I've been using a 0.5mm mechanical pencil for all my detail work since trade school, but a quick chat with an old timer at the supply shop in Tacoma made me switch to a 0.3mm for good.

He looked at a tight tolerance section I was struggling with and said, 'Kid, you're fighting the tool,' which made me realize my thick lines were hiding mistakes I needed to see.

3 comments

3 Comments

laura_white991mo agoMost Upvoted

Wait wait, you nearly ruined a sketch? Like a whole thing you had hours into? I'm genuinely shocked because the 0.3mm is the only reason I caught a hairline crack in a piece last month before it went to assembly. With a 0.5mm that crack would have just looked like another line, I would have sent it down the line and had a real mess on my hands later. Your experience is totally valid though, not every hand gets along with every tool. Maybe your paper or surface was too rough? That'll eat a 0.3mm lead alive.

davis.gavin2mo ago

Switched to 0.3mm and it changed everything, lol.

jamierodriguez2mo ago

Tried that last week and nearly ruined a whole sketch. My lines looked like a toddler with a crayon got hold of my pen. Went back to my 0.5 like a coward. Guess I'm not built for the delicate life.