This circa 1976 0.5mm “Staedtler Mars-Micrograph Fine Line Lead Holder” is actually a leadholder, not a mechanical pencil !!!
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I found the companion 775-05 recently, and that one is indeed a knock-advance MP, much more traditional in a way.
This 770 seems super-cool, time to add it to the never-ending list of stuff to chase… 
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I’ve made my own share of these when I dropped and lost the lead retainers that came off on the leads of some of my old pencils 
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This variation of the 770, although it started to appear in the market in 1971, was abandoned shortly after it was patented in 1976. An advertisement from 1980 shows that Staedtler had already added a metal grip to this leadholder. That is why it is more common to find it with the metal grip.
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In the 1980 ad, it says “Half Slide Sleeve Mechanism.” I’m not sure what that means, but Staedtler probably converted the leadholder to a click pencil, or at least the mechanism changed slightly from the one shown in my video.
My leadholder shows some imperfection in the mechanism, which can be heard in the video. When pushing the lead back, it sometimes sticks (clicks) but ultimately goes back in without breaking.
Additionally, the tip in my leadholder lacks an engraved line, such as the one shown in the Staedtler catalog, which suggests it may be the 1971 model, not the 1976 one.
Half-Slide = HS = the metal tube guiding the lead on the writing surface has a bit of vertical play, so it can partially retract while the lead gets consumed by the act of tracing the lines.
One can have FS (fixed-sleeve: no movement possible), and full retraction (not sure about the standard abbreviation), in the sense that the metal sleeve can be completely absorbed inside the metal cone while the lead gets consumed — modern Pentel Orenz, for instance.
With the next knock on the rear pushbutton, the full length of the sleeve is restored.
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Thank you very much, this is very informative! If I understand correctly, this explanation refers to a “click” mechanism.
The 1980 pencil is currently listed on eBay (item # 325765237917). @majkycz_y may be able to help us confirm how the mechanism works. In the listing photos, I see there is an eraser beneath the cap that is similar to the Pentel ones, which increases the likelihood the leadholder has been converted into a click mechanism.
I’m not entirely sure what you’re actually discussing, I’m probably misunderstanding it, but @Leonov described it correctly, there are three types of nibs/sleeves - F (fixed), HS (half-slide) and full-slide/retract. My pencil on eBay has a fixed sleeve (see the “F” marking in pencils name “Micrograph F”).
I don’t understand the note about the mechanism, all Micrograph pencils are mechanical, none of them have lead falling out, as we know from classic leadholders (in Germany the are called “Fallminenstifte”, while those with the pressing mechanism are called “Druckbleistifte” or similar…, ”druck”=“pressure”).
The pencil in the video of @Pencilking has a damaged mechanism and missing sleeve…
Older types of Micrographs do not have a rubber under the press-button, newer ones do.
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@Pencilking - Thanks for sharing these nice pictures. Do you have this catalogue? Nice stuff!
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Definitely! Here is the file:
1978-73099161.pdf (4.4 MB)
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I quite like the design of the 2 Shown catalogue Pages – the fonts, page Arrangement, (Fake?) Development Team etc
These two pages are from the original catalog that Satedtler submitted to register their products for trademark in the US. That particular trademark/copyright is now officially “dead.”
All what I meant is that my pencil shows a “clutch” mechanism instead of a “click” mechanism.
I checked with my digital microscope, and the tip in my pencil does have the rubber insert. Is that what you refer to as the “sleeve”?
Thank you!
Sorry, but I am affraid that the rubber insert was lost… I do not know nothing about different mechanism of Micrograph… Lead Holder is general designation, such as for example Mitsubishi M5-30, M5-50 etc.
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You’re most welcome!
I have a theory that I am trying to explain in the following image (my pencil seems to be the 1971 or 1974 model, but the pencil in the catalog is the 1976 model.
You have a predecessor of the model shown in the catalog. I have the same one. Will take a pic.
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I would appreciate this photo greatly!
See this link: STAEDTLER ID guide 1969-2022
Thanks to @stu-dying for this review!