How to Add Lead to a Mechanical Pencil

Mechanical pencils are a wonderful invention. They allow people to use them without ever wearing out the point or requiring sharpening. They are available in thin and thick lead so that which ever type you prefer there is a model for you. Eventually, like normal pencils, they run out of lead. The great thing about mechanical pencils is that you can refill the lead.

Instructions

1. Purchase replacement or refill lead for your pencil. Look on the barrel of the pencil to find what size lead your pencil uses. There are a number of grades of hardness in lead available and for some mechanical pencils there are colors of lead available.

2. Examine the pencil and find the opening for lead addition. There are two main methods of adding lead to the pencil. One method is to carefully hold a piece of lead and try to push it up into the barrel of the pencil from the tip. You must hold down the lead advance button and carefully force the lead up into the barrel. You can only feed one piece of lead up the barrel at a time.

3. Open the top of the pencil to expose the eraser and lead storage chamber. The storage chamber will hold a number of extra pieces of lead and will feed the lead into the barrel of the pencil. This type of pencil is more useful as it will store enough lead to write for a month without having to refill it.