A small collection of ... what do you call these ?

[kronckew]

pencils (mechanical pencils)

[fernando]

So that's the term i missed: mechanical (i knew the pencil part); thanks much Wayne.
I now see at Wiki that Americans call them mechanical and the Brits call them propelling.

[kronckew]

they generally use an internal collet that when you push on the top end grabs the lead and pushes it a bit out the end, then lets go as you stop pushing, and retreats back ready for the next push, thus 'propelling' the lead 'mechanically' (some use a related screw mechanism). us americans chose the latter term, the brits the former. one of the joys of english anomalies - gasoline/petrol, car boot/trunk, car windscreen/windshield, lift.elevator, tube/subway, and so on infinitum. not even counting guest words adopted from other languages.

they originally used a lead (chemical symbol Pb - levar?) wire, that's why in english we call the central graphite that does the writing the 'pencil lead'.

luckily they figured out that graphite worked better and left a darker lettering, and later found it was safer. bit more fragile, tho chewing on your pencil is a lot healthier. wears out faster tho. if you have one with a real lead centre, don't use it.

romans used lead for plumbing pipes, the exposure level from it in alkaline water is low, but cumulative, they think rome declined in part from the side effects which includes reduced intelligence, reduced fertility, mental issues, strength, etc.

[fernando]

Originally Posted by kronckew

they generally use an internal collet that when you push on the top end grabs the lead and pushes it a bit out the end, then lets go as you stop pushing, and retreats back ready for the next push, thus 'propelling' the lead 'mechanically' (some use a related screw mechanism ...

None of these have the collet system. Number #3, #6 and #7 function by rotation of the top. Number #1, #2 and #4 have exterior side buttons to slide out (and in) the internal core. Number #2, the pure gold hallmarked French example, slides out both a pencil and a pen. Number #5 is fix, but has an outer screwable part that tightens an interior collet that holds the crayon; it's missing a screwing protection.
Some time ago i was dumb enough to offer as a gift a silver one that slided a pen, a pencil and an erasor blade.

Originally Posted by kronckew

...us americans chose the latter term, the brits the former. one of the joys of english anomalies - gasoline/petrol, car boot/trunk, car windscreen/windshield, lift.elevator, tube/subway, and so on infinitum. not even counting guest words adopted from other languages...

This is the kind of nuances that distinguish one country from another. Were you in Britain when they used to tag streets and parks toilets as "public conveniences" ?; it took me a while to realize what these were, when i wandered around in London, back in 1967.

Originally Posted by kronckew

... they originally used a lead (chemical symbol Pb - levar?) wire, that's why in english we call the central graphite that does the writing the 'pencil lead'...

levar ? Pb comes from the latin 'plumbum'. Hence the 'plumber' profession.

Originally Posted by kronckew

...romans used lead for plumbing pipes, the exposure level from it in alkaline water is low, but cumulative, they think rome declined in part from the side effects which includes reduced intelligence, reduced fertility, mental issues, strength, etc.

Oh my; i will give a pint of bitter saturated with lead to each of those guys in the other football team .

[Battara]

Very nice!

[A. G. Maisey]

I believe the pencils that use a push button at the end are called 'clutch pencils', the ones that extend the lead by turning a part of the barrel are called 'propelling pencils' --- at least in Australia that is so.

[fernando]

Originally Posted by Battara

... Very nice!...

Thank you José. See the fancy top of two of them.

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

... I believe the pencils that use a push button at the end are called 'clutch pencils', the ones that extend the lead by turning a part of the barrel are called 'propelling pencils' --- at least in Australia that is so...

Thank you Alan; by the same order of ideas, the ones that extend the lead (or pen) by sliding side rings are also propelling pencils, as propelling is the act of causing a move, and not how the move is effectuated ?. I still don't know how these these things called in portuguese.

[kronckew]

Originally Posted by fernando

...

levar ? Pb comes from the latin 'plumbum'. Hence the 'plumber' profession.

Oh my; i will give a pint of bitter saturated with lead to each of those guys in the other football team .

my google translator said the english noun for the metal Pb, 'lead' is 'levar' in portugese. stupid thing kept translating the word lead into a word that translated back as 'guided', as in you can lead a horse...etc. got the 'levar' bit from trying to translate lead poisoning. not too successfuly i gather. i know my periodic table by the way, and that Pb comes from the latin. it also occurs in the late roman throwing darts, plumbata, because they have a barbed steel point held to a vaned shaft of wood by a lead (plumbum again)weight cast around the join. soldiers have been throwing lead down-range for millenia (also slingers if you count slinging). they also used lead salts to 'sweeten' wine. probably not the best choice. (rome seems to have invented 'lawn darts' )

[fernando]

Originally Posted by kronckew

...my google translator said the english noun for the metal Pb, 'lead' is 'levar' in portugese. stupid thing kept translating the word lead into a word that translated back as 'guided', as in you can lead a horse...etc. got the 'levar' bit from trying to translate lead poisoning. not too successfuly i gather. i know my periodic table by the way, and that Pb comes from the latin...

Traduttore, traditore...
It looks as if the term lead is a multi meaning term; lead as for pista=track, lead as for levar=take (carry) something somewhere, lead as for guiding=leading the way, lead as for lead=leader=command and lead as for chumbo=metal (plumbum).

Originally Posted by kronckew

... they also used lead salts to 'sweeten' wine. probably not the best choice...

This somehow reminds me my time in the army, where they were said to use salt in the morning coffe, to avoid having to use much sugar to sweeten it, a more expensive stuff !!

[A. G. Maisey]

Yes, your logic on naming sounds correct to me Fernando.

The push-button mechanism as "clutch-pencil" I'm pretty certain of because I have used one in drawing flowcharts during much of my life. One could say it is one of my tools of trade.