Small Thing Big Idea
Caroline Weaver: Why the pencil is perfect
卡洛琳•韦弗: 为何铅笔是完美的
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为什么铅笔的形状都是六边形的，并带有标志性的黄色？铅笔店的主人卡洛琳•韦弗将带我们进入铅笔迷人的发展史之中。
Caroline Weaver - Author, pencil store owner
Caroline Weaver owns CW Pencil Enterprise, a wood-cased pencil specialty shop in New York City. Full bio
Caroline Weaver owns CW Pencil Enterprise, a wood-cased pencil specialty shop in New York City. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
我认为 在铅笔的使用体验中
声音是非常重要的
声音是非常重要的
00:12
The sound is a really big part, I think,
of the experience of using a pencil,
of the experience of using a pencil,
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它有着很明显的沙沙声
00:15
and it has this really
audible scratchiness.
audible scratchiness.
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（铅笔刮擦声）
00:19
(Scratching)
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小东西 大创意
00:22
[Small thing. Big idea.]
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00:25
[Caroline Weaver on
the Pencil]
the Pencil]
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（卡洛琳•韦弗与铅笔）
00:28
The pencil is a very simple object.
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铅笔是一个很简单的物件
它是由涂着几层颜料的木头制成的
00:30
It's made of wood
with some layers of paint
with some layers of paint
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00:33
an eraser and a core,
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包括一个橡皮和一个笔芯
00:34
which is made out of graphite,
clay and water.
clay and water.
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笔芯是由石墨 黏土和水制成的
00:37
Yeah, it took hundreds
of people over centuries
of people over centuries
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没错 数以百计的人经历了几个世纪
00:39
to come to this design.
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才完成了这个设计
00:41
And it's that long history
of collaboration
of collaboration
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对于我来说正是由于悠久的
合作历史 才使它
成为一个完美的物件
成为一个完美的物件
00:44
that, to me, makes it
a very perfect object.
a very perfect object.
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00:48
The story of the pencil
starts with graphite.
starts with graphite.
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铅笔的历史起源于石墨
人们在设法为这个新物质寻找
00:50
People started finding
really useful applications
really useful applications
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广泛的用途
00:53
for this new substance.
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00:54
They cut it into small sticks
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他们把它切成小长条
包在线 羊皮或纸里
00:57
and wrapped it in string
or sheepskin or paper
or sheepskin or paper
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00:59
and sold it on the streets of London
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在伦敦街头出售
供人们在写字或画画的时候使用
01:01
to be used for writing or for drawing
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很多时候 它还被农民和牧人
01:03
or, a lot of times,
by farmers and shepherds,
by farmers and shepherds,
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用来标记他们的动物
01:06
who used it to mark their animals.
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在法国
01:08
Over in France,
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尼古拉斯·雅克·康迪
想出了研磨石墨的方法
想出了研磨石墨的方法
01:09
Nicolas-Jacques Conté figured out a method
of grinding the graphite,
of grinding the graphite,
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把它与黏土粉和水
混合起来制成糊状物
混合起来制成糊状物
01:13
mixing it with powdered clay
and water to make a paste.
and water to make a paste.
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01:16
From there, this paste was filled
into a mold and fired in a kiln,
into a mold and fired in a kiln,
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再把这个糊状物塞到一个模具里
然后放到窑炉里烤
然后放到窑炉里烤
01:19
and the result was
a really strong graphite core
a really strong graphite core
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拿出之后就成了非常坚硬的石墨芯
它坚固耐用
质地平滑并且便于使用
质地平滑并且便于使用
01:22
that wasn't breakable,
that was smooth, usable --
that was smooth, usable --
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它比那个时候已有的
其他任何东西都要好
其他任何东西都要好
01:25
it was so much better than anything else
that existed at the time,
that existed at the time,
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至今为止 铅笔的制作
仍然沿用这一方法
仍然沿用这一方法
01:29
and to this day, that's the method
that's still used in making pencils.
that's still used in making pencils.
