Mechanical Pencil

3 min read Original article ↗

Welcome! Are you curious why a clicky Pen... clicks? How a Zippo Lighter flips open? Or what lives inside a Pez Dispenser?

I've illustrated tear-downs and break-downs of everyday products that you may have taken for granted. Let's take a look inside and understand how they work. Click around, have fun and maybe learn something new!

Welcome! Are you curious why a clicky Pen... clicks? How a Zippo Lighter flips open? Or what lives inside a Pez Dispenser?

I've illustrated tear-downs and break-downs of everyday products that you may have taken for granted. Let's take a look inside and understand how they work. Click around, have fun and maybe learn something new!

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About This Site

This is a place where I want to share engineering tear-downs and deep-dives of products that I find interesting (not just mechanical pencils).

Me! My name's Bryan. I'm a mechanical engineer and artist.

Mostly for fun! This project came about as a way for me to blend two worlds: engineering and art. I'm hoping this site not only visualizes how things work, but does it in a beautiful way.

How Were These Breakdowns Created?

I take the product apart. CAD it up. Illustrate each view. Then animate and lay it out for the web. That sounds quick, but it does take me quite a bit of time to create each one.

Why The Name "Mechanical Pencil"?

1) I'm a Mechanical Engineer (Mechanical) who loves to draw (Pencil).

2) A Mechanical Pencil was my go-to drawing medium as a kid, and I probably popped it open countless times, but I never took the time to appreciate how it works.

This is a place where I want to share engineering tear-downs and deep-dives of products and mechanisms that I find interesting or want to better understand (not just mechanical pencils).

Me! My name's Bryan. I'm a mechanical engineer and artist.

Mostly for fun! This project came about as a way for me to blend two worlds: engineering and art. I'm hoping this site not only visualizes how things work, but does it in a beautiful way.

How Were These Breakdowns Created?

I take the product apart. CAD it up. Illustrate each view. Then animate and lay it out for the web. That sounds quick, but it does take me quite a bit of time to create each one.

Why The Name "Mechanical Pencil"?

1) I'm a Mechanical Engineer (Mechanical) who loves to draw (Pencil).

2) A Mechanical Pencil was my go-to drawing medium as a kid, and I probably popped it open countless times, but I never took the time to appreciate how it works.

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