5 ms·

Artisanal pencil sharpening

37 points by zafka 16y ago

pkulak 16y ago
Did the Onion get a new domain?
- pbhjpbhj 16y ago
  The image with the yellow pencils shows really badly sharpened pencils IMO. I hand sharpen pencils (with compacted ceramic glazes in place of "lead") with a craft knife and get a better tip than that. No, I'm not even joking.
- zafka 16y ago
  What I loved so much about this is that although it is very much tongue-in-cheek, I think it is a viable "pet rock" type of product offering. Specially to those slightly older folks who have gone through a few trees worth of pencils.
- julius_geezer 16y ago
  The tube of lubricant I bought this summer for a lock said that it contained graphite, which is known to the state of California to be a carcinogen. I think that there should be points awarded for the most serious sounding post to the original story pointing out the dangers of our encouraging this sort of activity.
mmagin 16y ago
http://www.amazon.com/Authenticity-Hoax-Lost-Finding-Ourselves/dp/006125133X http://www.amazon.com/Authenticity-Hoax-Lost-Finding-Ourselv...
- mechanical_fish 16y ago
  Yes, but not only is the performance art version funnier, but I might get a pencil out of it. Of course, knowing me I will promptly break the pencil and then I'll be heartbroken. What I need to do is go into business selling inert-gas-filled hand-blown glass ampules to store your artisanally-sharpened pencil in, so that it retains its sharpness until long after you are dead. I am an authentic solid state physicist with an authentic lab coat and goggles, after all, so I have ample qualifications in scientific pencil preservation.
Groxx 16y ago
>... the more I thought about it, the more I was like, 'If I could figure out how to get paid to sharpen pencils, I would be happy.' So I decided to become an artisanal pencil sharpener." Talk about meeting your goals. Congrats to him for making his life happier, that's one hell of a risky job idea.
silvertab 16y ago
Well, I guess that's one way to earn a living! I was convinced it would be about this guy however: http://oddstuffmagazine.com/extraordinary-art-on-pencil-tips-by-dalton-ghetti.html http://oddstuffmagazine.com/extraordinary-art-on-pencil-tips...
- Chirono 16y ago
  That is incredible.... And he does it without any sort of magnifying glass. Wow.
diziet 16y ago
This is so post post modern.

37 points by zafka 16y ago

pkulak 16y ago

Did the Onion get a new domain?

pbhjpbhj 16y ago
The image with the yellow pencils shows really badly sharpened pencils IMO. I hand sharpen pencils (with compacted ceramic glazes in place of "lead") with a craft knife and get a better tip than that. No, I'm not even joking.
zafka 16y ago
What I loved so much about this is that although it is very much tongue-in-cheek, I think it is a viable "pet rock" type of product offering. Specially to those slightly older folks who have gone through a few trees worth of pencils.
julius_geezer 16y ago
The tube of lubricant I bought this summer for a lock said that it contained graphite, which is known to the state of California to be a carcinogen. I think that there should be points awarded for the most serious sounding post to the original story pointing out the dangers of our encouraging this sort of activity.

mmagin 16y ago

http://www.amazon.com/Authenticity-Hoax-Lost-Finding-Ourselves/dp/006125133X http://www.amazon.com/Authenticity-Hoax-Lost-Finding-Ourselv...

mechanical_fish 16y ago
Yes, but not only is the performance art version funnier, but I might get a pencil out of it. Of course, knowing me I will promptly break the pencil and then I'll be heartbroken. What I need to do is go into business selling inert-gas-filled hand-blown glass ampules to store your artisanally-sharpened pencil in, so that it retains its sharpness until long after you are dead. I am an authentic solid state physicist with an authentic lab coat and goggles, after all, so I have ample qualifications in scientific pencil preservation.

Groxx 16y ago

>... the more I thought about it, the more I was like, 'If I could figure out how to get paid to sharpen pencils, I would be happy.' So I decided to become an artisanal pencil sharpener." Talk about meeting your goals. Congrats to him for making his life happier, that's one hell of a risky job idea.

silvertab 16y ago

Well, I guess that's one way to earn a living! I was convinced it would be about this guy however: http://oddstuffmagazine.com/extraordinary-art-on-pencil-tips-by-dalton-ghetti.html http://oddstuffmagazine.com/extraordinary-art-on-pencil-tips...

Chirono 16y ago
That is incredible.... And he does it without any sort of magnifying glass. Wow.

diziet 16y ago

This is so post post modern.