Staedtler 2mm Lead Holder - Drafting Mechanical Pencil

[juteck]

Greetings all. I am fairly new to this forum, not new to basic pen turning, but not advanced to the point where I am casting my own blanks, powder coating metal parts, etc.. I have experimented some with kit modifications, but no where near the modifications many on this forum (and other forums) are producing. I am a hobby turner, and generally limited hours to late evenings after kids' homework and bath and bedtime routines are finished.

Introductions out of the way, I am interested in making a 2mm mechanical pencil or lead holder, using a standard clutch mechanism like on the Staedtler-Mars pencils, or equivalent. I have used the Staedtler brand for more than 20 yrs, and have never had a problem with the clutch mechanism or parts failing, so would like to modify this pencil or equivalent to fit with a wooden body. From the plastic body pencils I have on hand, it looks like the plastic is a molded fit into the knurled metal tip. I'd like to keep the knurled metal tip, but is there an easy way to get the plastic body out of it? How is this pencil taken apart?

Is there another 2mm pencil available through local retail stores that is easy to dis-assemble, and has a reliable mechanism? I had tried the PSI power (?) pencil several years ago, but the mechanism failed after short use. I never liked the feel of the hardware on that pencil either. I'd like to find one through local retail instead of online order, so one available through art or drafting supply stores is preferred.

I have searched this forums, and found a good reference to the Alvin Scott B/2 pencil, but it looked like it needed the plastic body to be cut out, which sounds like the same thing I may need to do for the Staedtler pencil.

Thanks for the help,
John

 

[me2cyclops]

I'm working on one of these now on mine the metal is threaded onto the plastic, the lead in the mech holds the guts in (unscrew plastic , remove lead and mechanism slides out
I have a long cocobolo blank drilled with a ebonite segment on the end and will drill and turn an ebonite section to hold the mech tomorrow

looking forward to your mods

 

[me2cyclops]

oops sorry I just went and checked the one I'm working on is "Sanford's Turquoise"
the staedtler pulls apart a bit and is held with a spring somewhere?????
switch to a Sanford's the mech is just as solid and much easier to work with

 

[Chuck Key]

I have searched this forums, and found a good reference to the Alvin Scott B/2 pencil, but it looked like it needed the plastic body to be cut out, which sounds like the same thing I may need to do for the Staedtler pencil.

Thanks for the help,
John

Hey John. I believe I remember that name form the early eGroups, now Yahoo Penturners, days. Great to see you! You may remember me as jgrounds or jgrounds1 or something like that.

There is no need to chop anything on the Alvin infact if you save the original barrel you can replace the mechanism in the future. With just a little work the gripper can be unscrewed from the lead holding tube and the nib end can be punched out leaving the plastic barrel without damage. Here is a picture of the parts. Click on it to expand it.

 

[juteck]

Response from Staedtler customer service

Thanks - I'll have to look more closely at the Sanford and Alvin holders.

John - yes, I was on the eGroups several years ago, then started turning bowls, platters,. etc., and faded out of the pen turning groups. I realized with the limited time I spent turning, pens were much faster to complete than some of the other projects I had on the go, and have started turning them again. Pen turning has definitely advanced since then.

Regarding my original request on the Staedtler pencils, I sent a request to Staedtler customer service, and received the following response. I'll give this a try also - if I can get the plastic tube to separate from the knurled grip without breaking the thin brass lead tube inside the barrel, I should be able to cut the barrel off with a dremel.

The Mars technico leadholders are made here in Germany. We talked to the technical department about your request. The blue barrel is not molded or glued into the metal knurled grip. There is a groove on the barrel and the knurled grip is just snapped into place. It sits very tightly but if you pull really hard it will come off. However, the clutch is connected to the lead tube so it will be difficult to get the mechanism out in one piece. You will probably have to break the barrel and hope the lead tube does not get damaged. If you are willing to sacrifice one of your Mars technico pencils, you can give it a try. Should you succeed, we would be delighted to receive a picture of your personalized leadholder!
Good luck!
Kind regards,

STAEDTLER Mars GmbH & Co. KG

​

 

[pipecrafter]

Huh, look at that. Talk about customer service!

 

[nava1uni]

Pentels come apart easily and the guts can be used to make a wooden pencil. The mandrel can be purchased here online and it takes drilling with either a step drill or two drills. There is an article in the library on on its virgil's website.