The art of sharpening pencils (2007) | Hacker News Reader

The art of sharpening pencils (2007)

matthewjamestaylor.com

138 pointsTomte25 comments

"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...

cf. the film version: https://vimeo.com/60718161

I have a particular affection for the chapter where he teaches you how to sharpen pencils with your mind.

> 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.

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/

Art teacher here. Pencil sharpening using a knife is a highly underestimated component of drawing. In my drawing class, pencil sharpeners are forbidden.

TFA does not seem to address in any detail the knife itself. Most hobby-style knives are too bendy to use safely. They also often break in such a way as to present the sharp edge on the wrong side. Can’t count the number of cuts I have received in that way. By far preferred is the Stanley-style knife blade: thick and non-bendy.

For those unfamiliar with the brand, Stanley makes what is often colloquially referred to as “box cutters”. I may just be out of the loop but I had to Google the brand for it to click for me.

Also, I’m curious. When you say hobby-style do you mean an x-acto knife or more like your standard folding pocket knife?

> For those unfamiliar with the brand, Stanley makes what is often colloquially referred to as “box cutters”.

Yep... box cutter blade. Lost in translation somewhere across the Atlantic :)

> Also, I’m curious. When you say hobby-style do you mean an x-acto knife or more like your standard folding pocket knife?

I mean a knife like the one shown in the article: a retractile blade, whose leading blunt end can be broken-off incrementally in order to maintain a consistent sharp edge.

The break is designed to follow a pre-scored edge. A nice idea in theory, but the blades frequently break in a direction oblique to that pre-scoring. This gives the visual impression that the sharp edge is facing one direction, when in fact it is facing the other. Ouch.

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.

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

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/

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

Interesting. Do people draw with the blunt point? Maybe they angle it and use the circular edge of the tip?

Wow. I have never before been jealous on account of a pencil sharpener.

I have one at home, and one at the office. Sure, its cheap Chinese manufacturing, but it really works.

Agreed. I splurged on a Blackwing One-Step Longpoint Sharpener and I really like it. Unfortunately I loaned it to my wife and she really liked it too... ;-)

https://www.amazon.com/Blackwing-One-Step-Long-Point-Sharpen...

I was kind of hoping this would talk about sharpening the chunky rectangular carpenter/construction pencils.

It's still super awkward whenever I find myself sharpening one with a utility knife. I seem to waste a lot of the pencil.

You’re in luck! https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FM8uRAdZ8S0

Matt’s videos have come a long way since this one, but I still refer back to it. I just sharpened a carpenter’s pencil with Matt’s method today!

That's basically what I have done intuitively, maybe the pencils just suck because they tend to break immediately when I sharpen them with that much lead protruding.

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.

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.

How much for the dollhead sharpener?

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.

An immature mind can be a constant source of joy. At least for me it is.

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