Blocked Lead Carrier - Suggestions For Clearing

January 14, 2018

I have a problem with a vintage Yard-o-Led pencil that I bought secondhand. The lead carrier seems to be blocked and I can't work out how to clear it out: do you have any suggestions?

Also I can't work out what size lead it takes. The .9mm lead seems a bit small. Is it possible (assuming I can clear the blockage in the lead carrier) to get a 1.0mm lead to fit? Any other way to work out size of lead it takes other than by trail and error?

Thanks for any suggestions.

January 15, 2018

My mechanical pencils are not vintage, unless "vintage" now includes Pentel models made in the late 1970s, but nearly all of them have the lead size marked somewhere on the body of the pencil. I've no idea if that was a convention when your pencil was made, but it may be worth a careful examination.

The same Pentel pencils (side-propelling) came with a needle that not only holds the replaceable eraser in place, but can be used to clear out the lead carrier, which helpfully unscrews from the barrel. It's about the size of a hefty stick pin, i.e. NOT the "dressmaker" size of stick pin which is very fine.

Good luck!

January 15, 2018

I have a problem with a vintage Yard-o-Led pencil that I bought secondhand. The lead carrier seems to be blocked and I can't work out how to clear it out: do you have any suggestions?

Also I can't work out what size lead it takes. The .9mm lead seems a bit small. Is it possible (assuming I can clear the blockage in the lead carrier) to get a 1.0mm lead to fit? Any other way to work out size of lead it takes other than by trail and error?

Thanks for any suggestions.

I'm not a Yard-o-Led owner, but I recall their leads always looking rather thick. And on their website, it seems they have a proprietary lead size of 1.18mm. See: Yard-o-Led Pencil Leads.

If the mechanism is stuck, it could be that the lead has adhered to the channel. That can happen over time, if the pencil is not in use for years. All mechanical pencils can be disassembled. I don't know how to do it for Yard-o-Led, but I'm sure if you search you'll find tips on that. Once disassembled, you should be able to clear the channel. If you don't have an appropriate wire, you might have to try using a needle of the proper diameter.

January 17, 2018

My mechanical pencils are not vintage, unless "vintage" now includes Pentel models made in the late 1970s, but nearly all of them have the lead size marked somewhere on the body of the pencil. I've no idea if that was a convention when your pencil was made, but it may be worth a careful examination.
The same Pentel pencils (side-propelling) came with a needle that not only holds the replaceable eraser in place, but can be used to clear out the lead carrier, which helpfully unscrews from the barrel. It's about the size of a hefty stick pin, i.e. NOT the "dressmaker" size of stick pin which is very fine.
Good luck!

OK, thanks for the suggestion.

January 17, 2018

I'm not a Yard-o-Led owner, but I recall their leads always looking rather thick. And on their website, it seems they have a proprietary lead size of 1.18mm. See: Yard-o-Led Pencil Leads.

If the mechanism is stuck, it could be that the lead has adhered to the channel. That can happen over time, if the pencil is not in use for years. All mechanical pencils can be disassembled. I don't know how to do it for Yard-o-Led, but I'm sure if you search you'll find tips on that. Once disassembled, you should be able to clear the channel. If you don't have an appropriate wire, you might have to try using a needle of the proper diameter.

Thanks for your suggestions Since my original post I have been in touch with YoL and they are going to fix it FoC. Apparently they have a lifetime guarantee, regardless of the pencils age. Pretty amazing!