Rant: That old drafter told me to use a 0.5mm lead and I thought he was crazy

I've been using 0.7mm for years because it felt sturdier, but this guy at the shop in Portland swore by 0.5mm for technical drawings. After six months of cleaner lines and less smudging on my blueprints, I had to admit he was right. Has anyone else gotten stubborn about lead size only to later realize a pro was onto something?

2 comments

2 Comments

ellis.nina3d ago

Wait, you actually LISTENED to the old guy at the shop? I thought all the cranky pencil experts were just making stuff up to sell us overpriced gear. I spent THREE YEARS with 0.7mm because I thought it made me look like a "serious professional" and not a nervous college kid. Then I tried 0.5mm on a whim and suddenly my circles didn't look like they were drawn by a drunk octopus. My bad, old man. But seriously, the smudging thing is REAL. I used to wonder why my drawings looked like I'd been eating a sandwich while I worked. Now I realize my fat 0.7mm lines were just soaking up graphite like a sponge. So what's next, are we gonna start sharpening pencils with sandpaper like that one guy on YouTube? I'm not there yet, but I'll admit I'm slowly getting there. Baby steps.

emmasingh2d ago

Oh man, I once spent a whole summer with 2mm lead because some art teacher swore it was "the real way" - total disaster for my stick figures.

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