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Nuremberg, Germany - Conrad Gessner
Originally, graphite sticks were wrapped in string. Later, the graphite was inserted into hollowed-out wooden sticks and, thus, the wood-cased pencil was born! -
Pencil and Bread Discovery
People discovered that you can erase pencil marks with bread crumbs. Unlike pens and quill ink, you can get rid of unwanted marks on paper. -
France - Nicolas-Jacques Conte’
He came up with the idea to mix powdered graphite with potter’s clay as binder. The paste was put into molds and dried. When dry, the leads were packed in charcoal and baked at extremely high temperatures. Conte’ patented this process in 1795, and the modern pencil lead was born. -
England - Sampson Mordan and Gabriel Riddle
The actual mechanical pencil was invented and patented in England by Sampson Mordan and Gabriel Riddle in 1822. What they had was more or less a refillable lead holder rather than a sophisticated mechanical pencil. Those who frequently used them would commonly carry around uniform pieces of lead in their pockets. -
Germany - A.W. Faber
Faber invented a more advanced model to help drafters in architecture. Faber, an already renowned maker and manufacturer of writing utensils designed a holder that was more hollow and allowed for a longer lead to be fitted. A year later, Faber invented and patented the twist locking-clutch mechanism. -
Period: to
Small Upgrades
Many small upgrades were implemented in the later part of the 19th century. The most notable of which were the spring-loaded pencils developed in 1877 and the twist-feed mechanism which was introduced 1895. However, it wasn’t until 1915 that the mechanical pencil was truly sprung on the world. -
Tokuji Hayakawa and Charles Keeran
Up until this point, the mechanical pencil had been called various things. Then, in 1915, two men came out with designs that would change the mechanical pencil forever.
TOKUJI HAYAKAWA - Ever Ready Sharp Pencil
