OC HIGH / STUDENT NEWS AND VIEWS : Pencil Points

Pencil erasers are made from synthetic rubber and pumice, a volcanic glass, plus a soybean-based filler.

It’s not the rubber that erases errors, as is commonly thought, but pumice that actually scratches out mistakes.

Pencil-makers also note that the “lead” in a pencil is not lead at all. It is a mixture of graphite and clay. As for why most pencils are yellow, no one seems to know.