Graphite, clay, and wood are turned into pencils on an assembly line by mechanical saws, lacquer sprayers, and giant kilns. At sawmills, wood is precut into uniform squares and waxed and stained. Graphite will be held in place by grooves and filled with glue. Clay and graphite are mixed at 1500°C. Wood is stacked on top of graphite and sandwiched between two wood slats. A mechanical table saw cuts individual pencils. Spray-coating gives pencils a sheen and colour. And now the pencil is ready to ship.
Pencils are tools used to write on pages. They are also suitable for use on most other surfaces that permit friction. By abrasion, they leave marks on the surface they are rubbed against, leaving scratches in the graphite core. During prehistoric times, chalked rocks and charred sticks were other methods of writing and painting cave walls. Greeks also used it for transcripts on papyrus. In the modern era, humans created a stick-like structure by combining graphite with wooden layers. They chose this material due to its affordable price, ease of availability, and shape ability. Making a pencil requires more than just graphite.Keep reading to learn about all the raw materials of pencils and how pencils are made.
Did You Know? In St. Louis, Missouri, the City Museum holds the world's largest pencil, which measures 23.23 metres (76 feet 2.75 inches) and weighs 98.43 tonnes.
History of Pencils
Graphite was first discovered in Bavaria at the beginning of the 15th century. Graphite sticks were first wrapped in string. Wood-cased pencils were created by hollowing out sticks and filling them with graphite. In the 19th century, a pencil manufacturing company developed because of the high-quality graphite around Keswick. The first factory was opened in 1832 by the Derwent Cumberland Pencil Company.
Raw Materials Used in Pencil
Different types of pencils are available in various sizes, colours, and lead compositions. Due to their graphite and wood composition, pencils are the best writing tool for being environmentally friendly and mindful of consumption. Separating them from their non-biodegradable additions allows these natural resources to be recycled easily.
What Are Pencils Made of?
Graphite and wood make up the majority of a pencil. A thick paste is prepared by grinding graphite and mixing it with clay powder and water. A kiln is then used to fire this paste. Thus, the lead core is strong and highly smooth for writing on paper, making breaking difficult. A pencil also contains rubber and aluminium. Erasers are made from rubber, while the ferrules, which hold the erasers in place, are made from aluminium. You couldn't correct your mistakes if these two pieces weren't available!
Listed below are the raw materials used in pencil manufacturing.
1. Wood
A pencil's wooden casing usually consists of cedar or another softwood. Thick panels are cut and shaped to create a cylindrical shape from wood.
2. Clay and Graphite
Minerals like graphite and clay form the lead of a pencil, both occurring naturally. Mixing graphite with clay enhances its strength and durability.
3. Paint
For a smooth and comfortable writing surface, pencils are often covered with a thin layer of paint to protect the wood.
4. Metal
Metal ferrules, caps that hold the rubber eraser on pencils, are often found on them. Aluminium, a lightweight, silvery metal, makes up the ferrules.
5. Rubber
Graphite marks on paper can be removed from the top tip of a pencil using a rubber eraser. Even though the raw materials used to make a pencil may appear simple, you can produce a high-quality product through a meticulous process.
Also Read: How Are Lipsticks Made - Ingredients and Process Explained
Manufacturing Process of Pencil
Factories manufacture pencils using large quantities of wood, graphite, and clay. Machines like mechanical saws, lacquer sprayers, and giant kilns are used to make pencils out of these materials.
The following are the detailed steps in the pencil manufacturing process.
Step-1: How To Make Wood from Forest Trees
It is more efficient to receive pre-cut wood panels instead of raw wood materials, as it speeds up manufacturing and allows a more efficient production flow. It is a facility specialising in cutting wood logs into flat rectangles called wood panels. To ensure the materials' quality before manufacturing the pencil, the factory bakes, chemically softens, waxes, and stains the slats. This process will provide a consistent colour and smooth surface on all slats.
Step-2: Wood Panel Carving
Individually, the panels are carved with an electric saw to create a thin channel for the graphite lead. On an assembly line, all the panels pass through an industrial saw that adds grooves to the wood to perform future steps. There is a constant distance between each groove. At this point, the wood panels appear like pencils.
