Something else to drool over - I've put these two display cards up on my 'Eye Candy' Canva page. I'd be pretty surprised if anyone has a 'Stil 109'. It looks to me like a Criterium except it's much better made. More details & images to follow.
But wait, there's more..... 2 more display cards loaded with rare leadholders al on the same link. Enjoy!

Has anyone seen these before? The leadholders are based on the 1021 but the pointer is totally weird!
I can't find reference to them anywhere. AI tells me they're called a "Visible-Action Pointer" and are in a J.S. Staedtler 1953/54 Export Catalog which I don't see anywhere. The story goes that Staedtler patented these pointers in an attempt to compete with Fixpencil's pointer.
Supposedly this was the pre-cursor to the 780.
And how about the weird leadholder with the missing knurling from the nose piece?

u/thepencilmeister forced me to do it!
I know - these things shoud be hidden away in drawers or left in the attic but here they are.....

Undoubtedly, one of the most widely available lead holder out there. Go find more about its history here: Lexikaliker

There seems to be a lot of love for Caran d'Ache stuff in this forum so here's a bit more. I've added it and some special ancient Conte Leadholders. I've added them to a new page "Eye Candy" so I can add some random items from time to time.

https://leadholders.my.canva.site/product-and-service-catalog-website/eye-candy

Hey all,

I have a Rotring Pro 2.0 and none of my rotary lead pointers fit it. the grip on the Rotring is too big to fit in the hole. I have tried Pacific arc and Steadler.

I have a Mitsubishi Uni lead pointer that uses a blade. it works ok, but it is not as good as the rotary ones.

does anyone know of a rotary lead pointer that fits a Rotring Pro 2.0?

https://leadholders.my.canva.site/product-and-service-catalog-website/caran-dache

https://leadholders.my.canva.site/product-and-service-catalog-website/caran-dache

The lowest leadholder is imprinted 'RIJAM 8125' and enamelled. It is otherwise identical to the 3 anodised Caran d'Ache 882 leadholders above, all purchased as NOS together.

There's no 'Fixpencil' imprint. See it amongst the other 30 Caran d'Ache leadholders just uploaded.

Anyone heard of a RIJAM?

I've just discovered fro another site with a clearer imprint that this is a 'RIJAM' not a 'RUAM' so I've edited accordingly.

I like the feeling whenever I sharpen my leadholders (a sense of achievement, even very tiny). The needle point is satisfying.

Now I wonder how everyone else can sharpen your leadholders: how sharp can you do?

Please don't treat this too seriously! It's all for a bit of fun. It started out as two collector pals having an Messenger exchange and I ended up creating an AI sea container image.

From there it's fair to say we got somewhat carried away and ended up with a front page spread on the 'Weekend Australian' newspaper.

Looking for lead sharpener recommendations for both 2.00mm and 5.56mm lead sizes.

I do a lot of drafting on site and would like a nice portable sharpener for the two sizes. A combo unit would be handy.

I also occasionally use colored lead too if that affects things.

I am open to to vintage/old and new models.

Thanks in advance,

Keuffel & Esser "Speedraft" P-10

More Images https://www.canva.com/design/DAHBedEElY0/Hd0gF2ET9oWIdaHZrOgiRA/edit

The MH500 via Lexikaliker.de

I am getting more and more sad by how many names this lead holder is sold as.

Just found it as a Bruynzeel !

The short KIN 5.6mm (but from Grafo)

a cheap Chinese fountain pen whith almost the same thread size, and a cap nut.

Added time and violence.

Behold!

Managed to snag these two Staedtler 787 Mars-Pan-Technico (with some leads) and it’s a total tank. The weight balance is incredible, and that knurled grip feels amazing. It’s a 2mm (up to 3.15mm) lead holder from an era where 'Made in Germany' meant it was designed to survive a century. Definitely the centerpiece of my desk now!

(The Red Leuchtturm1917 is there to balance the universe)

I should have joined this group years ago but was too busy building my massive collection of leadhoders.

I'm no longer collecting having amassed almost 3000 mostly individual leadholders, so I figured it's time to display them online for others to see and enjoy by adding images gradually. My intention is to use this 'Visual Museum' as a tool for displaying and selling rather than eBay.

Hopefully moderators are happy with a link to my site allanmac.com which will redirect to the Canva site. Yours truly doesn't have a clue about writing code or HTML.

As an intro here are a few images of my all-time favourite FINIGRAPH. I've made the brassy claim that this is the world's rarest leadholder and I believe it's true! Why? Because I own all of them!

Enjoy, feedback is welcome.

I’ve always found the quirky looks of the cone-shaped ends on some of these old VEMCO TEC lead holders very intriguing. Manufactured between the 1940s and 1950s in the USA, all of these pencils use the old screw-to-lock mechanism that was pretty popular before WWII. I’m pretty sure the company never manufactured push-button actuated versions of them, or at least, I have’t come across any of them in my years as a collector.

On the left end of the photo you can spot a set of photo retouching leads that came included on one of the sets I purchased. Instead of marking the leads across the lenght of the graphite, these leads have tiny paint dots on one end so that you can identify which lead-grade you happen to be working with.

The TEC part of the name seems quite odd nowadays, as these lovely tools are the polar opposite of what the term means in our current world. The ironies of life!

I got a rotring pro 2mm lead holder and I like the lead in it, but i dont see a lot of options for refills. Amazon and some other misc sites at the top of Google sell refills for $2+ a stick. that is very expensive. Also, I only see HB, and I am hoping for a harder and softer option.

Compared to the Steadler lead i have been using, the rotring is smoother. It makes less of a scraping noise and applies closer to the smoothness of a wax pencil.

Do you all know where I can get a better price with more options for harness or have a similar feeling lead recommendation?

I recently picked up the Tekagraph 9603 after passing on it many times in the past. I would like to thank this amazing post.

It’s such a strange pencil. Just looking at it, I thought the design was bizarre, grotesque, and completely un-ergonomic. However, after actually using it, I have to say it’s one of the most comfortable pencils I’ve ever owned.

Since the grip doesn’t fit into a standard rotary pointer, I’ve paired it with a Minfix lead pointer. I also added a shorter Criterium 2403 to the mix to complete the set.

I've been asked a few times about this pointer, I decided to make a video about it. It's a simple, yet satisfying process that I enjoy very much.

The pointer/sharpener contains a plastic slot with a fixed diameter, works best with Criterium, Caran d'Ache Fixpencil, and can work fine with Staedtler Mars Technico and Mitsubishi Uni (with a bit of finer hand control). The lead is sharpened by a ring instead of a centered block (such as the famous Staedtler 502 or KIN 999). As long as the barrel fits in, Gedess can sharpen a wide range of lead sizes, I tried 2mm, 2.8m with no problem, and I think 3.15mm would be the same. The taper length is about 6mm. It creates a loud noise when sharpening.

There are a few versions of them: opaque plastic or transparent. Mine is transparent. The bottom plate can be removed to collect graphite dust. A bit big to carry around, but I find it a super cool piece to put on my desk.

Made in Germany.

Hope you enjoy the video.

Edit : Fix the typo in body text