I wasn't able to get good photos so I'll go ahead and tell you what I did. First of all, I really can afford new pencils or a pack of erasers. I have this lifelong fascination with words and crosswords are part of that. I have several Dixon Ticonderoga #1 pencils which I have had for at least 20 years. They are perfect for my crosswords, but the erasers are dried out. Last night I was working a puzzle and made a dreadful mistake. The eraser smudged my page and almost ruined it. It was too late to go out and I won't leave the house for one item anyway, so I just sat there staring at my rock hard pencil eraser, thinking.
It occurred to me that since moisture had left the eraser perhaps I could put it back. I dampened a washcloth and stuck the pencil along with the cloth into a zipper bag and zipped it up tight and left it for a few hours. When I took it out the eraser had taken on enough moisture to erase on my newsprint without ruining it. In future, I will leave them a bit longer, but it really does work. Another stingy granny test is a success.
Update: It only worked on a few of my pencils. I don't know why but, of all the same brand of pencils, only about half are erasing right. I just wanted to let you all know.
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Thanks for that great tip! Just the other day, I was wondering what to do with a dry eraser myself. Now, I know. Waste not...want not. Right?
That is a good tip... I now can rejuvenate old pencils that are actually useful but that have bad erasers! Awesome!
Thanks for the idea, I wouldn't have thought of trying something like that. I have some old kid's pencils I wanted to give my grandkids, but the erasers dried out, I'll have to try your trick.
In the past, I have just taken a sharp knife & trimmed the outer parts of the eraser off & that usually works also, although it isn't very pretty after. I have a box of those wonderful Ticonderoga pencils that belonged to my grandma - I love them & use them sparingly.
Great tip, thanks. I've also had luck with filing erasers using an emery board, fingernail file or even using the grout between our kitchen tiles; it sometimes will scrape off that hard, dry end & get it down to the soft eraser so it's usable.
Also storing your erasers & pencils in airtight bags will prolong their softness.
Thanks for this-it's still a mystery. Here's my tip: I also do crosswords, but keep an artists' eraser dedicated to this work-the Staedler brand is really good and will last forever...kinda defeats the stingy part, but no more newspaper erasure disasters!
How funny! I too am a crossword addict with the same dilemma and, yes, I can afford pencils and erasers, but I'm definitely going to try your trick, hahaha!
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