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I will respect your right to disagree with what I have to say about Pens and Pencils as long as you respect the fact that I am an Old Geezer.




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All Jammed Up?

If you need detailed instructions on how to clear a lead jam from a mechanical pencil then click this link, "All Jammed Up?" or the link in the pages header.



NOW THE BLOGGING BEGINS...

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. Also please notice that there are four reactions at the bottom of each article. If you find any article funny, interesting, cool or helpful please so indicate. Thank you for visiting my blog.

The Old Geezer
Please Excuse My Absence

I have not blogged since July of 2015 due to the fact that my Lovely Wife was diagnosed with 2 types of cancer. A new case of breast cancer which has metastasized and gone to her bones, mainly her back. She had a mastectomy of her left breast which showed the type of cancer that was in her bones. She has been taking an oral med. every day and she has a port under her skin to receive a liquid med. She has gone through one round of radiation treatments to stop some pain in her back. That gave her GERD and the med for that was nasty tasting. The bone cancer has caused the vertebra in her lower back to pinch her left sciatic nerve causing her pain, numbness and foot drag. She also has skin cancer that has only been partly addressed.

I have been busy taking care of her as the treatments have left her weak and sickly. She can not drive so I have to drive her to her appointments and treatments. I also have to do all the cooking and most of what cleaning we do. So I do not have a lot of time for blogging. However the installment of the review of the Schaeffer Ultrafine 0.3mm pencil marks what I hope will be a new review every month. However some of my future reviews may seem familiar as they may be a review of a pencil or pen that I have reviewed before just in another size due to my limited collection of writing instruments and the economic state of our nation.

I am grateful to George Fox for wanting me to do a review of another one of his pencils. I think that as a reader of my humble blog, may fine of interest as the Schaeffer Ultra Fine is a very unusual pencil.

So please excuse my absence and as a reader of my humble blog I hope that you enjoy the review of this unique pencil.

Coming Soon...

Thank you,

The Old Geezer.




Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Clean Out Rods Part 2

Clean out rods (CORs) are not always supplied with automatic pencils and if my source at one major pencil company is correct then soon we may see all automatic pencils being sold without CORs. And this will be a bad thing. COR's are very important and a vital part of an automatic pencil. Clearing a jammed up lead sleeve simply can't be done without one. As I mentioned in Clean Out Rods, common household items can be found for 0.5mm, 0.7mm and 0.9mm pencils but not for 0.3mm and 0.4mm pencils. However one size can work for all sizes of pencils. A one inch length of 0.014" (+ or - 0.0005") diameter wire will serve all sizes of lead diameters. A 60" length of rod can be found at SmallParts.com for $5.00 plus $4.19 shipping. That's enough wire to make 60 CORs of 1" length.

To make a COR you'll need a 6" ruler, a Sharpie to mark off the length of each COR, a good set of small wire cutters to snip off the wire and a small needle file to smooth off the ends of the wire. You will also need a small pair of flat nosed pliers to hold the wire while filing. Use the 6" ruler to mark off a one inch segment from the rod. snip it off using the wire cutters. Holding the COR in the jaws of the flat nose pliers use the needle file to file away any burrs on both ends of the COR. Once you have made the COR use the flat nosed pliers to hold it while stowing it away by pushing one end into the base of the pencils eraser. DO NOT use your fingers for this as the small diameter wire will act as a needle and puncture your skin if not handled correctly. When the need arises use the eraser as a handle when using the COR.

That's all there is to it. To use it to clear a lead jam simply remove the eraser and COR as well as the end cap and set it down on the desk top, base down. With your finger press the end of the lead flush with the end of the lead sleeve, if possible. Next guide the COR to the end of the lead sleeve and push the lead back through the lead sleeve, pushing the COR all the way into the lead sleeve. Once the jam is cleared replace the eraser and end cap and resume normal operations. That's it.

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