Shoddy pencils

I have decided to take it upon myself to go on an aimless and antagonistic rant.

I have to sit law society exams in 6 weeks and yet I still lack the motivation to sit down and study. I put this down to the fact that I have already sat exams this summer, and despite doing very well, I now feel as if I am doing repeats... or something like that. Add to that the fact I haven't been on holidays yet this summer (poor me) and am unlikely to combined with the fact that my friends who studied subjects like business studies have already got jobs, are finished with exams despite not sitting as many and are happy as Larry. This combines to make me a very angry man indeed.

Now, to the issue of the day. I am a person who rarely uses pencil. In fact, my stylus of choice is a fountain pen, I reject biros. However, given my current state of mind, I have taken to doing what I really do not like doing - writing in pencil on textbooks.

That may all sound well and good, what could possibly go wrong with a pencil. Well I'll tell you what could go wrong with a pencil. I found a pencil which advertises my dad's company downstairs and brought it upstairs to help me with the above. I sat down at my desk and suddenly realised that somewhere between the kitchen and my bedroom the lead/graphite had broken. So, off I go to find a pencil sharpener - took me 20 bloody minutes. Pencil sharpener didn't work. Off I go again. Found one that works, sharpened. Got to work. Pencil has now broken three times.

I am in a right mind to ring up whoever ordered these shoddy pencils and wring their neck.

Coupled with this my computer just crashed and I lost a document.

By the way, there is also someone using a pneumatic drill on my road. What a joy.

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Thanks for listening

Make that four snappings.

This is a burning issue in my house too.

Really cheap pencils are a bad investment.

The wood is rubbish and do not pare well. It's like paring against the grain and the wood rips instead of paring smoothly.
The lead is also rubbish, and is often already broken into tiny bits inside the wood. So paring is pointless, the lead just keeps falling out.

So I have instructed the stationary procurement officers in my house to only purchase quality pencils. Faber Castell or the like.

Down with shoddy pencils.

You can buy retractable pencils, Johnfás - but you have to balance an ever-renewing nib against the unnecessary plastic.

My brother brought me home a pile of marvellous pencils the other day - red with a black or deep red top.

All others are crap. FC are good. I feel your pain.

But I hate blobby pens worser.

"People are like retractable pencils - if you push em too hard they're gonna break.
And people are like paper dolls - paper dolls and people - they have a similar shape"

Pencils sharpeners ("toppers") are shite, usually. I use a sharp art knife used to make pitcher frames. Buy good pencils too. Focus on the little things and the big stuff will look after itself.

Kate P wrote:

You can buy retractable pencils, Johnfás - but you have to balance an ever-renewing nib against the unnecessary plastic.

My brother brought me home a pile of marvellous pencils the other day - red with a black or deep red top.

All others are crap. FC are good. I feel your pain.

But I hate blobby pens worser.

The word 'worser' should be made legitimate. I think it's a great word. It gives a bigger emphasis to worseness.

Audi, Lidl have big rolls of art canvas for €5. 700mm x 3.5Meters. Not sure if you use canvas though.

I've seen some fantastic art supplies in Lidl in the past.

Do you paint as well as sketch Audi?

EvotingMachine0197 wrote:

Audi, Lidl have big rolls of art canvas for €5. 700mm x 3.5Meters. Not sure if you use canvas though.

Well that's good news because I don't but want to start. I have some big quick abstract ones in mind with supremely primary colours and some chape canvas would do the world of wonder. I have to stretch it over a frame too right?

Lidl and Aldi have these things at certain times of the year and I always forget. I could do worser than get up off my arts and spend €20 there tomorrow when it stops raining.

They also have chape staple guns in Aldi - it's all fitting into place

Johnfas I'm not great at the painting - I've tried watercolours in the past but they're hard. I'll scan some in and post them up but they are unadulterated shite to be honest though I love some of the effects and colours of watercolour. I'm going to get myself some acrylics and see how it goes ...

Do any of ye sketch at all?

No, I'm pretty terrible at sketching to be honest. I did Woodwork for the Junior Cert and I am consequently decent enough at doing 3D/Architectural type drawings. I could draw your house fairly accurately, but not the fruit bowl on your kitchen table.

Auditor #9 wrote:

Do any of ye sketch at all?

