Eberhard Faber Mongol 482 Pencils

As I got deeper into the world of vintage wood-cased pencils, there’s one pencil that kept catching my attention: the Mongol. I mean, with a name like “Mongol” in that chunky typeface and distinctive ferrule, how can it not? I never grew up with yellow No. 2 pencils, so these don’t evoke any nostalgia in me, but I’m quite smitten with them, especially from design perspective. I’m happy to say that I finally got to try the pencils that made yellow pencils a thing in America.

By the way, this is more of an appreciation post, than a detailed review post. It’s definitely not an in-depth look at the history of the Mongol, either, although I’ve taken the opportunity to learn more about it (and having fun while doing so). I added some relevant links at the bottom of the post for more details.

Appearance

Yellow might not be my first color choice in pencils, but I really like how these look with the shiny gold band on the ferrule. Coupled with the big oval for the graphite grade and pink eraser, the dark ferrule makes the pencil really pop, I think. And the lengthy, black imprint in 3 (or more?) different typefaces, including the reverse-contrast slab serif of “Mongol,” adds much to the pencil’s distinctive character. The barrel is coated in glossy varnish, and the imprint is neatly applied.

Apparently there are countless number of variations of these pencils. And not until I started taking pictures of these did I notice a subtle difference between them: a tiny dot next to the “482” on the N0. 2 pencil. Even the ferrules look slightly different in color. And I'm impressed that for pencils that are possibly 50–60 years old, I don't see any rust on them. Overall these feel solid in my hand and look very well-made.

Performance

As with most old pencils, the erasers have dried out. Too bad, because I would definitely use the heck of them if they were still functional. As for the graphite, I prefer the No. 1 over the No. 2 but both write very smoothly. I thought I could compare the No. 1 to some of the Japanese HBs I own but it isn’t as dark. It’s a soft gray, that I’m beginning to appreciate quite a bit, in a firm but smooth tip. Although I haven’t been using these for an extended period of time, I can tell that I won’t have to sharpen these that often.

Good, because that means I have some time before I have to start shaving off the imprint. :P
 

Related links

For the design and functionality of the beautiful boxes the Mongol used to be packaged in:
Of Pencils and Pencil Boxes | pencils and other things

This is just a couple of the posts at Contrapnutalism on the Mongol. I highly suggest you search the word “mongol” at Sean’s site to see more!
Just When Was The Mongol Introduced? | Contrapuntalism
A Conversation With Eberhard Faber IV | Contrapuntalism

Detailed review from a drawer’s perspective:
Review: Eberhard Faber MONGOL 482 | My pencils draw worlds

Getting to Know Hobonichi: Washi Tapes

This is the second of a small series of posts where I'll share what I've learned about Hobonichi and its Tomoe River paper. You can read the first post here, on rubber stamping.

Sometimes I like to decorate my Hobonichi with washi tapes. Not only are they visually interesting, they can be used as space dividers when I want different sections on the page. They also help me overcome the fear of writing on an empty page. And sometimes it's a quick way to illustrate what I'm writing, if the tape's design matches the topic. So all around, good tools to have for a little fun in journaling.

It was a rainy day, a perfect excuse to bust this tape out.

Sometimes, I decorate Hobonichi pages like this even before writing. It actually motivates me to write!

Some of my mizutama tapes in action. No, I don't think I was writing about undies. It just cracks me up.

But, what I’ve discovered is that washi tapes adhere to the Tomoe River paper much more strongly than they do to “regular” papers. I learned it the hard way when I tried to peel a piece of washi tape off and ended up damaging the paper (washi tapes are known to be re-positionable). You'd think that the TR's smooth surface would make it easier to peel... but nope. I'm sure it depends on each tape's adhesive but now I try position the tape perfectly the first time around. If I mess up, I try to leave it alone. Plus, the Tomoe River paper is so thin that even when the tape is peeled off successfully, it ends up warping or stretching the paper. So, better be safe than sorry!

Grid definitely helps when aligning colored tapes like this.

Another thing I learned: it’s better to cut tapes with a pair of scissors, so that the resulting edge is very clean. I know that one of the benefits of washi tapes is that they can be cut easily with your fingers. But that leads to an irregular, sometimes sticky edge that can stick to the opposing page in Hobonichi. That's a bit annoying, and potentially damaging.

I cut these tapes with the cutter they were packaged with and now they stick to the opposite page.

This isn't something inherent about the Tomoe River paper or washi tapes but more of a preference I developed after using Hobonichi for the past year or so. I learned that I like washi tape designs that have “clear backgrounds” because they're more versatile and forgiving in page layouts. I’m talking about tapes that are semi-transparent white or off-white with designs that are not edge-to-edge. They don’t have harsh edges that require me to be more careful in aligning (although the grid in Hobonichi helps), which leads to less reasons to re-position the tape. I can cut them into little pieces and have them "float" in middle of the page. And they can look integrated with my writing and drawings more easily than the tapes with colored backgrounds. I still buy tapes that have colored backgrounds (and they have their own uses) but not as much. I certainly never thought I would use the tapes with clear backgrounds this much!

Tapes with colored backgrounds (left stack) vs. tapes with “clear” backgrounds (right stack).

Some tapes, I cut around the design, instead of a simple rectangle, so I have more writing space around it.

Overlapping tapes can be a whole different game, with fun results. Another reason why I prefer “clear” tapes.

I really like tapes with black & white or gray designs, too, because they allow me to mix and match easily for a more harmonious look. Before Hobonichi, I would have never thought I would prefer plain B&W tapes but now I do!

Thinner tapes like these can act as really good space dividers on journal pages. The tape cutter is a fantastic one from Muji; I loaded it with two separate rolls.

Are you a fan of washi tapes like I am? Do you find the Tomoe River paper in Hobonichi to be stickier, too, or am I alone in this?

Related links:

• Check out Natsume on Instagram, at natsume_notebook. She is a master at Hobonichi page layouts using a limited color palette.
• See how the talented April at Penguins Creative mixes washi tapes and drawings in her Hobonichi, at her Instagram penguinscreative.
• Other inspiring Hobonichi users at Instagram: __freenote and linenworks.