Dive Slates & Pencils: Tip

[david.tolan]

When you get a dive slate, the pencil that comes with it is quite likely to be a HB pencil.

Throw it away. Or at any rate don't use it for diving.

Go down to your local stationary or art store and buy a few 4B pencils. Cut them to size.

The pencil lead is a lot softer, and the writing comes out like bold font in comparison to the HB.

Reading it underwater is 10 times easier.

D

 

[ScubaMarc]

do the pencils fall apart after 3-4 dives? the pencils I use crack or split after 3-4 dives. Has anyone tried a mechinal pencil?

 

[mer]

Yeah, I've used BIC mechanical (click) pencils. They last a couple of months in salt water before something inside corrodes. I just picked up an all-plastic mechanical carpenters pencil from Home Depot, we shall see how that does.

 

[miketsp]

Hey guys, where are you living? It's been years since I saw a dive slate with a conventional wooden pencil.
Dive slates normally come with non-sharpening plastic pencils and have nothing to corrode or rot.
Example:
http://www.croakcity.com/catalog/Non-Sharpening-FrogPencilsbox-50-p-3149.html

 

[Vie]

do the pencils fall apart after 3-4 dives? the pencils I use crack or split after 3-4 dives. Has anyone tried a mechinal pencil?

The metal parts in a mechanical pencil will eventually corrode. To be honest, I’ve never had a regular pencil fall apart, even after hundreds of dives—I prefer Staedtler Mars Lumograph 2B.

http://www.staedtler.com/Mars_Lumograph_gb.Staedtler?ActiveID=2571

Started using wetnotes instead of a slate recently.

 

[crpntr133]

Buy a magna doodle and be done with it...nothing to corrode or break.

 

[teknitroxdiver]

The 'twist' mechanical pencils work well. These are the yellow ones that kind of look like a
real' pencil, only you twist the tip to get the lead to come out.

 

[friscuba]

When you get a dive slate, the pencil that comes with it is quite likely to be a HB pencil.

Throw it away. Or at any rate don't use it for diving.

Go down to your local stationary or art store and buy a few 4B pencils. Cut them too size.

The pencil lead is a lot softer, and the writing comes out like bold font in comparison to the HB.

Reading it underwater is 10 times easier.

D

I've had numerous people recommend carpenters/roofers pencils. They don't fall apart in water and have nothing to corrode. I use the little magna doodles from Walmart, but they are usually only good for about 25-35 dives before the magnetic tips corrode off the pen. I've heard the commercial scuba ones hold up well, but most are a bit oversized for my tastes. I saw a small wrist mounted magnetic one at DEMA last year and should have picked one up.

 

[String]

I just use the plastic pencils (made from recycled cups etc). It works nicely and doesnt soak/shrink or split like a normal one.

Another tip, sharpen it at both ends so if a point snaps when writing you can quickly rotate and continue without stopping

 

[D_B]

I use a magna doodle style , small magnetic slate made by Innovative Scuba Concepts , the QII , it also has pencil slate on back ... http://www.innovativescuba.com/

String: good idea on the pencil sharpening , been there with a broken tip

DB