Steve wrote:
Bob Walsh wrote:

Diana,

Pencil "lead" is really graphite.

Bob

I've always assumed they used real lead at one time or that name
would
have never been used. I wonder how long ago real lead was last
used?...


At least 200 years ago. There were pencil factories in the US in 1800
which used graphite.

Artists used silver styli and charcoal for drawing as far back as
Leonardo's day, if not earlier.

The core of a modern cedar pencil is a mixture of graphite and clay.
Hardness is determined by the amount of clay in the mixture--more clay,
harder pencil.

Mechanical pencil leads use graphite and some kind of polymer.

J. Del Col