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I use a #2 or a carpenter pencil sharpened like Mac's.
I don't understand the lead breaking all the time. I seldom ever break lead. Maybe wind......
Steve
Mo.
I miss the days of using my dinghy with a girlfriend too. Zack Butler-4/18/24
The Revos apparently are designed to clamp railroad ties and pull together horrifically prepared joints
WaterlooMark 02/9/2020
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I'm trying several things, including a couple mechanical pencils recommended here. Thanks all!
Now where is that chisel
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(10-19-2019, 12:42 PM)Derek Cohen Wrote: Look up Zebra DelGuard 0.5mm Lead Mechanical Pencil.
Regards from Perth
Derek
I have three of these and the DelGuard leads do most of the work, but are improved on the zebra pencil. You can try just buying the leads and see if it solves your problem.
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It is the spring mechanism, not the lead, that sets Delguard apart from others. I use regular 0.3mm lead with the Delguard. Remember not to click more than three times.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6__O2wjimGg
Simon
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I've been following this with interest, but don't have anything to contribute. Hpwever, I did order one of the Zebra Delguard pencils Derek recommended. It's cheap enpogh, but i was surprised that Amazon suggests the Pental lead for it. I use 5mm Pental (s) currently, so it will be interesting to see the difference.
I started with absolutely nothing. Now, thanks to years of hard work, careful planning, and perseverance, I find I still have most of it left.
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(10-23-2019, 07:40 PM)Handplanesandmore Wrote: It is the spring mechanism, not the lead, that sets Delguard apart from others. I use regular 0.3mm lead with the Delguard. Remember not to click more than three times.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6__O2wjimGg
Simon
The Delguard lead it break-resistant. It is not the only lead that is rated so:
https://www.jetpens.com/blog/the-best-me...ads/pt/887
For the heavy-handed writers among us, broken leads can be a constant frustration. Many of our leads are specially formulated to be stronger than typical leads, and we found all of the following leads to be equally good at resisting breakage:
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10-24-2019, 08:09 AM
(This post was last modified: 10-24-2019, 10:28 AM by Handplanesandmore.)
We all know pencil leads are not all the same; some stronger, some weaker. Or, some harder and some softer. But leads are not what make the Delguard different as the video shows. As I said, I use original (zebra), pantel and regular replacement leads, and none of them breaks.
If leads are the critical factor, regular mechanical pencils, with harder leads, can all perform like the Delguard. Break resistant leads help but they don't change a regular mechanical pencil to a Delguard in performance.
Simon
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(10-19-2019, 05:23 PM)K. L McReynolds Wrote: Try a carpenter pencil sharpened to a flat point. I generally start by using a utility knife to get the wood off. Then a 1/4 sheet of 150 grit sandpaper on a flat surface to finish the fine point.
Variation on a theme -- I use a block plane instead of the sandpaper to make the wedge. Also do this with wooden pencils in the shop. Works very well.
Plane in palm of left hand, blade up. Drag pencil back across blade with right. Some pencils I'll put my index finger down on the opposite side of where I'm sharpening to keep it from flexing. Being careful not to shave my fingerprints of course.
I prefer B to HB or H as a lead hardness. With a light touch, they make a sufficiently dark line for me.
Also use 0.9mm, 0.7mm and 0.5mm in B in Pentel branded mechanical pencils. I find the 0.9mm plenty strong enough to use on rough-cut lumber with a light touch and it shows up just fine. Somewhere I have a tube of white leads (dressmaker's marker leads) in 0.9mm but I haven't seen it in a while.
Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things. -- G. Carlin
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Wow, there are a bunch of choices!
Now where is that chisel
