Pencil Extender, Glueing, & Microwaving

I use a pencil extender when my coloured pencils become too small to hold comfortably in my hand. This allows me to hold the pencil so that I can continue with my work. Once the pencil becomes too small for the extender (or to sharpen with the electric pencil sharpener) I then glue the small pencil butt to a new pencil with Krazy Glue. (I use Krazy Glue Precision) I let it sit at least 12 hours (preferably longer -- usually 24 hours) before using the pencil again. I am able to use pretty well all of the pencil this way. I sharpen right through to the new pencil. It allows me to make the most of my coloured pencils.

A very important tip in the care and storage of your coloured pencil is to NEVER drop them, especially onto a hard floor. This breaks the lead inside the pencil. However, if you do accidently drop the pencil, or you find a lead that keeps breaking you should try the following suggestion: A trick that I picked up from someone in my Online Portrait Art Group is to microwave the coloured pencil. I microwave the pencil for approximately 20 seconds then put it in the freezer for a few minutes. This allows the wax to melt in the pencil and rebond together. I was thrilled to find out about this trick because these pencils are quite expensive and it is most irritating to keep sharpening a pencil and the lead continuously break and fall out. It is such an expensive waste, not to mention you are then less that much more of that colour to work with.

Happy Thanksgiving Canada!