LOL!!!
-Blast, who now has to clean coffee off his screen.

Aussie: Of course, this fits right in with my company motto, "Anything for a buck." I'm happy to take pre-paid orders for convex, Scandi, or any other grinds for my tactical survival pencils with the understanding that it will cause a substantial but uncertain prolongation of the waiting period. The advance payment is needed to upgrade my tooling, but I assure everyone that the wait will be worth it. I'm also gearing up to produce hand-sewn toilet-roll holsters for the pencils available in any color as long as it's brown.

Also, I'm a little busy right now so I may not get back to PMs right away. Go ahead and send money though.

I sounds like you're ready to take on a government contract

LOL!!

Sotto, I PM'd you my cc info and order for a dozen survival pencils, tactical grind. Please verify my order and shipping date when you have a minute. Also, do I get a discount on shipping for a quantity order?

While I wait for Sotto's industry-shattering products, I will have to make do with my CountyComm Pico Pen. I keep one on my keychain at all times, and it's been quite useful over the years. It is small enough to fit in a candy tin, with or without the magnetic cap. The magnetic cap might actually be a benefit, as it would make the pen "stick" inside the tin, less likely to get lost.

Linky: http://countycomm.com/picopen.html

Unfortunately, you can't use the Pico Pen for kindling.

After a lot of searching, I find 2 tiny and inexpensive pens, that are more suited to a wallet or elsewhere where you want something very thin. For a keychain, the pico pen and Inka both seem great, But I was looking for something for my wallet. The first link below is a bit smaller, and is about $10 shipped on ebay. Hopefully someone will find these links useful:

http://www.jetpens.com/Ohto-Petit-B-Needle-Point-Ballpoint-Pen-0.5-mm-Orange-Body/pd/5324

http://www.thewritingpenstore.com/p-149-derringer-wallet-pen.aspx

I EDC the version of the SAK Classic that incorporates a small, but very functional ball point pen. It has come in handy several times.

Interesting thread!

Another source of small pencils: a local artist.

Good quality sketching pencils have wide, soft leads and because of their high price they are used almost all the way up, using a pencil extension holder. (Sort of like an old-fashioned cigarette holder) You can ask for the stubbie leftover bit and it will still have a considerable amount of lead in it. Not enough to write a novel, but enough for basic directions, etc.

As seen in the pocket kit I posted earlier:

http://forums.equipped.org/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showgallery&Number=241840



If you don't know someone who still works in traditional mediums (so many are going digital these days) you can purchase one of these pencils yourself*, and, after whittling it down (or doodling for about 60+ hours) you'll have an amazing tool that will be MUCH more reliable than any golf pencil or ballpoint pen. Seriously.




*Derwent's 4B sketching pencil especially recommended.
http://www.dickblick.com/items/22040-1050/?wmcp=google&wmcid=items&wmckw=22040-1050

I can find some in white if you need some ( plenty at work ).

Lee