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0.2 Mechanical Pencils... Just How Freaking Small Can We Get..


Algester

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I recently acquired an old Skripto mechanical pencil, using full-length lead, with the replaceable eraser

at the end. It is the same type of pencil that I used to take the S.A.T. exams fifty years ago. :Love it !

 

Can you envision an EEEEEEEEEF lead, that deploys a graphite line so fine, as to be detected only

at the molecular level ? :lticaptd: What an accomplishment to write so small, that other humans cannot

read the writing ! It begs the question: How expensive is paper in your corner of the world ?

Auf freiem Grund mit freiem Volke stehn.
Zum Augenblicke dürft ich sagen:
Verweile doch, du bist so schön !

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It's bad enough dealing with the Pentel Graphgear 0.3mm loading it into the pencil, and frequent breakages!

They came as a boon, and a blessing to men,
The Pickwick, the Owl and the Waverley pen

Sincerely yours,

Pickwick

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Pentel introduced 0.2 mm mechanical pencils back in 1973, they've been around for 42 years. The first pencil was the PS1042, the second the PG2 and recently the Orenz. Besides these, I only know of other two 0.2 mm pencils. One made by Sakura and the other made by Tombow. I think they both date back from the 70's as well.

Before the advent of the internet .2's where virtually impossible to find outside Japan. I always saw them as a Japanese specialty, mostly because they are extremely useful to write Kanji!

 

0.2 mm leads are also amazing for extremely detailed art work. In the following picture, a section of a portrait I did a few years ago (the original is A4, smaller than this image), the blown up portion shows the thinner lines made with 0.2 mm HB lead. I use Pentel PG2 mp's. ;)

 

fpn_1423152679__portrait_detail_2.jpg

 

R.

Edited by RR4U

“The pen is the tongue of the mind.”

 

- Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra.

 

fpn_1421103764__don-quijote-de-la-mancha.jpg

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I recently acquired an old Skripto mechanical pencil, using full-length lead, with the replaceable eraser

at the end. It is the same type of pencil that I used to take the S.A.T. exams fifty years ago. :Love it !

 

Can you envision an EEEEEEEEEF lead, that deploys a graphite line so fine, as to be detected only

at the molecular level ? :lticaptd: What an accomplishment to write so small, that other humans cannot

read the writing ! It begs the question: How expensive is paper in your corner of the world ?

 

Not graphite, not written on paper nor at a molecular level. Still pretty amazing! :rolleyes:

 

This was in 1991. I don't know if it still stands as the world record. Probably not!

http://articles.latimes.com/1991-06-06/news/mn-280_1_world-record

 

Text of A.S.Pushkin's poem .1000 letters. Technique: microengraving on a section of a rice grain, chrystal chisel, later filled with Chinese ink.

fpn_1423155393__14.jpg

 

R.

Edited by RR4U

“The pen is the tongue of the mind.”

 

- Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra.

 

fpn_1421103764__don-quijote-de-la-mancha.jpg

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I jut got a Pentel Orenz.

http://www.jstationery.com/mechanical-pencil/pentel-orenz/pentel-orenz-black

http://www.jetpens.com/Pentel-Orenz-Mechanical-Pencil-0.2-mm-Black/pd/11961

http://www.tokyopenshop.com/pentel-orenz-2-p-495.html

 

It works as advertised very well. You can press hard and write swiftly without any fear of breaking the lead. It does produce a very thin and light line. On really smooth paper like Apica, the line is extremely faint, but it gets darker on typical American notebook paper.

 

The line difference between 0.2 and 0.3 mm leads is pretty slight. The 0.2 mm lead is available only in HB and B hardness. For making extremely fine and light lines, I get better results with 0.3 mm lead in H or 2H hardness.

 

One very nice aspect of using these lead sizes is that they practically eliminate smudging. Except on very hard paper, the fine points make enough of a depression to protect the graphite from abrasion.

