![]() ![]() Soft cores are going to give you a gentle, brush-like quality to the stroke.ī is for BLACKNESS:This is pretty self-explanatory. If you are working on soft paper, the harder pencil core might puncture or crease your page unwantedly. Be aware that harder pencil cores are going to be more difficult to erase from the page. Left-hand users are going to want to use a pencil with an extra-hard core to prevent smudging. The 1:1 ratio corresponds to the 3H hardness. The hardest pencil you can find contains about 20% graphite, and the softest one has about 90%. Grading hardness is just a measure of evaluating the ratio of those two particles. The more kaolin that’s mixed in, the harder and more structured the pencil core will be. ![]() Contrary to the way you might think about it, though, the more graphite powder that’s in pencil, the softer the pencil is-soft as in it will crumble and leave a dark streak. Graphite on its own is too brittle and will break if it wasn’t mixed with something. H is for HARDNESS:When judging how hard a pencil is, it’s essential to know that the graphite powder is mixed with something called kaolin, which is a clay binder. “F” indicates how FINE A POINT the pencil has. That being said, here’s what you need to know about the HB Scale: To muck things up a bit, there are European and American graphite scales, and each manufacturer uses its measurements, so there’s quite a bit of wiggle room in this scale, and not all brands will be equal. This scale gives a much more comprehensive evaluation of what you can expect from the pencil than a mere number alone. However, most pencil manufacturers use the HB GRAPHITE SCALE. This numerical scale was created initially to identify the difference in writing instruments and wasn’t intended to evaluate artistic instruments. The pencils gave off a heavy residue that scanning machines could easily read. If you buy a pencil that has a #2 on it, you’ll know that the pencil leaves a dark mark-this is why when most of us were growing up, we had to use a “Number Two” pencil for those scantron tests. The lower numbers will dull quicker, meaning you have to sharpen them more frequently. These numbers range from 2-9, with “2” leaving a formidable mark on the paper and a “9” leaving a light mark. The NUMERICAL SCALE measures the hardness of the graphite core. That’s because there are two different scales that pencil manufacturers use. When you buy a pencil, you’re going to see one of two things: either a number all by itself or a letter and a number together. ![]() ![]() The nuance is relatively small, but you can tell the difference when comparing the pencil strokes to each other. The “HB Scale” is a kind of grading system that manufacturers use to identify what kind of pencil you are getting. The transition to graphite is ideal, as graphite is far more lightfast than the lead is, meaning that UV light doesn’t break graphite down as quickly. Furthermore, the name “lead pencil” stuck, even though it was technically made entirely out of something else. Although lead (a toxic metal) was commonly known and used for hundreds of years, when graphite (a crystal made from carbon) was initially discovered in England, the graphite was mistaken for lead and therefore named after lead. Here’s what you need to know about how (graphite) pencils are measured:įirst, you might be surprised to find out that the “lead pencil” that we have all been using for years isn’t mead from the lead at all! Graphite and lead are two separate substances, and it’s graphite that you’ll find in your pencil. But wait! Aren’t pencils made from lead? The following article will break all that down for you. Although most of us have been using and are familiar with the standard “Number Two” pencil, what does that mean? And what do the other odd nomenclatures mean that is written on the pencil body? Those short letters and numbers indicate how soft or hard the graphite core is, how black the graphite is, and how fine of a point it makes. Most of us know what a pencil is-we’ve been using them for years, especially in school on standardized tests. What does the nomenclature mean? What does HB and 2B mean? Which one should you buy for your art project? Understanding the marks on the pencil is a little less clear for the uninitiated, though. They are easily found, come in a range of sizes and richness, and are easy to buy in bulk. Pencils are an excellent, inexpensive drawing and coloring tool available to you as artists. ![]()
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