We are very happy to present a review of Translations pencils from our friend Alcarwen, author of That Shadow My Likeness (which you’ll remember from her great blog last week).

Technical information:
Material: Tightly wrapped Japanese newsprint.
Shape: Round, relatively slim.
Finish: Smooth clear-lacquer or epoxy to seal in the newsprint and keep it from unraveling.
Ferrule: None — bare end.
Eraser: None.
Core: HB-ish graphite.
Markings: None except for the Japanese newsprint.
Packaging: Come in a pack of 12. The tubular package is also wrapped in newsprint.
Availability: Qnor.com and SeeJaneWork.com.
Origin: China.

“The best part of Translations Pencils is that they are made from recycled newspapers. According to the website from which I purchased them, this is accomplished from wrapping the graphite core so tightly in layers of newsprint that it comes to resemble wood; you can sharpen them in a regular sharpener with no problem whatsoever. If you look closely at the point, you can see the layers wrapped around the graphite. The newsprint itself is from Japan; the pencils are made in China. I purchased mine from Qnor for $2.99 for a set of 12. They came in a tube (also wrapped in recycled newspapers) already sharpened and ready to go.

I had wondered: would the newsprint rub off on your fingers? The pencils themselves are dipped in a clear lacquer to prevent this… unless you are one of those people who write with their fingers really close to the point of the pencil- then, you’re left with black fingers after writing.

I’ve been using them to take notes (and scribble poetry in the margins of all my textbooks and notebooks) for the past two days and have been impressed with the quality of the writing and by how much pressure it takes to break the point on these guys! I’m serious- for whatever reason, when getting a little stressed at the nuances of Ciceronian Rhetoric, I get a little heavy handed with my pencils, causing numerous breaks and pauses to resharpen on poor quality pencils. Not so with the Translations pencils- they’re not poor quality pencils. I had expected, however, that they would be a bit more flimsy, but what they claim is right- the wrapped newspaper is just as hard as a wood pencil would be. Sharpening them is a bit of an adventure- the newsprint comes off in layers as it was wrapped- so I got to see Japanese news stories and adds peeling off my pencil in neat little strips.

Drawbacks- that pesky tendency of the un-lacquered bit to leave a bit of newsprint residue. However, it’s not so much that it’s intensely irritating, but it does rub off- especially when you’ve just sharpened the pencil. Second, they don’t have erasers. This doesn’t bother me so much, but I do realize that some people choose pencil over pen just because of having the eraser.

The good stuff: Recycled newspapers! (Yes, I’m repetitive, but I love the idea!) It writes well, holds up next to its wood counterparts- and well, it’s pretty awesome to think that you’re writing with something that last year was being read by someone in Japan.”

[Originally from TSML, 10.25.05. Text and photos, Alcarwen, used with very kind permission.]