![]() ![]() Graphite sticks were at first wrapped in string or in sheepskin for stability. Because graphite is soft, it requires some form of holder. Graphite had to be smuggled out for use in pencils. When sufficient stocks of graphite had been accumulated, the mines were flooded to prevent theft until more was required. The mines were taken over by the Crown and guarded. The value of graphite was soon realized, mainly because it could be used to line the moulds for cannonballs. The black core of pencils is still referred to as lead, even though it never contained the element lead. Consequently, it was called plumbago (Latin for "lead ore"). Chemistry was in its infancy and the substance was thought to be a form of lead. This is still the only large scale deposit of graphite ever found in this solid form. This particular deposit of graphite was extremely pure and solid, and it could easily be sawn into sticks. ![]() The locals found that it was very useful for marking sheep. Some time before 1565 (it may have been as early as 1500), an enormous deposit of graphite was discovered in Borrowdale, Cumbria. It is an invention of the 16th century in England. The word pencil comes from the Latin word pencillus which means "little tail". It was used for scratching onto wood covered with was, a method used by the Romans. HistoryĪnother early writing instrument was the stylus, which was a thin metal stick, often made from lead. Finally, while pencils have been around for thousands of years, pens have only been around for about three hundred. Writing from a pencil can be erased, but writing from a pen usually cannot. Pencil writings do not smudge or wash away if the paper gets wet, unlike pens which have ink. Pens and pencilsĪn important difference between pens and pencils is that the tip of a pencil is made of graphite (or lead) and pens have tips made of metal with ink coming out of the bottom. Colored pencils or crayons are usually meant for drawing rather than writing. Colored pencils are a type of pencil that instead of greyish silver, the tip is colorful. A pencil is usually made with a piece of carbon mixed with clay that has a wood case around it. ![]()
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