What's new

Norma Mechanical Pencil Question

I love to draw and use usually a Pental Multi-8 loaded with 2mm lead in different grades of softness. I would like to complement the Pentel Multi-8 with a mechanical pencil that takes multiple 1 mm leads. No such pen is currently in production and my best bet is buying a vintage Norma 4-color pencil. I takes 1.1 mm lead. I wonder if commonly available 1 mm lead will work in a pencil designed for 1.1 mm lead. All I know is that Faber-Castell makes 0.9/1.0 mm lead that works in pencils that take 0.9 mm and in those that take 1.0 mm lead. I do not want to have to rely on buying old stock 1.1 mm lead and neither do I trust that currently made 1.1mm lead will be available for any considerable time. Does anybody here have a Norma 4-color pen, and does it work with 1.0 mm lead?
 
I found a mind Norma 104 4-color pencil on Ebay. I measured the lead thickness with claipers and it's exactly 1.15 mm. An uncommon size nowadays. I can find some colored lead and new HB. I would like 4 different grades of lead. from hard to very soft, since I intend to use the pencil for drawing. Since I can find only HB, I am considering converting the pencil to 0.9/1.0 mm lead size. This would necessitate drilling out the four lead guides and inserting a sleeve with 1 mm interior diameter. I am not worried about devaluing a collectible pencil, but I'd rather find a source for the proper 1.15 mm lead in various grades. Opinions?

hotwheels
 
I'm not interested in colored leads. Today I press-fitted 3mm long 1.25mm OD brass tubing into each writing tip Each tube was bored out to 0.86 mm and fittet with a 3mm plunger extension. Without the extension, the existing plunger would not allow expelling a lead completely. Not a problem as long as the lead doesn't break, but just in case, I did extend the plunger. Now my Norma pencil takes 0.9 mm lead in H, B, 2B and 4B. Perfect for sketching when my Pentel Multi-8 with 2mm lead is too thick. The modification is also removable at any time and no harm was done to the Norma. I only have to remove the press-fitted brass sleeves.

If anyone knows how to disassemble the Norma 104, please let me know. It appears that the two halves of the casing can be pulled apart, but I don't want to force it without knowing. There is a small release button under the pocket clip, but I am unable to push it in.

hotwheels
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom