What pencil/pen/kugelschreiber/stylo do you use?

[photonrider]

This stub is from my step-daughter, and has a story behind it - and maybe a bit of whimsy.

It was after a few years of early grade school that I noticed she never got rid of that pencil. As the years wore by - and she always got excellent grades - the pencil got shorter and I would worry that she didn’t have enough pencils. But place as many fancy pencils as I would on her desk, her pencil case would never be without this one.
Well, one day it was High Noon on Main Street - showdown time.
’What’s with the pencil?’ I asked. ’What’s wrong with all the new ones? Look! I got one with sparkles!’ She was in Gr. 6 by then. Sparkles were in.
’Daaaad,’ - this said in a tone one addresses the village idiot with - ’that pencil knows the answers.’
I remained silent. Sometimes one asks the wrong questions.
’See . . . ,’ she goes on, ’that’s the pencil I do all my stuff. You know. The real stuff I have to do before my exams . . . all my homework and stuff. That pencil has done a lot of sums, and essays and everything. So when I use it in my tests it already knows. It knows the answers. Isn’t that, like, gee - obvious?’
She grew up and became a lawyer, and moved to Oz, but I saved the pencil, a pencil that knows a lot of stuff.

Much later on I learned about virtual particles; but that was a whole lot easier to understand.

 

[MarinaDiamandis]

What a brilliant story, photonrider, thanks for sharing it!

 

[NINE_HUNDRED]

Does she know you still have it?

 

[photonrider]

What a brilliant story, photonrider, thanks for sharing it!

Thanks. My pleasure.

Does she know you still have it?

Yes. Among other little childhood ’slices of time’ I’ve archived, LOL.

 

[Sach]

This bad mutha.



Pilot H1005 Vanishing Point (discontinued)

 

[AMCNUT]

I've been using a somewhat generic-looking black mechanical pencil that used to have MITSUBISHI JAPAN in raised letters on the top for the past ~5 years. Now most of it's worn off and you can barely tell there are any letters there. It also used to have a red elastic band that came with it slotted in near the top which my fiddly hands have long since lost. I replaced it with a random piece of soldering wire I found in class one day (still have that piece, at least.) The pencil has developed hairline fractures in two places, but I still have the metal eraser thingy that goes in top.

I've had the thing long enough that I sort of feel attached to it for some strange reason - I'd be upset if I lost it. As for pens, I just use whatever is on hand when I'm forced write in ink - I prefer pencil heavily.

 

[uMadson?]

I'm using this for my exams though.

 

[TigJackson]

There's certainly a lot of pencils and pens to choose from in this world. I'm an Engineer/Surveyor, with large hands and fingers, and I've been using the same 0.5mm Pentel Pencil exactly like this one for many years. The only 'drawing' that I do is with a CAD program on my computer, and any fine tipped pen is handy for writing notes in my 'sometimes' daily journal. I usually use 2H leads for writing notes in my field books, and I'll switch to 4H if I need to add finer text.

This pencil has been unbreakable, and I could never go back to any type of wooden pencil. It's way too much of a hassle for me to sharpen a wooden pencil when I'm out in the field and many miles from the nearest pencil sharpener.

 

[ziopaperone]

When it comes to pens, my choice is this:

One of the better pens ever, in my opinion.

Then, I was the proud owner of a (now discontinued) Staedtler cannot-remember-the-model, until it fell on the ground just before my Tech Drawing exam (luckily I had a spare one); currently, I'm using a Koh-i-noor Professional MP07, with 2H leads (my middle school Arts teacher used to say "You don't have two hands, you've got two spades" in honor of the cleanliness and thickness of the lines)

 

[garlik_bread]

This is the pen that I remember loving as a kid, always made my handwriting better and was always a pleasure to use:

The Pentel Disposable Fountain Pen.

 

[Jimlaad43]

Me use dis pen most orftern

 

[Omnis]

My pencil also knows a lot of stuff. However, it gets a kick out of betrayal.

