Ukhona Ongangiboleka Ipensela?

NGUMLOBELI WE-PHAPHAMA! EBRITHANI

LISHIBHILE, lihlala likulungele ukusetshenziswa futhi alisindi. Lingena kalula ephaketheni. Aliwudingi ugesi, alivuzi neze, futhi ungacisha lapho libhale khona. Izingane zifunda ngalo ukubhala, ongoti bezokudweba baklama imidwebo yobuciko ngalo, kanti iningi lethu lihlala liliphethe ukuze libhale okuthile. Yebo, ipensela elivamile lingelinye lamathuluzi okubhala ashibhile nasetshenziswa kakhulu emhlabeni. Umlando omangalisayo wokuthi lavela kanjani waqala ngokuthile okwatholakala ngengozi emaphandleni aseNgilandi.

Umsizi Omnyama

Ekhulwini le-16, kwatholakala izigaxa zento ethile emnyama engavamile ngaphansi kwamagquma aseBorrowdale, isigodi esiseLake District enyakatho yeNgilandi. Nakuba lo mkhiqizo ombiwa phansi wawufana namalahle, wawungavuthi; futhi wawushiya umbala omnyama ocwebezelayo nosuka kalula entweni okubhalwe kuyo. Ekuqaleni, lo mkhiqizo wawubizwa ngamagama ahlukahlukene—ngokuthi umsizi omnyama, i-wad, nangokuthi i-plumbago, okusho “okuzishaya samthofu.” Ngenxa yokuthi kwakuzwakala sengathi unamafutha, abantu babesonga izigaxa zawo ngesikhumba semvu noma babophe izinti zawo ngentambo. Akekho owaziyo ukuthi ubani ekuqaleni owacabanga ukufaka umsizi omnyama ezintini zokhuni, kodwa ngawo-1560, kwase kunamapensela ezwekazini laseYurophu.

Ngokushesha kwase kumbiwa umsizi omnyama futhi uthunyelwa ezindaweni ezihlukahlukene kubadwebi ababewudinga; kanti ngekhulu le-17, wawusetshenziswa cishe kuyo yonke indawo. Ngesikhathi esifanayo, abenzi bamapensela baqala ukusebenzisa umsizi omnyama ukuze bakhiqize ipeni elingcono. Njengoba lo mkhiqizo waseBorrowdale wawungaxutshwe nalutho futhi utholakala kalula, amasela nabadayisi abangekho emthethweni baqala ukuwufuna ngabomvu. Ngenxa yalokho, iPhalamende LaseBrithani lashaya umthetho ngo-1752 owawuzokwenza ukuba abantshontsha lo mkhiqizo baboshwe noma badingiselwe emakoloni esigwebo.

Ngo-1779, usokhemisi waseSweden uCarl W. Scheele wathola into emangalisayo yokuthi umsizi omnyama wawungewona neze umsizi kodwa wawuwuhlobo oluthile lwe-carbon ethambile engaxutshwe nalutho. Eminyakeni eyishumi kamuva isazi sokuma komhlaba saseJalimane u-Abraham G. Werner wawubiza ngokuth i-graphite, igama elisuselwa kwelesiGreki elithi graphein, elisho “ukubhala.” Yebo, ngokungafani negama lawo lesiNgisi, empeleni amapensela awanawo nhlobo umthofu!

Ipensela Selithuthukile

Kwaphela iminyaka kusetshenziswa i-graphite yaseNgilandi kuphela ekwenzeni amapensela ngenxa yokuthi yayisebenziseka ngaphandle kokwenziwa okuthile. Njengoba i-graphite yaseYurophu yayingeyezinga eliphansi, abenzi bamapensela bakhona bazama izindlela ezihlukahlukene zokuthuthukisa umsizi. Unjiniyela waseFrance uNicolas-Jacques Conté waxuba impuphu ye-graphite nobumba, wathatha le ngxube wayenza izinti wayesezifaka kuhhavini. Ngokuxuba i-graphite nobumba ngamazinga angafani, wakwazi ukwenza umsizi onemibala ehlukahlukene emnyama—inqubo esasetshenziswa namanje. Wathola imvume yokukhiqiza lokho ayekutholile ngo-1795.

