How are Pencils Made?
Traditional wooden pencils are still manufactured in a process first introduced in the 1600s. Modern woodworking machines and automation methods have definitely streamlined the manufacturing process, but most of today’s pencils do not vary much from their centuries-old predecessors. Essentially, pencils are the end result of a sandwiching process involving graphite and slabs of cedar wood. The first step in making pencils is the preparation of the graphite center, or “lead.” Graphite is a dark, soft mineral which is ground and added to clay and water in a mixing chamber. After the water is squeezed out, the remaining graphite/clay compound is allowed to air dry until it becomes a powder again. This graphite powder is mixed once again with water to form a soft paste. The graphite paste is then extruded through thin metal tubes to form pencil-sized rods. These rods are superheated to create hard and smooth pencil leads. Meanwhile, a woodworking machine slices blocks of cedar wood into th
