A surprisingly popular question in the stationery world is, “How long is an average wood pencil?” When we found out that there was no obvious answer, we go to work to find out.
Continue reading “How Long Is A Pencil?”How Long Is A Pencil?
How To Clean Behind The Seal Of A Fountain Pen Converter
If you are cleaning your fountain pen and noticed that there is ink or water behind the plunger of the converter, you’ll likely find that it’s quite difficult to get at. How do you take apart the converter, clean up that ink, and fully clean your pen?
Continue reading “How To Clean Behind The Seal Of A Fountain Pen Converter”How Wide Is A Pencil?
It might seem basic, or even obvious, but a common question people ask is, “How wide is a wood pencil?”
The answer, of course, is “it varies…” We did some testing to see just how wide a range of popular pencils are.
Continue reading “How Wide Is A Pencil?”The Best No-Plastic And Low Plastic Pens And Refills
Many people are trying to reduce the amount of plastic they use in their lives, but this can be quite difficult, especially with small, affordable items like pens. While pens and plastic go hand-in-hand, particularly with lower priced pens, there are some choices you can make to reduce the plastic in your writing instruments.
Continue reading “The Best No-Plastic And Low Plastic Pens And Refills”Caran d’Ache Graphite Pencil Guide
Caran d’Ache makes, and has made, a wide array of high quality wood pencils. The line spans from everyday, student pencils, to luxury pencils made of unique types of sustainably sourced wood.
It’s not that easy to differentiate from one pencil to the next, despite the obvious care Caran d’Ache has put into these pencil. This article will try to clear things up a little and make sense out of this wonderful line of pencils.
Continue reading “Caran d’Ache Graphite Pencil Guide”Pens, Ink, And The Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) Form
If you have recently purchased a pen or ink from an international reseller or manufacturer there is a chance that you will be required to fill out a Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) Form. This request will come from the shipper, usually Fedex, not the seller or a government agency.
So what do you do when you get this request?
Continue reading “Pens, Ink, And The Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) Form”Finding The Darkest Pencil
One of the common questions we see on Unsharpen is, which pencil is the darkest? In other words, which pencil has a graphite (or even a charcoal) which puts down a line that is the blackest black possible.
We did some investigation to see which pencils were worth considering if darkness is your goal.
Continue reading “Finding The Darkest Pencil”The Cheapest (Good) Fountain Pen Ink
Fountain pen ink doesn’t have to be expensive. Today fountain pens might seem like a luxury product, but let’s not forget that not too long ago they were a standard writing tool used everyday by millions of people worldwide. Those people weren’t using luxury inks with delicate undertones, they were using dependable, affordable fountain pen ink.
Don’t let the marketing hype fool you… those great, cheap inks still exist.
Continue reading “The Cheapest (Good) Fountain Pen Ink”The Best Gel Pens of 2022
There are few writing experiences that are more satisfying than a great gel pen. The right gel pen is buttery smooth, has color that really pops, and is a pleasure to write with on nearly any paper. Gel pens are truly one of the best and most versatile ways to write.
But there are many gel pens sold today. While there aren’t many truly bad gel pens left, a few stand out from the rest. We’ve tested dozens of gel pens, and these are our favorites.
Continue reading “The Best Gel Pens of 2022”What Is A Clutch Pencil And How Is One Used?
Clutch pencils aren’t nearly as popular as they used to be, but they still have their uses. This article will explain the basics of clutch pencils, discuss why you’d use one, and finally run through some of the top clutch pencils sold today.
Continue reading “What Is A Clutch Pencil And How Is One Used?”The Top Tool Pens of 2022
It can be incredibly handy to have a small set of tools at hand. With this in mind, a number of “tool pens” have been released over the years. We bought and tested a number of them. Our thoughts are below.
Continue reading “The Top Tool Pens of 2022”The Best Ways To Erase Pen Ink From Paper
Pen ink is designed to not be removable from paper, but sometimes mistakes happen. When they do, how do you remove pen ink from paper?
Continue reading “The Best Ways To Erase Pen Ink From Paper”What Is Fountain Pen Ink Sheen?
When discussing fountain pen ink people will often talk about “sheen” and how desirable it is. But what is sheen? What causes it? Which inks have the best sheen?
Read on to find out.
Continue reading “What Is Fountain Pen Ink Sheen?”The Best Ballpoint Pens of 2022
The modern ballpoint, which has a long and fascinating history, is still quite relevant. While other pen types have gained popularity and fountain pens have seen a resurgence, ballpoints have gotten much better as well.
Ballpoints are no longer the default writing utensil they once were, but they are still useful and pretty great for writing.
What Cartridges Fit Wing Sung Fountain Pens?
Wing Sung fountain pens offer incredible value in a set of pens ranging from $1 to over $50. Despite the low price of many Wing Sung pens, the company almost always includes a converter with them. But what if you don’t want use the converter and would prefer to use an ink cartridge?
Continue reading “What Cartridges Fit Wing Sung Fountain Pens?”