 

[photonrider]

Talking about betrayal in relation to writing instruments brings to mind the pen that gives out . . . when you need it most.
There you are, beads of sweat on brow, trembling fist about to sign five different documents, and then your signature starts to fade . . .a .nd f ad e... and you pump and shake the pen, and look around for scrap paper to make chicken scratches to get ....it.....going. At which point you're usually glad it's the real-estate agent's (or used car salesman's) pen, and not yours - embarrassing. This, of course, gives you a minute or so more to ponder whether it's really wise to buy that tropical island. Or that used Lada.
Is such a pen trying to tell one something: virtual particles betraying the existence of something more than words?

A pencil, however, is not suitable for signing one's life away. A pencil's tracks, like the first footprints on the moon, are delible.

 

[terminator363]

Just bought a Bic 4 in 1 from a guy in my class for $0.75. It's my favorite pen in the world. I used to have one of these when I was really little. This thing is really nostalgic - and in addition it's made in France!

By the way what's with the little ball on the top?

 

[TB]

it's made in France!

By the way what's with the little ball on the top?

A tickler.

If you don't know what that is, do me a favor and keep it that way.

 

[Korza]

I now use one of these:

 

[photonrider]

A tickler.

If you don't know what that is, do me a favor and keep it that way.

I remember knowing . . . but now I've completely forgotten.

*going off to experiment

 

[trackripper123]

I use a Lamy fountain pen most often, can't stand writing with biros for some reason, I think it's because there's too little resistance when you're writing so my handwriting goes all messy. Fountain pen all the way.

 

[NissanSkylineN1]

 

[Anathema]

Nothing really but these, and some Pilot #07's when I need a pen.

 

[OK8]

I used to have an Inka Pen attached to my keys and I really enjoyed it. It's a great thing to always have a pen ready.

Too bad one of the plastic things broke in half and I couldn't glue it back into a whole. Haven't gotten a new one yet but I should.

Here's a picture, might look complicated to use but it's really easy in real life.

 

[gorsad]

2B or not 2B? That is the question...

Quoted for truth.

I use a black ink pen, any kind will do.

For pencils I use anything, doesn't really matter to me.

 

[photonrider]

Pencils . . . can be heaven; try a 4B on 100 ib Bristol Paper.

Now that new school supplies have been procured, the dump box of 'old' (yes 'old' as in "Is this really old?") scriveners of various hue, texture, and capability have been relegated to the dump-box of has-been k'schreibers.

 

[Dean]

I guess I'm using a normal pencil...

 

[Monatsende]

Signing contracts:
Caran d`Ache Lémans

Every day use:
Something like that...

 

[axletramp]

*box of pens pic*

That looks eerily like a box I have in the kids playroom...

 

[BJBEOSmitty]

Parker Jotter, blue ink please.

I'm using this pink one at the moment. It was a purchase supporting Breast Cancer Research, and gets noticed a lot. Grown man sporting a pink pen? I mention breast and the guys are on board, I mention breast cancer and Women co-workers get all soft on me

I've had red ones, black ones, metal ones, some I used in school 20 years ago. I think the pen has been around for a loooong time, my Grandfather gave me one in the 80's.

Mine gets lost/swiped at work about once per year. I just replace it with one off eBay for about $5. They aren't sold in American stores any more that I have seen.

Odd and interesting thread... I should get my oldest son on here, he's quite an artist/illustrators... He has 50+ pens, pencils and markers, with his favorites of course.

 

[photonrider]

That looks eerily like a box I have in the kids playroom...

Any family home with growing kids would probably have something like that; eerily familiar.

Parker Jotter, blue ink please.


Odd and interesting thread... I should get my oldest son on here, he's quite an artist/illustrators... He has 50+ pens, pencils and markers, with his favorites of course.

I love the Parker Jotter - what a workhorse pen; I've had many myself, in all sorts of colours, and also the solid steel one (quite the weapon, too, in case someone doesn't see eye to eye with you, pen being mightier than the sword, and so on.. . . )

Writers and Illustrators of course love their scribeners, and eventually amass a fair collection. And don't you dare touch them.

Working with these at the moment:

 

[Signal52]

The plain ole Bic 0.7 mechanical pencils have served me well over the years. Never have found 0.5 version though.

 

[photonrider]

As you can see, one of my 'pencils' is a 9B. It's so thick, it's all pencil.