05-19-2010, 03:41 PM
Apparently the US uses a different pencil grading system to the EU. What silliness.
Here is something from the internet:
So this is what I mean when I talk about a range of pencil grades. I'm not sure if you can find them in the US, but I'd suggest trying to get the Derwent Graphic set of pencils; they range from 4B to 5H, iirc. They are pretty nice and less expensive than some other brands.
If not, I'm pretty sure Faber-Castell pencils are available in the US, and like Derwent they sell tins of differently graded pencils. A set of 12 (which I think ranges from 6B to 6H) is about $20.
I guess that's a bit on the expensive side, not sure if there are any good cheap brands about, least of all on your side of the pond.
Here is something from the internet:
Quote:By the beginning of the twentieth century, a combination letter-number system had been established and was in use by nearly all European pencil makers, and was also used for some American-made pencils. This system is still in use today, and provides for a wide range of grades, usually consisting of the series:
9H, 8H, ... , 2H, H, F, HB, B, 2B, ... , 8B, 9B
where 9H is the hardest, 9B is the softest
So this is what I mean when I talk about a range of pencil grades. I'm not sure if you can find them in the US, but I'd suggest trying to get the Derwent Graphic set of pencils; they range from 4B to 5H, iirc. They are pretty nice and less expensive than some other brands.
If not, I'm pretty sure Faber-Castell pencils are available in the US, and like Derwent they sell tins of differently graded pencils. A set of 12 (which I think ranges from 6B to 6H) is about $20.
I guess that's a bit on the expensive side, not sure if there are any good cheap brands about, least of all on your side of the pond.