Step-3: Graphite Lead Making
Hardening lead pencils requires cooking graphite and clay together at 1500°F for several hours. Lead is the primary component of pencils, which is their heart and soul. The famous French scientist Nicholas-Jacques discovered a way to make graphite lead in 1795, which we use today.
Graphite lead comes from kaolin clay and graphite powder. Clays with fine-grained textures, such as this kaolin clay, have a white colour and fine-grained texture. A mixture of kaolin clay and graphite powder makes the clay more resistant. Lead durability is one of the most essential criteria for producing high-quality pencils. A paste-like mixture results from combining these two ingredients. The machinery forms a thin, stick-like structure as the mixture is shaped into a thin stick to fit between the grooves already in the wood panels.
Step-4: Making Sandwich Slats
Two parts of the factory machine are used for processing the wood panels, dividing them into two groups during manufacturing. The top half of the pencil will comprise one group, and the bottom half will include the other group. Despite passing through different machines from this point forward, manufacturers ultimately assemble pencils by bringing the two groups of wood panels together. This group of panels will hold graphite lead in its grooves. A wood casing, the pencil's base, covers the first lead-filled panel.
Step-5: Addition of the Glue
This step involves applying elastic glue to the grooves to place the graphite lead. A unique formula gives the glue its elastic properties. Polyvinyl acetate is the main ingredient of the special glue. As a result of this specific ingredient, a long-lasting bond can be formed and guaranteed. Due to the glue's ability to adhere to both sides of the pencil, it will appear like it is not composed of multiple parts!
Step-6: Stacking the Lead and Wood
After installing the first group of wooden panels with graphite, the second group is placed directly above the first group. The result is two large wood panels wedged together with graphite lead inserted between them. A pencil's base consists of three separate pieces that attach. On the assembly line, the first wood panel crosses through the flat surface; the graphite lead is strategically placed into the carved groove, followed by the second wood panel. You can see a thin layer of lead graphite between the grooves of the stacked panels at this point in production.
Step-7: Assembling It All
A machine squeezes them with 1,000 kg of pressure to ensure the elastic glue moulds the wood panel halves together. It is essential to apply the glue evenly to ensure it covers all wooden grooves. When the glue dries, it can do its job correctly. You can use a mechanical plunger to place the panels for one hour to ensure the elastic glue is completely dry.
Step-8: Individual Pencil Making by Slicing the Wood
An industrial table saw cut individual pencils from wood and graphite boards. You can slice each wooden panel using a saw to create a pencil, and sanding the exposed wood results in a smooth finish.
Step-9: Quality Control
Performing lead and sharpening tests on a pencil from each batch ensures quality. Quality control ensures that every step in the process of making pencils goes smoothly and proceeds as planned. A designated number of specialists continuously check and verify the batches of pencils produced by factory machinery.
Step-10: Final Touches
Adding a metal cap, a lacquer layer, and an eraser completes the final details. Printing images or text on the pencil's base is possible. Adding an engraved or screen-printed logo to the pencil is most common these days. Clients commonly request to print the pencil bases with custom logos, images, or messages. Ferrules, or metal caps, complete the pencil's finishing touches. At the tip of the ready-to-use product, a ferrule provides a place to attach an eraser.
Step-11: Pencils Packaged and Ready for Shipping
A batch of pencils has been produced after a thorough production process! The pencils are officially shipped to the buyer once machinery and skilled workers have neatly packaged them. After leaving the factory, you can use these products immediately because of their high-quality results. No matter where you use them, this essential staple will remain in classrooms and offices for centuries.
Also Read: Exploring the Best Pencil Brands in India
Conclusion
In conclusion, learning about pencils' components and production methods offers important new perspectives on this common writing instrument. Graphite, clay, wood, rubber, and metal combine to create pencils. The lead is created by combining graphite and clay, and it is then carefully carved and put together into wooden panels. To ensure the production of high-quality pencils, the manufacturing process requires precise stages such as glueing, stacking, cutting, and quality checking. The finishing touches before packaging and shipment include inserting metal caps, lacquer coatings, and erasers. In addition to being useful, writing with a pencil improves memory and critical thinking abilities. It is time to put words on paper! Pick up your favourite pencil and get started!
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