I went through a phase of oil painting about 12 years ago. Pretty crap though. Might give it anopther try in a few years.

johnfás, how did you know about the fruit bowl in the kitchen ?

Oils are very difficult I believe.

God, that sounds awful annoying johnfás. It must be galling to deal with such shoddy materials. It must be exceptionally frustrating.

I find that those green pencils by Bic are great. They're very resilient and pare very well.

I love Bic pens by the way.

Staedtler and Faber Castell are fine. Get a knife I tell you.

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

God, that sounds awful annoying johnfás. It must be galling to deal with such shoddy materials. It must be exceptionally frustrating.

I find that those green pencils by Bic are great. They're very resilient and pare very well.

I love Bic pens by the way.

I'm fussy about my pens, as a value for money choice Bic and top if their game. They are good pens alright, however I don't like skinny pens, they don't feel right in my hands. I had a beautiful Mont Blanc which was perfect, a nice chunky pen, weight was perfect and it it a great wide nib, wrote perfectly. It was stolen though and I can't bring my self (nor my bank account) to replace it.

I'm currently writing a document using a blue (usually black for me) Pentel Energel 0.8mm Cushion Point Medium. I like it very much, suits my writing style very well.

As for pencils, you may have a heavy hand when writing, so go for a softer nib. They will wear down faster but won't snap on you. As for sharpening go for a knife, even a disposable box cutter will do.

Mac do a fantastic sharpener for eyeliner

I use a Waterman Fountain Pen - 21st Birthday present from the parentals.

johnfás wrote:

I use a Waterman Fountain Pen - 21st Birthday present from the parentals.

*oooh noises from the pen nerds*

I have to say that I find fountain pens to be a bit fragile and I would prefer if they gave a thinner line. Every one I have developed nib foults after a while. Where would one get replacement nibs I ask you?

Zhou_Enlai wrote:

I have to say that I find fountain pens to be a bit fragile and I would prefer if they gave a thinner line. Every one I have developed nib foults after a while. Where would one get replacement nibs I ask you?

There's a good shop on St. Stephen's Green on the south west corner. Harcourt Street?

I have a fine collection of clutch pencils, much more robust than the ordinary lead refill type pencils. I would be lost without them.

http://www.artifolk.co.uk/catalog/graphic_and_sketching_pencils.htm

Pens well Pilot Hi-tec V5 & V7. or similar. Good for taking quick notes but not at all good if you want to take a few notes on a rainy day out in the garden as the ink runs. Best use an F pencil for that.

By the way is there anywhere in Dublin that you can get a good of paper to draw on? Normally I would wait until I was back at base camp in London.

Auditor #9 wrote:

Zhou_Enlai wrote:

I have to say that I find fountain pens to be a bit fragile and I would prefer if they gave a thinner line. Every one I have developed nib foults after a while. Where would one get replacement nibs I ask you?

There's a good shop on St. Stephen's Green on the south west corner. Harcourt Street?

Also a pricey place on the corner of Suffolk Street and Dame Street.

Bic do yellow pens with very fine biro nibs that I like a lot. I have a pile of fancy pens that I got when I left my last job and I hate every last one of them. They look swanky but are horrid to write with.

Kate P wrote:

Auditor #9 wrote:

Zhou_Enlai wrote:

I have to say that I find fountain pens to be a bit fragile and I would prefer if they gave a thinner line. Every one I have developed nib foults after a while. Where would one get replacement nibs I ask you?

There's a good shop on St. Stephen's Green on the south west corner. Harcourt Street?

Also a pricey place on the corner of Suffolk Street and Dame Street.

Bic do yellow pens with very fine biro nibs that I like a lot. I have a pile of fancy pens that I got when I left my last job and I hate every last one of them. They look swanky but are horrid to write with.

Oh those pens drive me nuts, I have a box of them in the office that I don't use. They also supplied us with new pens and they are cheaper than bic ones and they are even finer nibs and they bend when you write with them (heavy hand you see) and the other day the nib popped clean off and flew across the room hitting somebody leaving a nice blue blob on their white shirt and a nice blue blob on my document, desk and hands.

I recently got a couple of fountain pens. I've always preferred inky pens, biros are like nails on a blackboard to me. I's like to get red ink cartridges though, I can only find blue and black.