The world’s largest coloring pencil is located in the UK at the Derwent Pencil Museum which opened in 1981. Their star attraction the giant yellow coloring pencil was made by the Derwent Pencil factory for the museum in 2oo1. A handheld, manual sharpener is the simplest of all artists’ sharpening tools. These basic sharpeners are usually made from metal, plastic or wood and are likely to be the types of sharpeners you might have first enountered at school. This type of sharpener is commonly available with either a single or double hole. Single hole sharpeners have one aperture – usually this will fit a standard pencil. However, there are single hole sharpeners that have a larger hole suitable for jumbo pencils (like the M+R Giant Pencil Sharpener) or for uniquely shaped pencils (like the Lyra Groove Sharpeners). Double hole sharpeners usually have one aperture for standard pencils and another for larger than standard pencils. Reservoir Pencil Sharpeners Pencil Shavings should be long and continuous from a sharpener with a good blade. If you find that your sharpenings are breaking off into small, jagged shards then your blade will probably need replacing. If there are signs the blade isn’t sharp enough then it means it’s probably time to replace your sharpener or just replace the blade if there are replacements available for your model. You’re Using the Wrong Type of Sharpener

There’s a more complex mechanism in a helical sharpener, so they can be a bit more difficult to maintain. If you find that a helical sharpener isn’t working as it should it’s quite possible that there is loose lead caught in the blade. You should be able to release the helical blade by unscrewing it via the crank. Remove the blade and dust it gently with a paint brush or other brush to get rid of any loose fragments. Some debris can be more difficult to shift. If you find a brush isn’t getting rid of it, try tapping the sharpener firmly on a solid surface. This should jolt the debris free. If your blade is clean but no longer sharpening well it’s probably time to replace the machine or buy a new blade where available. With manual sharpener it’s pretty easy to locate and get rid of any shards of lead or wood trapped in the blade. If there are any indications that your sharpener is dulling, most artists just choose to dipose of the old sharpener and replace with a new one. Especially given that most are fairly inexpensive. With more expensive models (like most of our M&R brass sharpeners) there are often replacement blades available. Using replacement blades is a great way to cut down on waste and keep your sharpener in tip top condition. Bic and Staedtler keep battling it out for the record of the world’s longest pencil. The record is currently held by Bic and was set in October 2017 at their factory in the French city Samer. The pencil measures an incredible 1091.99 m and was made from polystyrene and graphite. There were 133 volunteers and employees involved in the world record attempt. 9. Staedtler Longest Pencil World Record

In the photo, you can see Count Anton Wolfgang von Faber-Castell with a giant triangular shaped Faber-Castell Grip 2001 pencil. The pencil’s wood case is made from Weymouth Pine and it was photographed with the count in front of the family castle at Stein near Nuremberg.