…but there is a correct way to sharpen your watercolor pencils:
Tips:
Use a sharp handheld sharpener. You can get replacement blades for many of them, all you need is a small screwdriver to change the blades. Or use a sharp craft knife to conserve the lead.
Take care not to drop or bang your pencils. If you get new pencils home and notice that the leads fall out when you sharpen them take them back to the store as they have been dropped. Make sure you try out your pencils you order online too, if you sharpen them and the lead breaks send them back.
Good quality pencils are an investment and with card should last you until you use them up (not just until the leads start breaking) so treat them right! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
The Frugal Crafter Blog 
Happy Sunday, Thank you for settling this in our house, I just sent pencils back to a company and my better half thought I was nuts.. Cheers
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Why didn’t I know this before when I first bought my pencils? I thought it was I who were not doing the sharpening properly! Thanks for sharing Lindsay. Next time I will know š
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That’s interesting. Now I know why sometimes I sharpen and the lead just falls right out. Thanks!
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Great advice and tutorial Lindsay!
Jan
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Thanks for telling me this. I have bought pencils and when I got them home, they can’t be sharpened because the color keeps falling out of the wood. I have just thrown them away and felt bad about it. Jan C.
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Thanks Lindsay! Here I was thinking I totally was doing something wrong because the lead in my pencils kept falling out.
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Great tips Lindsay!!! Especially since I just this afternoon bought a tin of ink tense pencils!! I was so excited- had the 50% coupon–!– that I left my purse in the shopping cart outside the store!! A few minutes later I get a text from hubbs in Maine- “been shopping?-u left ur purse at ACMoore”……… honest crafters in southern Florida!!! Miss you all– but it’s so warm here!!!
Sunshine-Lorraine š
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OMG Lorraine, you are a riot! I’m so glad you did not lose your purse! Enjoy those pencils, you will love them! Just make sure they don’t run off with you watercolor crayons LOL!
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This is great info. I had no idea that there was a right way to do it.
Now I’m really glad I did not buy an electric pencil sharpener!
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Lindsey I cant imagine when buying from an online store and knowing the pencils have been packaged and re-packaged for shipment that everyone wouldnt have trouble with the Inktense or other pencils. I was considering getting them from Amazon and now Im worried about doing that. Does that happen often or is packaging protective enough?
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I order most of my supplies online because there are no local art suppliers and I have not had trouble for years. I usually order from Blick and they also have a shop on amazon:) I had broken prismacolors once from an art supply shop, those pencils are very delicate because they are so soft. Blick is good an you could call them if there was a problem, their customer service is excellent and I use them often.
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Thanks for your reply makes me feel better about taking a chance since these pencils arent cheap. Will look up Blick on Amazon.
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Excellent Mypencils thank you
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Oh my, Goddess of Crafts…you are the best!!! I have been buying Prisma pencils, since FOR-EV-AH and sometimes I notice that they break when I sharpen them…and I have tried several pencil sharpeners, even the Prisma one (which, personally I think is C*4@p….) Too late now to return them, since I don’t know the source from which I bought them….LOL. BUT now I know and I will take care to return those puppies! Thanks a bunch for all your wonderful tips. I {heart} you!.
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I’ve heard that you can heat the pencils in the microwave for a half a minute or so, and it will melt and reintegrate the leads. I’ve never actually tried it, but it can’t hurt to try if you have a lot of broken pencils.
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It just might work!
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