I am sure you have at least once grabbed a pencil and written, drew or sketched… Ever imagine life at school or home without pencils?
Let us hear the pencil’s story.. How do you think Pencils write? As I ask this question – I hear the most common answer – The lead inside the pencil makes it write.
Well, think twice – There is no lead in pencils, though it is commonly also called ‘lead’ pencils. What then 
are pencils made of? Let me take you through a time machine to go to when the pencils originated. Long ago a huge deposit of a material called Graphite was discovered in England. Graphite is a form of carbon that can be found in nature like coal or diamonds. It was discovered that this type of coal was very useful for marking cattle and hence it obtained its name (graphein means ‘to write’ in Greek). As the natural sources of graphite got depleted, it was discovered that powdered forms of graphite which were more abundantly available could be used along with powdered clay and water to produce the same effect. This mix is molded and baked to make pencils and is used to this day to make your favorite brand of pencils.
The core of the pencil is made of sticks of graphite which is surrounded by a protective casing of wood, plastic, recycled paper etc. This casing helps to protect the soft graphite core from breaking and also prevents staining the user’s hand during usage of the same. As we write on a paper by the process of 
physical abrasion, the pencils create marks by leaving behind a trail of the black carbon particles on the surface of the paper. These particles can be removed by an eraser since they do not stain the paper like the ink of pens do. The tiny graphite particles are held weakly on the paper surface which stick on to the rubber of the eraser thereby erasing the paper.
The ratio of graphite and clay determines the softness and darkness of the pencil. The more the graphite the softer the pencil is, and the darker it writes. Pencils are graded in this manner from 6B to 9H (B – blackness; H – hardness) with 6B being the softest and writes darkest as compared to 9H being the hardest. Pencils are chosen based on this property for different purposes including writing, sketching, shading etc. Colour pencils use dyes and pigments to make them colour so.
Next time you pick up a pencil, do remember to note the number associated with it. Happy ‘pencilling’.
Want to read more on pencils? Click on these links and enjoy understanding more on pencils..
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pencil
https://pencils.com/pages/the-history-of-the-pencil
https://www.pens.co.uk/pen2paper/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/The-History-of-the-Pencil.pdf (This site presents the wonderful history of pencils in a detailed manner)
https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/a21567/history-of-the-pencil/ (This site has a picture of the oldest pencil)
