# Licking the tip on a pencil before writing (especially in Westerns)?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licking-the-tip-on-a-pencil-before-writing-especially-in-westerns/367580>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [August 6, 2006, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licking-the-tip-on-a-pencil-before-writing-especially-in-westerns/367580 "2006-08-06T17:59:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2006, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licking-the-tip-on-a-pencil-before-writing-especially-in-westerns/367580/1 "2006-08-06T17:59:02Z")

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I’ve seen this done quite a number of times (especially on television Western series)–just saw Heath do it in an episode of **The Big Valley**. On a cattle drive, or somesuch, he took out a pencil, licked the lead tip, then wrote in a logbook.

Is this just a cliche of the genre that has no basis in reality, or did pencil lead need moistening once upon a time?

I understand that this could be a GQ, but since it involved film and TV, and seemed possibly to be utter BS, I put it here.

Sir Rhosis

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**Author:** ![Cherry\_Garcia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71c47a/32.png) [@Cherry\_Garcia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cherry_Garcia)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2006, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licking-the-tip-on-a-pencil-before-writing-especially-in-westerns/367580/2 "2006-08-06T20:08:00Z")

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From what I’ve been able to find, the graphite in pencils at the time was of a lesser quality than today, and was often mixed with clay as a binder. This often made the graphite particles separate and not adhere to the paper. Licking the tip would moisten the graphite and soften it, making it leave a more readable mark.

[Re: Why did people used to lick the tip](http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/nov99/941497627.Sh.r.html)

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**Author:** ![221b](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/f1d935/32.png) [@221b](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/221b)\
**Post date:** [August 4, 2021, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licking-the-tip-on-a-pencil-before-writing-especially-in-westerns/367580/3 "2021-08-04T17:59:53Z")

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_All_ pencils have a combination of of clay and graphite in them. The proportions vary, which is why you get differing hardness of the graphite core - HB, 2H, 4B etc.