While mechanical pencils can often be taken for granted, their invention and development spans decades. Also known as click pencils, automatic pencils, propelling pencils and technical pencils, today's mechanical pencils generally include an eraser, don't require sharpening and draw consistent lines. They weren't always this convenient, though.
Origins
The mechanical pencil (called by other names at the time) was invented and patented in 1822 by Sampson Mordan and Gabriel Riddle, both of England. It was more of a refillable leadholder than a mechanical pencil, as users carried uniform pieces of lead in their pockets to use when necessary. Mordan and Riddle were able to create such a device thanks in large part to a new method of manufacturing pencil leads from lower-quality graphite.
1860
While Sampson and Riddle's pencil was a key development in the history of leadholders, a German named A.W. Faber created a more advanced model around 1860. It was marketed toward drafters in architecture and was hollow, so it could be fitted with longer lead. In 1861, Faber also patented the twist-locking clutch mechanism for pencils.
1865 to 1899
A number of slight improvements upon the refillable leadholder were made between 1860 and 1900. A spring-loaded pencil was developed in 1877, and the twist-feed mechanism was introduced in 1895. With the help of these inventions, a writing implement with a closer resemblance to today's mechanical pencil was born.
1900s
The mechanical pencil truly came into its own and distinguished itself from leadholders in the early 1900s, when two men invented sharper, thinner writing tools. In 1915, Tokuji Hayakawa from Japan created a pencil with a metal shaft, a screw-based mechanism and sharp lead. Around the same time, Charles Keeran of Illinois created a similar implement with very thin lead. Their stories have become intertwined, but it is clear that both Hayakawa and Keeran set the stage for the development of the modern mechanical pencil.
Today
Today, mechanical pencils dominate office supply stores and are commonplace for office workers and schoolchildren. Ratchet-based pencils (activated by clicking) are still common, as are auto-advancing and screw-based pencils. Leadholders and mechanical pencils are now distinguished, as leadholders are still used primarily in architectural design, and mechanical pencils are considered generic, erasable writing tools.
Related Posts:
Load A Sheaffer Mechanical Pencil
Mechanical pencils are convenient.Sheaffer writing instruments, which have been made since 1912, are popular among pen and pencil collectors. Although Sheaffer mechanical pencils are no longer in...
Mechanical Pencil Operate
How Does a Mechanical Pencil Operate?IdentificationA mechanical pencil often looks more like a ballpoint pen than a pencil. You open it like a ballpoint pen by unscrewing or separating the top and...
Create A Mechanical Pencil
Mechanical pencils can be refilled with lead or graphite and used indefinitely.Mechanical pencils are used quite often in both work and classroom settings. Many people prefer...
Fill A Mechanical Pencil
Mechanical pencils often resemble pens.According to PencilThings.com, the mechanical pencil was invented in 1822. The mechanical pencil offers advantages over traditional pencils because it never...
Put New Lead Into A Pentel Mechanical Pencil
Mechanical, or automatic, pencils solve the problem of pencil sharpening by using constant thickness lead that is not attached to the pencil itself. Pentel mechanical pencils come in a variety of...
