<P> From the 16th century , all pencils were made with leads of English natural graphite , but modern pencil lead is most commonly a mix of powdered graphite and clay ; it was invented by Nicolas - Jacques Conté in 1795 . It is chemically unrelated to the metal lead , whose ores had a similar appearance , hence the continuation of the name . Plumbago is another older term for natural graphite used for drawing , typically as a lump of the mineral without a wood casing . The term plumbago drawing is normally restricted to 17th and 18th century works , mostly portraits . </P>
<P> From the 16th century , all pencils were made with leads of English natural graphite , but modern pencil lead is most commonly a mix of powdered graphite and clay ; it was invented by Nicolas - Jacques Conté in 1795 . It is chemically unrelated to the metal lead , whose ores had a similar appearance , hence the continuation of the name . Plumbago is another older term for natural graphite used for drawing , typically as a lump of the mineral without a wood casing . The term plumbago drawing is normally restricted to 17th and 18th century works , mostly portraits . </P>
where does graphite come from to make pencils
where does graphite come from to make pencils
a mix of powdered graphite and clay
a mix of powdered graphite and clay