How to make pencils? Production of pencils

Pencils we use since kindergarten. But few of us know how to make pencils, what kind of wood is used for this purpose. It is noteworthy that the creation of these stationery products is carried out at each factory in its own way. But at the same time there are common points that are fundamental for the production process.

What tree?

A classic wooden pencil has an important component - wood, the quality of which depends on the operation of this accessory. It is clear that not every tree is suitable for these purposes. In the past, the industry used wood virdizhnskogo or red cedar, which refers to the genus of junipers. Long fibers, the absence of knots, ease of processing - that's what attracted attention in this material. But in view of the high cost of European and American brands, producing pencils, began to use wood from California cedar. And on its basis high-quality products are created, which are used for graphic and artistic purposes.

In most cases, pencils are made of alder, linden, pine, Californian and Siberian cedar, and also such a rare tree as jelutong. What kind of wood do pencils in our country? In most cases, from alder and linden, which in Russia is huge.

Alder is not the most durable material, but it has a uniform structure, which makes processing easier and preserves natural natural color. As for the lime tree, it meets all operational requirements, and therefore is used in the manufacture of cheap and expensive pencils. Due to the good viscosity, the material firmly holds the lead.

A unique material for making pencils is cedar, which is widely used in factories in Russia. It is noteworthy that not healthy wood is used, but specimens that do not give a nut anymore.

Rod: what is the basis?

The production of pencils is carried out using a special rod. Graphite pencil consists of three components - graphite, soot and silt, to which organic binders are often added. And graphite is a constant component, including color, since it is the lead on the paper that leaves a trace.

Rods are created from a carefully prepared mass, which has a certain temperature and humidity. It is important that the mixture does not dry out, as this will affect the wear and tear of the equipment. The kneaded dough is molded by a special press, then it is passed through the equipment with holes, which makes the mass look like noodles. This noodles is formed into cylinders, from which the rods are extruded. It remains only to heat them in special crucibles. Then the rods are subjected to roasting, and after it the fat is performed: the pores formed under pressure and at a specific temperature are filled with fat, stearin or wax.

How do colored pencils? Here, the principal difference is, again, the rod, which is made from pigments, fillers, fat components and a binder. Here the process of producing the rod is as follows:

• The manufactured rods are laid in special grooves on the board and covered with a second plank;
• Both boards are glued together with PVA glue, while the rod should not stick;
• The ends of the glued boards are leveled;
• Preparations are carried out, that is, the addition of fat to the existing mixture.

It is noteworthy that the production of pencils is taking into account the consumer properties of products. So, cheap are created from wood not of the highest quality, exactly the same - not the best quality - and the shell. But pencils, which are used for artistic purposes, are made of quality wood, which has a double sizing.

Wood preparation stage

The production of pencils is made from well-selected wood, which is processed to produce bars. It is necessary to do the cutting of the bars along the length of the pencil, and you need to take into account the allowances, as material will shrink. On a special multi-saw machine, the boards are cut into plates, which are subjected to impregnation with paraffin in special autoclaves. This procedure improves the mechanical properties of the future product.

Depending on what the pencil is made of, it will also be sharpened. It is believed that neat chips are obtained if the products are made of pine, lime or cedar wood. In addition, it is important that the lead is properly glued-such a pencil, even with a fall, will not break.

Which shell?

From the shell depends the simplicity and beauty of the pencil. Since pencils made of wood are made, it must meet the following requirements:

1. Softness, strength and lightness: during operation, the casing should not break or crumble, like the whole casing.
2. Do not exfoliate under the influence of natural factors.
3. Have a beautiful cut - smooth and shiny, while the chips themselves should not break.
4. Wood must be resistant to moisture.

What equipment?

