On Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:36:51 -0400, "Ed Huntress"
wrote:


"Cydrome Leader" wrote in message
...
Hi

I have a Steadler MARS-780 lead holder. It is made in Germany, and has a
pocket clip. It is made very nicely. It has been on my desk for days.

It doesn't have any lead.

what should I do? It seems to have a place for the lead to fit, and if I
press the cap/sharpener, three jaws open up. They look to have teeth. Is
this to hold the lead?

Do I write with the side with the lead?

Why is this called a lead holder? Does it have to do with holding lead?

It is a very clever device.

Ha-ha! You probably were born too late for that stuff. g

I have a half-dozen or so of them, and several other brands. They're
drafting pencils, also used by graphic artists. You can still get lead for
them at a good graphic-arts supply store, but stock up, because there's no
telling how long it will be before you have to order them online.

They come in at least two different diameters. They're quite thick; you need
a special sharpener to produce a conical point on them (Staedtler makes a
good, compact one that uses an internal file to sharpen. I also have a
Boston desk model that uses sandpaper cones. They both work fine.)

But in use, they often were NOT pointed to a conical shape. Like any other
drafting pencil, they often were filed or sanded to a single- or
double-sided wedge shape, for drawing long straight lines with less wear.

Here's some info but I don't think they show how to sharpen. Maybe I just
missed it:

http://www.staedtler.com/upload/mech...s_gb_11481.pdf

The nice thing about them is that they're much more rigid than modern
mechanical pencils. Artists and draftsmen both like that. The bad thing is
that they have to be sharpened a lot. With a Mars sharpener (mine is a Model
502), the device is compact and takes only two or three spins to give you a
fine point. Then you give the point a quick wipe with a tissue to keep the
graphite dust off of your paper.
Or stab the cigarette filter centrally mounted for this purpose - can
even be one retrieved from the urinal.
Gerry :-)}
London, Canada