You’re taking a test and your pencil breaks or is too blunt to draw a clear line, but your teacher gives clear instructions that no one is allowed to get up from their seat. Or maybe you’re out and about sketching for art class and your pencil—your only drawing tool—breaks. What can you do? Do not be afraid! Your hope is not lost. Read our suggestions on how to save your pencil.
First Method
Rub your pencil over the surface of the foundation structure.
If your pencil breaks and you don’t have a sharpener (or nail file or sandpaper), take a look around you: Are you sitting by a brick wall? Are you on a sidewalk or cement floor?
1. These rough surfaces can be used to help you solve the problem. You will be able to sharpen the point of the pencil by rubbing it vigorously on the pavement, on the brick wall, or even on the cement between the bricks.
Use sandpaper
You may be in a situation where it’s not possible to have spare writing materials and you can’t borrow a pencil. If that happens, you need to think creatively. If you can find a rough surface to rub your pencil lead on then you will be able to sharpen your pencil. Sandpaper can be used for this.
1. If you’re in a hands-on class, you won’t have much trouble finding sandpaper lying around. Of course, you probably won’t find it on your desk or in your bag. However, if you frequently break pencils, and if your teacher is known for never allowing students to get up from their seats, then keep a piece of sandpaper on your desk.
2. Just rub your pencil against the rough side of the sandpaper. Don’t forget to rotate the pencil every few strokes, and you’ll see the tip of the pencil begin to taper.
Use a nail file
It’s easier for you to take a nail file with you. It’s a good idea to have a file board with you or keep one on your desk. You can file your nails as well as sharpen the blunt end of a pencil!
1. The rough surface of the file board can wear down the wood of your pencil and sharpen the graphite. Simply slide the tip of your pencil along the file board, and make sure you rotate the pencil regularly.
2. If you have nail clippers with you, most have an extra nail file that slides out. It may also be rough enough to sharpen your pencil.
Second Method Use Something Sharp
Use another sharp edge
You may not be allowed to keep knives or X-acto knives at school, and you may not have scissors. If so, look in your stationery storage for items with sharp edges.
1. For example, the edge of your ruler may be sharp enough to help you, especially if you have a metal ruler (perhaps even a plastic ruler will work—it can’t hurt to try).
2. Grip the ruler firmly with your non-dominant hand and carefully and slowly scrape the pencil along the edge. Rotate the pencil every few swipes, and you can sharpen it a bit.
Use the key edges and/or eyelets on the key
Most keys have sharp edges and also have a hole for hanging on a key ring. In a pinch, you may be able to use your locks as a makeshift pencil sharpener.
1. If the lead has broken off and you can’t see any graphite then start by using the hole in the key to screw the piece of wood back.
2. Once you’ve removed the graphite, you can scrape it off with the sharp edge of a key until you can use it to write again.
3. Your final result may not look pretty, but it should be enough to complete your writing or drawing.
Use a knife or scissors.
If you have a pocket knife, x-acto knife, or scissors, you can sharpen your pencil with a little effort. Simply scrape the tip of your pencil against the sharp edge of the object.
1. If you are using scissors, open them as wide as possible. Hold the blade (either the scissors or the knife) with your non-dominant hand, and hold the pencil with your dominant hand.
2. The pencil should be at a 45-degree angle. Pull the pencil toward you, scraping the wood and graphite with the cutting edge at a 45-degree angle. Rotate the pencil and repeat this motion until you get enough slant.
3. DO NOT pull the knife towards you. Instead, hold on tight and move the pencil.
4. DO NOT bring knives or X-acto knives to school with the intention of saving them for this. We only recommend that you use this knife in situations where a knife is available and permitted by school regulations (perhaps in an art class or hands-on class).
Rotate your pencil through the hole in your ruler.
Most rulers will have holes for inserting into a three-hole binder. If you have something like this, you can use the hole to push the piece of wood back to reveal the graphite underneath.
1. Once you’ve pushed the piece of wood away (or even scraped it off), you can try to sharpen the edge by scraping it over the rough edge of the hole or using our bit of advice on sharpening just the graphite tip.
