[HN Gopher] The art of sharpening pencils (2007) ___________________________________________________________________ The art of sharpening pencils (2007) Author : Tomte Score : 97 points Date : 2022-08-25 11:26 UTC (2 days ago) (HTM) web link (matthewjamestaylor.com) (TXT) w3m dump (matthewjamestaylor.com) | avian wrote: | > The Needle Point [...] The fine point is prone to breaking | | The fragile point can be a benefit. | | When I was taking my first drawing lectures I was constantly | reminded that I use a too heavy hand and that I'm fixing the | lines on my sketches too early. A pencil sharpened to a needle | point kind of forces you to use a light hand because otherwise | you're constantly breaking the graphite. | | I always thought that's the main reason why people use it. I | guess less sharpening is nice benefit as well, but I never | thought about it until now. | Geonode wrote: | It says mechanical pencil sharpeners are only available for the | standard shape, but that's incorrect. | | I love my long point sharpener: | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07W9JH4RV/ | wkjagt wrote: | One day, I'll get myself an El Casco pencil sharpener. It gives | a very special point shape, a long point, but ends in a blunt | surface. Here's a review that describes it really well: | https://www.penciltalk.org/2012/05/el-casco-pencil-sharpener | bdn_ wrote: | "How to Sharpen Pencils" [1] by David Rees is one of my favorite | books. Highly recommend it for its perfect blend of satire, | actual in-depth analysis, and absurdity. | | [1] https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/214252/how-to- | sharp... | trynewideas wrote: | cf. the film version: https://vimeo.com/60718161 | becquerel wrote: | I have a particular affection for the chapter where he teaches | you how to sharpen pencils with your mind. | [deleted] | HPsquared wrote: | Not exactly sharpening, but there's an artist who carved pencils | into intricate sculptures, see this one of a train and tunnel: | | https://mymodernmet.com/cindy-chinn-pencil-carvings/ | lubujackson wrote: | If drawing with a charcoal pencil, a long point is preferred. The | idea isn't to have a sharp point as much as a wide side that | enable wielding the pencil more like a paintbrush. | zoomablemind wrote: | Nice set of advices, save for a disturbing novelty sharpener. | | In some old school design bureau I once noticed a curious style | of sharpening, where the shaved wood would be tapered at | unusually extended length (over one inch) instead of just one cm. | This style would be hand cut. | | I guess, the utility is probably two fold - this makes the bottom | part of the pencil skinier so it's easier to handle it with those | bulky drafter's rulers, also it saves time to keep the tip | resharpened, as less wood needs to be shaved off during the work. | | Additionaly, with longer slope it's probably easier to keep the | tip pointy by rolling it on the side. | | The ugliest sharpening job comes with those stubby Teconderoga | school pencils, little core to use and steep tip. | nabilhat wrote: | You're not far off, it's so that the wood doesn't interfere | when using a pencil pointer, and exposing more graphite does | reduce time spent whittling. That's one big reason it's more | common to find mechanical pencils at the drafting table, but | they also do still go for a spin in the pointer now and then. | | https://www.draftingsuppliesdew.com/supplies/lead-pointers | kang wrote: | I use the normal point. When it blunts out a few mm, it forms a | round ballpoint pen like surface that can be sustained for a long | time. | causality0 wrote: | Maybe this is a bit immature of me but I can't help but giggle at | how his line drawings of breasts are lovingly crafted and shaded | and his drawing of a penis is just a vague scribble. | [deleted] | [deleted] | Cockbrand wrote: | An immature mind can be a constant source of joy. At least for | me it is. | BugsJustFindMe wrote: ___________________________________________________________________ (page generated 2022-08-27 23:00 UTC)