When was pencil with eraser invented

Cheaper ones are made of synthetic soy-based gum or synthetic rubber while those of higher quality can be made from vinyl, plastic, or gum-like materials. People tried to correct mistakes they made while writing even before eraser was invented. To erase marks from the paper, they used tablets of rubber or wax. To remove ink from parchment or papyrus they used bits of rough stone like sandstone or pumice.

In Japan, they used soft bread. It was not until that we found out that a natural rubber made from plants can be used as an eraser. That year, Edward Nairne, an English engineer, picked up a piece of rubber instead of breadcrumbs and discovered that rubber can erase pencil markings.

Solution to that problem came in when inventor Charles Goodyear invented the method of curing the rubber - vulcanization. This process made rubber more durable and allowed for the eraser to become a household item.

By curing the rubber eraser with heat, it made the rubber erasers much stronger and much more popular. Papyrus was a plant that grew in Egypt which was great to write on. So great in fact, our word paper comes from it even though the type of paper we used was invented in Ancient China.

The Han Dynasty takes credit for the first pulp paper mill back in AD. This paper making practice would make its way around the world over the next years, and soon pushed poor old papyrus to the side. Pulp paper mills would become modernized with the first printing press in and later used for mass production in the 19th century.

Toggle navigation Menu. In order to make eraser plugs that will be attached to the ends of pencils, the rubber mixture is extruded and cut into plugs. To make flat, rectangular erasers, the mixture is injected into molds and then cooled. The manufacturing of erasers is highly automated, with reliable products made in the millions each year. Experienced eraser manufacturers have refined the techniques used to the point where extensive inspection is not necessary.

The raw materials shipped to the manufacturer are supplied by companies that are known to provide substances with the proper characteristics. If a new substance is supplied, or if it comes from a new company, the eraser manufacturer may inspect it to be sure it meets all specifications. Only a very small percentage of erasers need to be inspected to ensure that they have the proper physical properties.

Flats must be the correct size to fit into boxes. Plugs must have the correct dimensions to fit into ferrules.

The hardness of erasers is critical to how well they will work. Experienced inspectors can easily tell if an eraser is too hard or too soft.

Erasers have remained mostly unchanged for many years. Improvements in eraser technology are likely to be made in the way rubber is produced. New chemical formulas are constantly being developed to produce synthetic rubber in ways that are more efficient, less costly, and which result in products with more useful properties.

Genetic engineering may result in rubber trees that produce more latex, or trees that produce latex with physical properties that would make natural rubber production more efficient. A hint of the future of eraser design is seen in the Ergoraser, a unique eraser from Levenger, a company specializing in very high quality writing supplies.

The Ergoraser, developed after two years of research, is oval and curved, much like the shape of a spoon. The thumb fits inside the curve during use in a way which is designed to be comfortable and efficient.

Although extremely expensive compared to ordinary erasers, the Ergoraser promises to play an important role in the future for those who demand the highest quality in simple objects. Toggle navigation. Made How Volume 5 Eraser Eraser.

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