Building and Construction - Pencils and TATTOO DESIGNS

Author

Pencils and TATTOO DESIGNS

Don Freeman

2007-06-26, 1:25 pm

"Pastaka" <pastakananda@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1182874253.327277.113770@o11g2000prd.googlegroups.com...
> Huge collection of tattoos

This reminded me of a "fact" that was passed around when I was in elementary
school (mid to late '50s). It stated that one would most certainly get
"lead" poisoning from pencils if used to make tattoos. This was in the
"just rewards"/precautionary tale format when told. The victim (always a
child about our age at the time) give himself (or was given by a peer) a
tattoo using a pencil. The "lead" in the pencil gave him lead poisoning and
his arm had to be amputated. I'd heard this both in the civilian grade
school 2nd-5th grades) I went to in Aurora, CO and the military dependants
school (6th grade) I went to at Minot AFB, ND. By the time I heard it at
the latter school, I had already found out that "lead" was actually graphite
and harmless, which I was more than happy to inform the teller of the tale.
Which, I guess, initiated my interest in debunking (as well as my social
ostrazation).

That pencil lead (actually, a non-toxic, blend of graphite and clay) could
cause lead poisoning is not too uncommon a misconception, as observed by the
many sites disclaiming it. But so far I haven't seen any other recounts of
an imaginary incident behind it. But I remember it being taken as gospel at
the time.

--
-Don
Ever had one of those days where you just felt like:
http://cosmoslair.com/BadDay.html ?
(Eating the elephant outside the box, one paradigm at a time)

longshot

2007-06-26, 1:25 pm

"Don Freeman" <freemand@sonic.net> wrote in message
news:4681444f$0$27178$742ec2ed@news.sonic.net...
>
> "Pastaka" <pastakananda@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:1182874253.327277.113770@o11g2000prd.googlegroups.com...
>
> This reminded me of a "fact" that was passed around when I was in
> elementary school (mid to late '50s). It stated that one would most
> certainly get "lead" poisoning from pencils if used to make tattoos. This
> was in the "just rewards"/precautionary tale format when told. The victim
> (always a child about our age at the time) give himself (or was given by a
> peer) a tattoo using a pencil. The "lead" in the pencil gave him lead
> poisoning and his arm had to be amputated. I'd heard this both in the
> civilian grade school 2nd-5th grades) I went to in Aurora, CO and the
> military dependants school (6th grade) I went to at Minot AFB, ND. By
> the time I heard it at the latter school, I had already found out that
> "lead" was actually graphite and harmless, which I was more than happy to
> inform the teller of the tale. Which, I guess, initiated my interest in
> debunking (as well as my social ostrazation).
>
> That pencil lead (actually, a non-toxic, blend of graphite and clay) could
> cause lead poisoning is not too uncommon a misconception, as observed by
> the many sites disclaiming it. But so far I haven't seen any other
> recounts of an imaginary incident behind it. But I remember it being
> taken as gospel at the time.
>
>

back in the day, wasn't the graphite actually lead?

>

Matt Barrow

2007-06-26, 1:25 pm

"longshot" <longshot@aol.com> wrote in message
news:czbgi.6174$G85.1902@trndny08...
>
>
> back in the day, wasn't the graphite actually lead?

No, it was thought, during the early pencil days (1500's), that graphite was
a form of lead, hence the misnomer.

Yet, nearly 500 years later, we still call them "lead" pencils and number
their hardness.

--
Matt Barrow
(Who did a lot of mechanical drawing with a 2H lead pencil in the days
before CAD)

Don Freeman

2007-06-26, 1:25 pm

"longshot" <longshot@aol.com> wrote in message
news:czbgi.6174$G85.1902@trndny08...
>
> "Don Freeman" <freemand@sonic.net> wrote in message
> news:4681444f$0$27178$742ec2ed@news.sonic.net...
>
>
> back in the day, wasn't the graphite actually lead?
>

From http://www.abc.net.au/science/k2/moments/s1195234.htm :
"About 2,000 years ago, the Greeks and the Romans realized that a sharpened
lump of lead would mark papyrus with a dry light line. A dry line is good,
but light is hard to see."

I may be old but when I said mid to late fifties, I was referring to 1950
AD. Not 50 AD.

JXStern

2007-06-26, 5:25 pm

On Tue, 26 Jun 2007 10:10:16 -0700, "Don Freeman" <freemand@sonic.net>
wrote:

>
>From http://www.abc.net.au/science/k2/moments/s1195234.htm :
>"About 2,000 years ago, the Greeks and the Romans realized that a sharpened
>lump of lead would mark papyrus with a dry light line. A dry line is good,
>but light is hard to see."
>
>I may be old but when I said mid to late fifties, I was referring to 1950
>AD. Not 50 AD.

Heh.

Well, IIRC, by about third grade in the early 1960s timeframe, we knew
better.

J.

DanG

2007-06-27, 8:25 pm

Don,

I remember the same misinformation. A short family history - when
my dad was in high school (really old, as in the 30's) he was
stabbed in the hand by another kid with a pencil. It may not have
been the lead or graphite, but something on that pencil gave him
blood poisoning and came mighty close to dying. I guess I'm glad,
else I wouldn't be here.

--
______________________________
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)
dgriff237@7cox.net

"Don Freeman" <freemand@sonic.net> wrote in message
news:4681444f$0$27178$742ec2ed@news.sonic.net...
>
> "Pastaka" <pastakananda@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:1182874253.327277.113770@o11g2000prd.googlegroups.com...
>
> This reminded me of a "fact" that was passed around when I was
> in elementary school (mid to late '50s). It stated that one
> would most certainly get "lead" poisoning from pencils if used
> to make tattoos. This was in the "just rewards"/precautionary
> tale format when told. The victim (always a child about our age
> at the time) give himself (or was given by a peer) a tattoo
> using a pencil. The "lead" in the pencil gave him lead
> poisoning and his arm had to be amputated. I'd heard this both
> in the civilian grade school 2nd-5th grades) I went to in
> Aurora, CO and the military dependants school (6th grade) I went
> to at Minot AFB, ND. By the time I heard it at the latter
> school, I had already found out that "lead" was actually
> graphite and harmless, which I was more than happy to inform the
> teller of the tale. Which, I guess, initiated my interest in
> debunking (as well as my social ostrazation).
>
> That pencil lead (actually, a non-toxic, blend of graphite and
> clay) could cause lead poisoning is not too uncommon a
> misconception, as observed by the many sites disclaiming it.
> But so far I haven't seen any other recounts of an imaginary
> incident behind it. But I remember it being taken as gospel at
> the time.
>
>
> --
> -Don
> Ever had one of those days where you just felt like:
> http://cosmoslair.com/BadDay.html ?
> (Eating the elephant outside the box, one paradigm at a time)
>

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