History of polymer-bound fine leads

[Gunther]

Hello Dave, this was mentioned here:

0.2mm Pentel Orenz: A Blend of History and Innovation

Prior to the appearance of Twitter user DAISUKEOGO in late 2021, the consensus amongst (Japanese) collectors was that Newman’s printed note from 1971 of the SUPER 2 being ‘the world’s first 0.2mm mechanical pencil’ was a spurious claim, as Newman was not ‘known’ for its technical innovation. I had also speculated whether Pentel was paid to develop it for Newman, if such a business arrangement was possible. However, Daisukeogo has family credentials: his grandfather was the founder of Newman, an…