How to Refill Mechanical Pencils

Since 1822 with the invention of the mechanical pencil, this more efficient writing pencil has spread throughout the world and become a favorite of businesspeople, writers, and artists. The mechanical pencil, also called an automatic pencil or propelling pencil, has a history in England, America, and Japan, all locations of significance for the mechanical pencil. Today, many well known companies make mechanical pencils, including Bic, Caran D'ache, Alvin, and Sanford, just to name a few. However with so many on the market, an often asked question is: how to refill the mechanical pencil.

For many mechanical pencils, to refill is simple: just pop off the eraser in the back, and insert the appropriate lead. Others require that a part of the pencil be screwed off, either the front tip or the back. Most refillable pencils will have some form of instruction on them to tell you which end you screw off to refill. Follow these instructions because it would be a terrible waste if one tried to screw off the tip, when it was actually the back casing where the lead was inserted.

These are the more simple ways to insert lead. Others require you to just insert the lead directly into the tip. For more expensive mechanical pencils, it is not uncommon for them to come with a refilling tool that can be screwed on to the pencil or inserted into an end. Lastly, there are also a few cases of mechanical pencils that cannot be refilled.

PencilThings offers a wide selection of mechanical pencils and we suggest making sure you are aware of the reloading process of the pencil ahead of time in order to prevent confusion or issues.