A post popped up on the site formerly known as Twitter. It is a Pentel folder but small with a very short metal pencil and a set of lead.
I have never seen a pencil like this from Pentel. At the moment these are the only available pictures.
Does anyone have any info on this?
It’s a compass insert, as can just about be seen from the bifurcated shank at the non-writing end.
However, I know nothing about these from Pentel. It will be very interesting to see where this fits in the timeline of drawing instrument mechanical pencil inserts.
@Alan is right, it is a compass insert. I am unsure it was made by Pentel.
@nimrodd A lot of these compass inserts were made by a Japanese company named Uchida — maybe before that, it was Kent-Uchida; later on, possibly Marvy-Uchida. The peculiar style really seems close to the one typically found in Uchida compass sets (smooth or sanded barrel, knurled grip ring).
Since Uchida made these for many other companies, even in Europe (ellipsograph inserts for Haff, compass inserts for Haff compass sets and elliptitcal trammels), I would not be surprised if I discovered that Pentel just put together the outer case — which is still awesome in and of itself — and of course the box of lead, incorporating however an externally-made piece.
Great to know that case exists.
