tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343608.post5565890652650155755..comments2024-03-28T15:17:18.477-05:00Comments on Orange Crate Art: Real Thin LeadsMichael Leddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05547732736861224886noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343608.post-13841816883779444242019-02-21T21:44:59.001-06:002019-02-21T21:44:59.001-06:00Thanks for letting me know. I love the message-in-...Thanks for letting me know. I love the message-in-a-bottle feeling when someone finds a post in this way.Michael Leddyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05547732736861224886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343608.post-26926162186107768792019-02-21T16:32:40.138-06:002019-02-21T16:32:40.138-06:00So happy to find this post. My dad was in the offi...So happy to find this post. My dad was in the office furniture/supply business. I found a handful of mechanical pencils that use this specific lead a little while ago in my mom’s writing desk.The Inadvertent Advocatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15817059368220389204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343608.post-18767390047826621052009-02-24T18:55:00.000-06:002009-02-24T18:55:00.000-06:00Thanks for the Steinbeck link, Stephen. I posted i...Thanks for the Steinbeck link, Stephen. I posted it some time ago. I'm glad to see that this interview is still free; the <I>Paris Review</I> has pulled back from its plan to make all interviews available at no cost.<BR/><BR/>I've never seen a Blaisdell Calculator. I'm glad I was able to sock away some Mongols while I could still order them from a local stationer.Michael Leddyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05547732736861224886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343608.post-48527007853995854752009-02-24T17:38:00.000-06:002009-02-24T17:38:00.000-06:00Hang on to the 2 3/8 Mongols - along with the Blai...Hang on to the 2 3/8 Mongols - along with the Blaisdell Calculator and Blackwing, those were Steinbeck's favorite pencils. <BR/><BR/>He specifically mentions the 2 3/8 grade in an "interview" that appeared in the <A HREF="http://www.theparisreview.org/viewinterview.php/prmMID/4156" REL="nofollow">Fall 1975 Paris Review</A> (PDF).<BR/><BR/>I'll bet that a Calculator is even harder to find than a Blackwing.<BR/><BR/>I have some Mongol No. 2's, and can see from a statement on the box that they were made in Nos. 1, 2, 2 3/8, 3, and 4!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343608.post-52351058520273560252009-02-23T21:41:00.000-06:002009-02-23T21:41:00.000-06:00I wonder if the the age of the pencils might have ...I wonder if the the age of the pencils might have something to do with the difference in the lead.<BR/><BR/>The old Mongols are to treasure, for sure, though I guess they'll never be as sought after as Blackwings.Michael Leddyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05547732736861224886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343608.post-25781689295915467152009-02-23T21:23:00.000-06:002009-02-23T21:23:00.000-06:00I should not post without a license. I did not mea...I should not post without a license. I did not mean: "And for some reason, the No. 1 Mongols I recently acquired write darker/softer than the No. 2s." Because that's exactly what you would expect.<BR/><BR/>What I really meant was, "And for some reason, the No. 2 Mongols I recently acquired write darker/softer than the No. 1s.<BR/><BR/>(My word verification: Calks)Slywyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01424323662407341123noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343608.post-32685913149596543982009-02-23T07:27:00.000-06:002009-02-23T07:27:00.000-06:00Right -- these gradations are absolutely meaningfu...Right -- these gradations are absolutely meaningful only within a single maker's line. No. 1 usually means B -- No. 1 Mongols should be darker and softer than No. 2s.<BR/><BR/>I have a couple of old 2 3/8 Mongols. 2 3/8! Anything to stand out from the competition, I guess.Michael Leddyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05547732736861224886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343608.post-71602241198703870822009-02-23T07:17:00.000-06:002009-02-23T07:17:00.000-06:00Alas, there seems to be no real standard about how...Alas, there seems to be no real standard about how hard/black HB/No. 2 is. For example, the Faber-Castell Grip B is actually about the hardness/blackness of what most think of as an HB/No. 2. And for some reason, the No. 1 Mongols I recently acquired write darker/softer than the No. 2s.<BR/><BR/>From Wikipedia:<BR/>* Also seen as 2-4/8, 2.5, 2-5/10. Although widely accepted, not all manufacturers follow it; for example, Faber-Castell uses a different equivalence table in its Grip 2001 pencils: 1=2B, 2=B, 2 1/2=HB, 3=H, 4=2H.Slywyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01424323662407341123noreply@blogger.com