lairdb
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I wanted to tweak my slate after the last dive trip, and it was easier to make another from scratch, so I took some pictures while doing so. This will include good working (at the time of posting) source links for all parts, including for the much liked and hard to find Croquis pencil.
[Edit: the SB software is doing some incredibly stupid thing to the Amazon links; I'll try to fix them, or PM me if needed.]
Finished product:
The slate itself is cut from a sheet of 2mm PVC. I sourced mine locally, but this (Amazon) is identical. Determine the dimensions you want, score deeply, and snap.
The material I used is quite glossy as-supplied:
It will take the pencil more easily if you roughen the surface a little. I used a random orbital sander on both sides with 220 grit paper to roughen the surface; I used the same sander for a few seconds on corners and edges to knock them down.
Optional: I then put the sized sheet onto the side of a stewpot, and used a heatgun to shape it. (This one lives in a shorts pocket, so I wanted it to conform more to my upper thigh.)
Drill one 1/8in (3mm) corner hole, or optionally three holes as shown. If you drill the three holes, the other two should be about 3 inches from the corner hole. (Don't hog these out; it's nice if they are just right or a hair undersized.)
It's Croquis time! The Croquis is much liked on SB -- and oddly hard to find. All the Amazon sellers are unavailable, and most other sellers; here and there you'll find one with silly markup. Pirhana would probably sell many more if the word "Croquis" actually appeared in their listing, at Graphite Lead Pencil with 3 feet 1/8, rather than "This is the graphite pencil that everybody is talking about and we have them!" and similar.
No need to duplicate the @reefduffer thread (Putting a leash on a Pilot Croquis pencil) for how to add the bungee; there's also some discussion toward the end of a @jagfish thread (Why YOU Need WetNotes...And a bonus wetnote story).
Quick tip, though: if you're having trouble getting the bungee through the Croquis or slate holes: allow a little of the mantle to fuzz off the end, then wet it and draw it into a point (like threading a needle); once you can grasp some of the mantle, you can pull the mantle and core through. Thread the Croquis cap from the inside to the outside.
(Piranha supplies some black bungee -- if you source a pencil elsewhere or like other colors, I recommend Paracord Planet (https://www.paracordplanet.com/paracord/shock-elastic-cord/shock-cord/1-8/); they also sell some sizes and colors through Amazon (here or here). For each slate, about 3.5x the long dimension of the slate is right, before knotting and trimming.
Once you have the pencil on the cord, put the cord through the slate. For the three-hole method of creating a pencil-keeper, thread as shown:
Adjust the length as suits your preference of how to wind it and stow the pencil; if you put your holes as in my example, the pencil will hold itself in place quite well if it just goes down the front and up the back, and then tucks in the loop.
You can finish with a plain knot or a loop; a loop allows you to clip it off if you don't want to re-stow, or you can clip a spare DE to the short run across the back, as shown below. (If you clip your free end as closely as I do, you may want to apply some epoxy or superglue (Amazon) to keep the knot tied, or leave more free end. (Bungee doesn't melt to hold knots well, the way caveline does.))
Hope this is useful to someone.
[Edit: the SB software is doing some incredibly stupid thing to the Amazon links; I'll try to fix them, or PM me if needed.]
Finished product:
The slate itself is cut from a sheet of 2mm PVC. I sourced mine locally, but this (Amazon) is identical. Determine the dimensions you want, score deeply, and snap.
The material I used is quite glossy as-supplied:
It will take the pencil more easily if you roughen the surface a little. I used a random orbital sander on both sides with 220 grit paper to roughen the surface; I used the same sander for a few seconds on corners and edges to knock them down.
Optional: I then put the sized sheet onto the side of a stewpot, and used a heatgun to shape it. (This one lives in a shorts pocket, so I wanted it to conform more to my upper thigh.)
Drill one 1/8in (3mm) corner hole, or optionally three holes as shown. If you drill the three holes, the other two should be about 3 inches from the corner hole. (Don't hog these out; it's nice if they are just right or a hair undersized.)
It's Croquis time! The Croquis is much liked on SB -- and oddly hard to find. All the Amazon sellers are unavailable, and most other sellers; here and there you'll find one with silly markup. Pirhana would probably sell many more if the word "Croquis" actually appeared in their listing, at Graphite Lead Pencil with 3 feet 1/8, rather than "This is the graphite pencil that everybody is talking about and we have them!" and similar.
No need to duplicate the @reefduffer thread (Putting a leash on a Pilot Croquis pencil) for how to add the bungee; there's also some discussion toward the end of a @jagfish thread (Why YOU Need WetNotes...And a bonus wetnote story).
Quick tip, though: if you're having trouble getting the bungee through the Croquis or slate holes: allow a little of the mantle to fuzz off the end, then wet it and draw it into a point (like threading a needle); once you can grasp some of the mantle, you can pull the mantle and core through. Thread the Croquis cap from the inside to the outside.
(Piranha supplies some black bungee -- if you source a pencil elsewhere or like other colors, I recommend Paracord Planet (https://www.paracordplanet.com/paracord/shock-elastic-cord/shock-cord/1-8/); they also sell some sizes and colors through Amazon (here or here). For each slate, about 3.5x the long dimension of the slate is right, before knotting and trimming.
Once you have the pencil on the cord, put the cord through the slate. For the three-hole method of creating a pencil-keeper, thread as shown:
Adjust the length as suits your preference of how to wind it and stow the pencil; if you put your holes as in my example, the pencil will hold itself in place quite well if it just goes down the front and up the back, and then tucks in the loop.
You can finish with a plain knot or a loop; a loop allows you to clip it off if you don't want to re-stow, or you can clip a spare DE to the short run across the back, as shown below. (If you clip your free end as closely as I do, you may want to apply some epoxy or superglue (Amazon) to keep the knot tied, or leave more free end. (Bungee doesn't melt to hold knots well, the way caveline does.))
Hope this is useful to someone.