Ekhulwini le-19, ukwenza amapensela kwaba ibhizinisi elikhulu. Kwatholakala i-graphite ezindaweni ezihlukahlukene, kuhlanganise neSiberia, iJalimane nezwe manje eliyiCzech Republic. EJalimane futhi kamuva e-United States, kwavulwa izimboni eziningana. Ukusetshenziswa kwemishini nokukhiqizwa ngobuningi komsizi kwenza intengo yehla, futhi ekuqaleni kwekhulu lama-20, ngisho nezingane zesikole zazisebenzisa amapensela.

Ipensela Lanamuhla

Njengoba kukhiqizwa izigidi zezinkulungwane emhlabeni wonke unyaka ngamunye, ipensela seliyithuluzi lokubhala nokudweba eliseqophelweni eliphezulu futhi elisetshenziswa ngezindlela ezihlukahlukene. Ipensela elivamile lokhuni lingadweba umugqa ongamakhilomitha angu-56 ubude futhi libhale amagama angu-45 000. Amapensela esimanje, enziwe ngensimbi noma ngepulasitiki, anomsizi omncane ongakudingi ukulolwa. Esikhundleni se-graphite, amapensela anemibala asebenzisa odayi nezinye izingxube zemibala enhlobonhlobo.

Ipensela elivamile, elisetshenziswa ngezindlela ezihlukahlukene, eliqinile, futhi elibhala kahle, lisazohlala likhona. Ngakho-ke, eminyakeni eminingi ezayo, kungakhathaliseki ukuthi usekhaya noma emsebenzini, ungase uzwe othile ethi, “Ukhona ongangiboleka ipensela?”

[Ibhokisi/Isithombe ekhasini 13]

UMSIZI UFAKWA KANJANI EZINTINI?

Ingxube ye-graphite ecolisekile, ubumba namanzi ifakwa epayipini elincane lensimbi bese iphuma ngalé iwumdweshwana omude onjenge-spaghetti. Ngemva kokuba sewomile, wasikwa futhi wafakwa kuhhavini, umsizi ufakwa kuwoyela oshisayo. Ukhuni, ngokuvamile lomsedari, oluloleka kalula, luyasahwa lube yizinti eziphalwe kahle, zavulwa umsele, ezingaba ingxenye yobukhulu bepensela. Umsizi ufakwa kule misele engxenyeni eyodwa yothi, bese ingxenye yesibili yothi inanyathiselwe kweyokuqala. Lapho inhlaka seyomile, amapensela ayanqanyulwa. Ngemva kokukhuhlwa ukuze lime ngendlela ethile, ukupendwa nokugxivizwa isitembu somkhiqizi neminye imininingwane, ipensela elibushelelezi lisuke selikulungele ukusetshenziswa. Ngezinye izikhathi lifakwa injoloba ngemuva.

[Umthombo]

Faber-Castell AG

[Ibhokisi/Isithombe ekhasini 14]

ILIPHI IPENSELA OKUFANELE NGILISEBENZISE?

Ukuze ukhethe ipensela olidingayo, bheka amagama noma izinombolo ezigxivizwa ohlangothini lwalo. Lezi zinombolo zibonisa ukuthi liqine noma lithambe kangakanani. Umsizi othambile ubhala ngombala omnyama.

I-HB umsizi othe ukuqina, osetshenziswa ngezindlela ezihlukahlukene.

U-B umsizi othambile. Inombolo enjengo-2B noma u-6B imelela izinga elithile lokuthamba—ubukhulu benombolo bubonisa ukuthamba kakhudlwana komsizi.

U-H umelela umsizi oqine kakhudlwana. Ubukhulu benombolo—2H, 4H, 6H, njalonjalo—bubonisa ukuqina kakhudlwana komsizi.

U-F umelela umsizi ocijile.

Amanye amazwe asebenzisa izimiso ezihlukile. Ngokwesibonelo, e-United States, ipensela elingunombolo 2 liyafana nelingu-HB. Ngokwalesi simiso, ubukhulu benombolo bubonisa ukuqina komsizi.