Use screws
So, you don’t have nail files, scissors, rulers or keys. What should you do? Look around your chair and desk to see if you can find a Philips screw head (you’ll see a plus sign on top of the screw instead of a minus sign).
1. If you can reach the screw easily, leave it in place and place the tip of your pencil over the screw head bag. Rotate your pencil clockwise. This will crush the wood and reveal the graphite underneath.
2. If you find any loose screws, you can use the side to continue sharpening the pencil. However, we don’t recommend trying to remove the screws: you don’t want to risk falling off your chair or desk!
Use your nails and teeth
If you don’t mind using your teeth and fingernails as tools, you can also use them to push (or nibble carefully) the wood of your pencil. When you’ve opened up enough graphite pieces to work them out again, sharpen them with some of our other suggestions.
1. Be careful not to swallow the wood chips. You should also try to avoid ingesting the graphite—not because it’s toxic like the old pencils—but because it’s disgusting! You don’t want to stain your teeth either, do you?
Use a nail clipper
If you keep nail clippers in your pocket or on your desk, you can use them to help solve this problem. We’ve already covered how to use the nail file extension. Even if your nail clipper doesn’t have a nail file, you can still use it.
1. Simply cut around the tip of your pencil in small pieces to get rid of the wood. This can be done if you hold the pencil horizontally with your non-dominant hand and hold the nail clipper perpendicularly with your dominant hand. This will line up the nail clipper blade with the pencil lead.
Choose one another Method Use a Smooth Surface to Sharpen the Tip of the Pencil
Rub the tip of the pencil against your shoe
If you don’t want to scribble on your paper or if you don’t have a spare folder, try rubbing the blunt edge of a pencil against the rubber sole of your shoe.
1. Again, make sure you rotate your pencil and don’t push too hard to prevent the tip from snapping or rubbing off.
Sketch a thin line on a piece of paper
If the pencil hasn’t broken completely and you just need to sharpen the blunt end, you can do this by lightly running the pencil across a piece of paper.
1. Your pencil should be slightly parallel to the paper: hold it at a 30-degree angle and stroke in thin lines, rotating your pencil every few strokes.
Swipe your pencil across a folder or piece of paper
A slight variation on the above technique is to hold the pencil at the same angle against a sheet of paper or folder and move the tip of your pencil back and forth a few times to create friction (imagine that you are trying to shade an area evenly).
1. Hold the pencil as flat on the paper as possible, and rotate your pencil frequently. This may strip away some of the graphite so that you get a longer, sharper tip.
The final method is to Prepare Beforehand
Ask to borrow someone’s pencil
If you don’t get a pencil sharpener, you’ll probably be able to pity your classmates. You can even get someone to offer you a pencil without having to speak: just take a deep breath and pick up the broken pencil. If you’re lucky, someone close to you will notice and be willing to lend you a pencil.
1. Be careful not to make your situation worse, by speaking up during a test or while working on an important assignment. You don’t want to make matters worse or get your friend in trouble by forcing them to talk to you. You will run the risk of failing your exams and assignments.
Replace it with another stationery
As long as you’re not taking a standardized exam that requires you to use a pencil, you can replace it by using a ballpoint pen or crayon to finish your work. With luck, your supervisor will understand.
Have a spare pencil
If the tip of your pencil snaps off easily, you may be unlucky and unable to sharpen it again. The best way to deal with a broken pencil is, of course, to have a spare pencil handy.
1. The smartest strategy for dealing with broken pencils is to never need to re-sharpen them, and always carry at least a few spare pencils more than you need.
Use a small sharpener
If you have a tendency to break pencils or if you dull your pencil lead quickly because you apply great pressure when writing or drawing, you may avoid the problem of having to ask to go up and use a sharpener if you have one stashed in your pocket or desk.
1. You can buy a small sharpener at an office supply store or large stores such as Target or Walmart. You can also use a makeup sharpener (usually used to sharpen lip pencils and eye liners).