Sunday, July 5, 2015

This Might Have Made Things Easier

This article has been edited and included in The Leadhead's Pencil Blog Volume 3; copies are available print on demand through Amazon here, and I offer an ebook version in pdf format at the Legendary Lead Company here.

If you don't want the book but you enjoy this article, please consider supporting the Blog project here.

I’m often in my own world at pen shows these days, with my portable photography setup in a quiet corner, snapping away shots of things people bring to show me, either for here at the blog or for the 
Pennant (in case you didn’t know, I’m editing the Pen Collectors of America’s magazine these days).
Such was the case at the Chicago Show a couple of months ago.  I was hunched over my lightbox, eyes pressed against the viewfinder as I tried to get in close with a 90mm macro lens to capture a very tiny detail on . . . whatever it was I was shooting at the moment, when suddenly my entire field of vision went blue.

Imperial blue, in fact:


For dramatic effect, my friend Jerry Adair had approached quietly while I concentrated, inserting the Guild between my lens and the object at hand.  Jerry had read my articles about the history of the Guild Products Corporation (http://leadheadpencils.blogspot.com/2013/08/back-to-drawing-board.html) and had seen the conclusive proof that pencils such as these were manufactured by Conklin (http://leadheadpencils.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-last-two-nails.html).  Jerry knew I would have to have this one.

First, it’s a ringtop; I haven’t seen one of those.  But more importantly, it is made from what is in my opinion one of Conklin’s most distinctive plastics, one which the company called “imperial blue.”  It’s quite a trick capturing the depths of the blueness, which looks black under nearly all light conditions.

I wonder if there are any Guilds out there in Conklin’s “halloween” plastic?

No comments: