How To use the Staedtler 2mm tub sharpener

I have seen several people post questions about how to use a Staedtler tub sharpener to sharpen their clutch pencils. Hopefully this little tutorial might help explain how to use one.

First, we need to look at the three holes on top of the sharpener. The biggest one, is obviously where the pencil will eventually go to be sharpened. The two smaller holes, however, aren't self-explanatory. The image below shows which hole is intended for sharp points and which is intended for dull points (which I hardly ever use).

First off, we need to press the button at the back end of the clutch pencil to extend the lead out a inch and a half or so (3cm) and drop the lead into the 'sharp tip' hole. Basically, touch the bottom of the hole with the lead.

Extend the lead until
it hits the bottom

The next step is to then press the button on the back end of the pencil again and this time, lower the pencil jaws until they touch the top of the tub sharpener. You want to make sure that the pencil lead is bottomed out in the hole while you're doing this step and you aren't picking the lead out of the hole before lowering the pencil to the tub.

Drop the pencil down
until it touches the tub

The final step is to remove the pencil from the 'sharp tip' hole and insert it into the tub itself and turn the pencil around until it stops making a sharpening noise against the metal sharpening ring.

Insert the pencil into the
tub and turn to sharpen.

You're done! Hopefully this resulted in a sharp pencil lead. If not, feel free to post a comment and I'll try to help out.

Review: Uni-ball 2.0 mm Pencil Lead Sharpener

Uni-ball 2.0mm
Pencil Lead Sharpener

I recently acquired the Uni-ball 2.0 mm Pencil Lead Sharpener from JetPens.com (a wonderfully indulgent online pen and pencil store - highly recommended). I thought it might be useful to share my experiences with it for use with 2mm clutch pencils.

I typically use Staedtler Mars-780 clutch pencils, which are 2mm drafting pencils that accept a wide range of pencil grades. They are the best compromise between a mechanical pencil (e.g., 0.5mm) and a wood-cased pencil. I have long been using the Staedtler tub sharpener but find it a bit inconvenient when doing art shows for a couple of reasons. First, it is a bit bulky so I have to find a pocket to fit it into, which leads to the second issue, namely that if you tip it upside down, the graphite shavings from your previous pencil sharpenings tend to fall out and turn your drawing kit into a fingerprinting scene from CSI.

Isn't it cute?

The clever rotating
cap design

In an attempt to resolve these two issues, I picked up the Uni-ball pencil lead sharpener. It's quite a cute little device. Made of medium-grade plastic, it has a wonderfully ergonomic design. There are no sharp edges or projections to catch on pockets or clothing so it can be slipped into a shirt pocket or even thrown into a pencil case along with your other supplies.

The mechanism is quite simple and basically allows you to sharpen any type of clutch pencil by simply extending the lead into the hole and turning clockwise. Unlike the Staedtler tub sharpener, it doesn't require the lead to be extended to a specific length.

I've included some shots to the right of the sharpener in use to give you an idea of its size - one word, it's small. Very handy but quite a bit smaller than you might imagine given the product shots.

There is one drawback to an otherwise perfect little sharpener. The  price. At $9.00 USD, it's simply too expensive to make it a simple solution for most casual pencil users. I draw 5 hours every day so this is sort of a no-brainer for me, especially when I'm at shows. But for those who are casual users, this is most likely too high.

If you happen to break the lead off in the sharpener, see my post on how to rescue your sharpener!

Overall, this sharpener earns 4.5 out of 5 pencils, and is highly recommended for those not on a tight budget and who don't abuse their pencil sharpeners. I would recommend purchasing this sharpener through JetPens.com but be forewarned, you might end up spending a lot more than you planned after browsing through their selection!

4.5 Pencils

Highly Recommended

A consolidated camera kit

I have finally completed a consolidation of my camera equipment that's been in progress for the past 18 months. At one point I owned 3 separate camera systems including a Canon 50D with assorted lenses, a Nikon D90 with three lenses, and a Pentax K-7 with a handful of prime lenses. I really enjoyed each of the systems for different reasons but obviously I had to make some smart decisions about what to keep and what to sell. In the end, I decided to return to Canon for one very specific reason: affordable long lenses.

I made the transition official by selling my Nikon and Pentax equipment and using the money to purchase a used Canon 5D Mark II. Of course I don't need 21.1 megapixels, but the other alternatives were the older Canon 5D (which I previously owned and was frustrated with because of dust issues) or the big-boy 1D-series cameras which I simply can't afford. After deciding on the camera, I ended up basically breaking even on my camera purchases which made me feel pretty good.


A lot of people are lured by the claims of full frame cameras being better than cropped sensors and this is partially true but mostly an over-hyped marketing ploy. The real advantages of full frame are for photographers who got used to specific focal ranges and hate having to covert (I'm definitely in this camp) and those who have lenses designed specifically for full frame for their coverage (which I was also a camp member of). In the end, it's not the camera but the photographer taking the photos. You really have to figure out what system makes you want to shoot photos.

We have a wildlife photography trip / horseback riding trip to the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Ranch in May and I will be putting this kit into serious shooting for the first time. Shooting photos around town is much easier than dealing with everything while in the field. I know I'll have a much better understanding of my equipment once this trip is behind me.

Updates to the photo equipment section on my website...

I finally got around to upgrading my photography equipment section of my website. I've been overhauling my lenses and camera body over the last 18 months, going as far as purchasing three different camera systems to ensure I was making the right choice.

It amazes me that we live in an age where you can buy photography equipment, use it for a while, and sell it for less of a loss than you would take to rent it for a week or so. It's a great way of testing equipment without having to take a huge hit when trading it in to a camera dealer. I have tried the Nikon D90 and the Pentax K-7 and eventually returned to Canon with the purchase of a Canon 50D. I ended up breaking nearly even throughout this entire exchange with perhaps a couple of hundred dollars lost here and there when reselling. Phenomenal!

Anyway, I've updated my website with the new equipment. I'm looking at purchasing either a 5D Mark II or perhaps settling for a 5D for landscape shooting and will update my page once I've made a decision. This will come after selling my 300mm f/4L IS USM and my Nikon D90 with 18-105mm, 70-300mm VR, and 35mm f/1.8G lenses. This will basically cover the cost of even the 5D Mark II so I am hoping to make this happen before our first wildlife photography trip.