A quick, and controversial for some, procedure to make a mechanical pencil prettier.
Before:
After:
13 Likes
lol
1 Like
shopped!
The first thing I did was to remove the sticker hahahaha
3 Likes
I got used to see it with the red spot, it was sort of lifting it in the middle. Give me 5 minutes to absorb the new reality 
4 Likes
It is a bold decision, no doubt. I salute you for your courage.
I believe most collectors collect because they’ve seen an image of the “thing” and that image is the thing they want.
@griffisu I used to be part of that gang — mostly because the few pencils I managed to get with stickers were in such a poor state, that removing the sticker was an act of mercy, rather than a damage.
With time, money and luck came specimens in much better shape, with better-positioned and more tightly attached stickers, so that peeling off the price tags slowly became a somewhat “crueller” act. One day, I had enough of this torture.
Now I consider myself a kind of agnostic collector: if I feel the sticker is better left in its original position, I leave it there. If something feels unnatural, or the sticker is already half-peeled off, I mercifully save the pencil from the itch of dragging around that torn badge.
From a collector standpoint, however, I am aware I probably degraded the value of some of my pencils severely, a few years ago (not to mention the issue with getting rid of the sticky stuff left on the plastic after the removal: the metal is easy to clean without much hassle, but some plastic never get back to the original shine after one tries to separate the film).
In my defense, I was young, and stupid. I’m still stupid, but not that young, unfortunately…
6 Likes
Very wise remarks from @Leonov.
I tend to do the same. I don’t mess or clean a pencil unless it is an act of mercy (thank you @Leonov for that idea) and if it is plastic… well then I don’t mess with it at all, because every small gesture/input will leave a mark. Using cleaners will most likely create an area of discolouration, so I don’t even think about it any more.
Plastic gets a lot of wear just by being in a drawer, even if the pencil isn’t used. Good thing to keep in mind when evaluating pencils we want to buy.
3 Likes
> Doesn't like stickers
> Profile photo:
Jokes aside I also fall on the agnostic gang. If I get a pencil with sticker and box I’ve probably paid a premium for it so I’ll treat them with care. If I don’t want a sticker, I’ll probably look for a specimen without sticker, which will be cheaper anyway.
6 Likes
Well, if you’re gonna put it to use? Why not.
Some stickers look nice… and I like keeping them on. Some suffer fading and can be rubbed off leaving like a silver disc… which can look interesting too.
And now… for something completely different:
Some consider it horribly ugly. It’s quirky, for sure. But I kind of like it. This is the BALIUM colorway. And there’s no sticker! 
7 Likes
Same is true in architecture. ‘Repairing’ something cosmetic usually screams ‘repaired’ but also looks worse than before the repair. The best example is a personal pet peeve: cosmetic repair of cracked concrete or ceramic finish. Unless a structural engineer absolutely requires some remediation, leave those cracks alone!
…now descending from the soap box to lower my blood pressure…
3 Likes