 | How are degrees made and controlled? |
 | By varying the proportions of clay and graphite. More graphite means a softer, blacker degree. More clay means a harder degree. HB has 50:50 clay and graphite. |
| How can we identify when a particular batch of pencils was made? |
| - Each batch has a date code stamped on next to the imprint. This identifies the week that batch was made. From that we can trace the exact details of when the pencils were manufactured: the day, the operator, the machine etc |
| How did we decide on the pencil livery? |
| The new stained barrels were chosen mainly for environmental reasons. The UV coating process is environmentally friendly and stains are the ideal finish for UV coating. The angled dips were chosen as a design feature to make the pencils stand out and have their own Derwent identity. |
| What gives a pencil it's texture? |
| - All the ingredients play a part. High levels of pigment will tend to make a pencil hard. The amount and type of wax will define how it interacts with the paper. |
| What is lightfastness? |
| A measure of how quickly something will fade when exposed to UV light (sunlight).
There is a standard test method that has been used for many years, called the Blue Wool Scale. |
| What makes pencils watersoluble? |
| The types of waxes used. |
| What's the difference between the graphite degrees? |
| B stands for BLACK and H stands for HARD. 9B is very soft & black and 9H is very hard & pale in shade. HB is half way between the two. F degree was made (stands for FINE) for doing shorthand in the days before computers! |