 

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It's bad enough dealing with the Pentel Graphgear 0.3mm loading it into the pencil, and frequent breakages!

 

You can't expose the 0.2 leads to oxygen or kapow!! :)

 

I break any lead that isn't the size of those huge horse-leg pencils from grade two in the early 1970s.

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Did a comparison of 0.2 mm and 0.3 mm lead sizes. The lines were scanned with a resolution of 1200dpi. Is barely perceptible to the naked eye but there is in fact a significant difference between them. We're talking micro metric scale here. 0.2mm = 200 microns. 1 metre is equal to 1000 mm, or 1.000.000 micron!

 

fpn_1423161494__02-03_size_comparison.jp

 

R.

“The pen is the tongue of the mind.”

 

- Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra.

 

fpn_1421103764__don-quijote-de-la-mancha.jpg

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I've got quite a lot of pencils basically all the conventional thin lead pencils 0.3,0.5,0.7,0.9.2.0mm

 

I only use 3 of them 0.3 for graph work 0.9 for writing and 2.0mm for sketching.The rest I don't really need.

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  • 4 weeks later...

the pga2 (i think) came out a long long time ago and it was a 0.2 pencil. i think it was 20 years but its not manufactured anymore

perhaps smaller leads are already on their way, if the 0.2 lead already is quite a bit old.

New to fountain pens, older to dip pens.

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Pentel also came out with a limited edition 0.1mm lead long ago. Would have loved to try one of those. :D

The RavenLunatic


Semper insanit omnes tempore.


http://img244.imageshack.us/img244/5642/postcardde9.pnghttp://img525.imageshack.us/img525/606/letterji9.png

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When I got my Orenz, although it worked great, I thought the line was a bit too fine for regular writing. I felt it would have been better if they went with 0.3 mm. It has been many years since Pentel sold a 0.3 mm pencil with a sliding sleeve. Well, a 0.3 mm Orenz is now out in Japan and should be available abroad pretty soon.

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Pentel also came out with a limited edition 0.1mm lead long ago. Would have loved to try one of those. :D

woah. ive never heard of that. im going to try as hard as i can to find those.

since the pga2 i have came from a small korean store with only 50 pageviews.

New to fountain pens, older to dip pens.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I've always thought that .5 mm was about the limit as far as practical daily use lead goes...But maybe some people have a lighter hand than I do.

 

@RR4U: that is really nice work.

 

 

-Evan

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Thank you Evan.

 

R.

“The pen is the tongue of the mind.”

 

- Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra.

 

fpn_1421103764__don-quijote-de-la-mancha.jpg

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0.2mm? Pfft! I have, in my pen cup on my desk, a range of pigment marker going from 0.8mm through 0.5, 0.3, 0.2, 0.1 and to 0.05mm. Now that's a thin line!

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0.2mm? Pfft! I have, in my pen cup on my desk, a range of pigment marker going from 0.8mm through 0.5, 0.3, 0.2, 0.1 and to 0.05mm. Now that's a thin line!

Lucky you, now you only need a .4, a .6 and a .7 to have a full range. However, pigment ink and felt tip markers have nothing to with graphite! ;)

 

Cheers,

R.

“The pen is the tongue of the mind.”

 

- Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra.

 

fpn_1421103764__don-quijote-de-la-mancha.jpg

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Pentel also came out with a limited edition 0.1mm lead long ago. Would have loved to try one of those. :D

You're kidding, right?

 

R.

“The pen is the tongue of the mind.”

 

- Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra.

 

fpn_1421103764__don-quijote-de-la-mancha.jpg

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I've yet to find anything on the Web about a 0.1 mm pencil other than typos by folks seeking 1.0 mm leads.

;)

 

Greetings, Mike,

R.

“The pen is the tongue of the mind.”

 

- Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra.

 

fpn_1421103764__don-quijote-de-la-mancha.jpg

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