The production of pencils is carried out using a variety of equipment. For example, cleaning clay, from which a graphite rod will later be created, requires the presence of special mills and crushers. Processing of the mixed dough is conducted on a screw press, where the dough itself is formed from the dough by rollers with three different gaps. For the same purposes, a die with holes is used. Drying of wood blanks is carried out in drying cabinets, where the products are rotated for 16 hours. With a good drying, the wood acquires a humidity level of at most 0.5%. With regard to color pencils, they are not subjected to heat treatment due to the presence of fillers, dyes and fat components in them. On the special machine, the pencils are trimmed in length.

Drying

How to make pencils? Drying plays an important role in the production process. It is carried out in special wells with the help of machine tools, and the boards are stacked so that drying is most effective. In these wells, drying takes about 72 hours, then the boards are sorted: all the cracked or ugly items are rejected. The selected blanks are enriched with paraffin, calibrated, that is, special grooves are cut on them, where the rods will be located.

How to make pencils in production further? Now a milling-access line is used, on which the blocks are divided into pencils. Depending on the shape of the knives used at this stage, the pencils are either round, or faceted, or oval in shape. An important role is played by the fastening of the lead in a wooden case: this must be done firmly and reliably, which reduces the risk of falling off the elements of the lead. Elastic adhesive, which is used for binding, makes the lead stronger.

Features of the coating

Modern simple and colored pencils are presented in a huge variety of designs and colors. Since pencils are made in the factory, here they pay close attention to each stage of production. Coloring is one of the important stages, as it must meet a number of requirements. For surface finishing, the extrusion method is used, and the end is finished with dipping. In the first case, the pencil passes through the primer, where at the end of the conveyor it is turned over to apply the next layer. This gives a uniform coating.

Color quality: what does it depend on?

The quality of the paint depends on how the paintwork materials themselves meet the established requirements, whether the primer is properly adjusted, whether the drying times for the pencils on the tape are met. Any pencil factory uses quick-drying compounds that form on the surface of a solid, strong and elastic film that adheres well to the surface of the wood.

Painting is carried out with special primer paints, which have a certain viscosity and contain pigments. If the pigment part is large, this will reduce the gloss of the film and will require the further application of nitrolac to the surface. Even simple pencils are lacquered using nitrocellulose glossy varnish.

If a pencil of dark colors, it is painted at least 5 layers and 4 layers of lacquer. To achieve light colors, a combination of 7 layers of paint with 4 layers of varnish is used. In this case, for a uniform and accurate coating, it is important that the surface has a maximum of 18 layers. The coloring of the end parts of the pencils is performed in a dipping machine, into which the frame with pencils located on it is lowered.

Rim of a pencil

Depending on how the pencils are made and from which materials, their frame can also vary. In the traditional version, the pencil has a wooden frame, but the modern market offers a wide range of products in plastic, lacquered and even paper cases. On the one hand, this adds to their beauty and unusualness, on the other, when falling from such pencils, there is little left.

After the painting, the pencils are finished. For this, different stamps and foil of different colors are used. This treatment process is called thermostating.

What hardness?

All color and simple pencils are distinguished by the hardness of the lead, which is reflected in their marking. To choose them it is necessary so: the more dense and firm paper, the more rigid the graphite core should be. But too hard graphite can damage the paper. In Russia, you can buy pencils of the following markings:

1. M is soft.
2. T is solid.
3. TM is hard-soft.

You should know about labeling when choosing pencils to create drawings or drawing in the appropriate technique.

Features of colored pencils

From what do simple pencils, we have already figured out. Now we need to understand when and how the colored pencils appeared . It is known that the first products with a color lead appeared in 1820, however, who invented them, and remained a mystery. At the heart of the color lead lies a combination of the connecting substance, colored pigments and filler. As a connecting substance there is a kaolin glue, due to which the lead is formed. As color pigments, well-ground high-quality color materials are used, the pigment being an organic or inorganic base. The color pigments themselves are created on the basis of materials that have resistance to burn-out under the influence of sunlight and environmental safety. To date, pencils are available in 36 color shades according to the international scale of Pantone shades. With regard to fillers, as such, kaolin and chalk are used, which are subjected to thorough grinding.