Ok I just got a lesson on pencils. Guess I knew this all along just forgot it. Hey sorry drafting school was many moons ago, in fact to many.
There is no lead in pencils so I stand corrected on that. Today’s pencils contain graphite and clay mixture. The amount of clay decides how hard the pencil will be. I see that I as well as many are maybe buying the wrong pencils. I looked at the pencils I have been getting and they are a grade HB. Thus, a #2 or HB pencil from one brand will not necessarily leave the same mark as a #2 or HB pencil from another brand. Most pencil manufacturers set their own internal standards for graphite hardness grades and overall quality of the core, some differences are regional. In Japan, consumers tend to prefer softer darker leads; so an HB lead produced in Japan is generally softer and darker than an HB from European producers.
A pencil marked "HB" is hard and black; a pencil marked "HH" is very hard, and a pencil marked "HHBBB" is very hard and really, really black! Although today most pencils using the HB system are designated by a number such as 2B, 4B or 2H to indicate the degree of hardness. For example, a 4B would be softer than a 2B and a 3H harder than an H.
Finding what works best for your own artistic and writing needs is generally a matter of personal preference and experimentation with different brands of pencils.
Hope this maybe helps everyone.
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