My father was a draftsman in the 60’s and upon his passing left me with several mechanical pencils, including three Martin Auto Tech 29-6618s made in Italy.
May I kindly ask for help, as I am having difficulty with 2mm lead refills, which were around the pencils, but may not be specifically designed for them. The best I can ascertain from Claude is the 2mm size but this seems to be “sticky” inside the pencil.
Is there a secret to reloading? Do I actually need 1.8mm refills? Any help is truly appreciated.
Thank you!
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Welcome and congrats on the Martin 29-6618.
They’re a fairly rare piece to say the least.
I’m glad youre here. I’m positive someone can help you though it seems that either the inside might be in need of a cleaning depending on how it was kept, or you might need some nice fresh pieces of lead for it.
Regardless, I’m not the expert on any of these and I’m sure you’ll find your answers!
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Thank you. I am not a collector. I enjoy writing with the pencils for sentimental value.
To be honest, I have three of the Martins and would be happy to share them within this community which honors these writing instruments.
If interested, I also hold two Berol Turquoise 10Cs and two Staedler Mars 780s.
I mention all of this because these pens should be enjoyed by others and not simply sit on my desk for the sake of holding on to them.
If they’re valuable I am happy to hold one or two for my kids, but the rest should find homes where they might be appreciated.
Again, any help on understanding if these pencils are all valuable or pedestrian is helpful.
I don’t want money - just to share in the joy of this community. Thank you.
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That’s very kind of you. Maybe hold onto them and fiddle with them for a bit of time and see if you don’t fall in love.
It’s an expensive hobby but I’d recommend it to anyone.
Many have drifted into collecting after having pencil collections passed to them while they’re trying to sell them.
I’m sure anyone here would be happy to give any pencils you have a home but to some extent, if they have any meaning to you then I’d set them in a nice place for another time to ponder their time with your dad.
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Thank you. For now, I’ll keep them in good condition and let the rest take its course.
I truly appreciate your counsel!
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But keep coming back and read about the amazing world of pencils!
I’ll bet you never imagined how deep the rabbit hole goes!
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Hi @michaelburn, I believe 2mm is the right lead size. The stickiness you mentioned is due to the waxy protection coat on the originals deteriorating over the decades and picking up moisture, dirt and grease. The metal inner tube has also probably oxidized somewhat and made the inner diameter slightly narrower.
For my own oldie lead holders, I try to disassemble them by unscrewing the clutch from the front (if possible) and the running a pipe cleaner thru the tube. Do not attempt to spray WD40 or equivalent inside the tube – it will just make it stickier for new leads.
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