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01:33
Meanwhile, over in America,
in Concord, Massachusetts,
in Concord, Massachusetts,
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同时 在美国马萨诸塞州的康科德市
01:36
it was Henry David Thoreau
who came up with the grading scale
who came up with the grading scale
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亨利·大卫·梭罗针对不同的铅笔
01:39
for different hardnesses of pencil.
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制定了硬度的等级表
从 1 级到 4 级
01:41
It was graded one through four,
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2 级是一般用途最理想的硬度
01:43
number two being the ideal
hardness for general use.
hardness for general use.
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铅笔越软 其中石墨的含量越多
01:47
The softer the pencil,
the more graphite it had in it,
the more graphite it had in it,
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画出的线也越黑 越平滑
01:49
and the darker and smoother
the line will be.
the line will be.
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01:53
The firmer the pencil,
the more clay it had in it
the more clay it had in it
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铅笔越坚硬 泥土含量越多
线条更明亮 更精细
01:55
and the lighter and finer it will be.
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01:58
Originally, when pencils were handmade,
they were made round.
they were made round.
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最初 在手工制造阶段
铅笔是被制成圆形的
铅笔是被制成圆形的
02:01
There was no easy way to make them,
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制作方法很复杂
是美国人真正实现了生产机械化
02:03
and it was the Americans
who really mechanized the craft.
who really mechanized the craft.
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许多人将其归功于杰瑟夫·迪克森
02:06
A lot of people credit Joseph Dixon
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因为他是最早研发
真正意义上的机器的人之一
真正意义上的机器的人之一
02:08
for being one of the first people
to start developing actual machines
to start developing actual machines
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使机器可以做类似于切木板
在木板上切凹槽
在木板上切凹槽
02:12
to do things like cut wood slats,
cut grooves into the wood,
cut grooves into the wood,
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涂胶水这样的事
02:16
apply glue to them ...
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并且他们发现制作六边形铅笔
更简单 浪费也更少
更简单 浪费也更少
02:17
And they figured out
it was easier and less wasteful
it was easier and less wasteful
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02:20
to do a hexagonal pencil,
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因此就把六边形铅笔作为
02:22
and so that became the standard.
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标准铅笔
02:24
Since the early days of pencils,
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在铅笔诞生的初期
人们就喜欢
它们能够被橡皮擦除这一点
它们能够被橡皮擦除这一点
02:26
people have loved that they can be erased.
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02:29
Originally, it was bread crumbs
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最初 人们用面包屑来
02:31
that were used
to scratch away pencil marks
to scratch away pencil marks
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擦除铅笔笔迹
后来改用橡皮和浮石
02:33
and later, rubber and pumice.
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02:35
The attached eraser happened in 1858,
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1858年开始 橡皮被加在铅笔上
那时候美国的文具商海门·力普曼
为第一个附带橡皮的铅笔
为第一个附带橡皮的铅笔
02:38
when American stationer
Hymen Lipman patented the first pencil
Hymen Lipman patented the first pencil
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申请了专利
02:42
with an attached eraser,
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02:44
which really changed the pencil game.
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这确实带来了铅笔的发展变革
02:46
The world's first yellow pencil
was the KOH-I-NOOR 1500.
was the KOH-I-NOOR 1500.
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世界上第一个黄色的铅笔是
KOH-I-NOOR 1500
KOH-I-NOOR 1500
KOH-I-NOOR做了个疯狂的举动
02:50
KOH-I-NOOR did this crazy thing
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他们在铅笔表面
涂了14层的黄色颜料
涂了14层的黄色颜料
02:51
where they painted this pencil
with 14 coats of yellow paint
with 14 coats of yellow paint
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并且把铅笔末端浸泡在14k金里
02:54
and dipped the end in 14-carat gold.
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02:57
There is a pencil for everyone,
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每个人都有一支铅笔
每支铅笔都有一段故事
02:59
and every pencil has a story.
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03:02
The Blackwing 602 is famous
for being used by a lot of writers,
for being used by a lot of writers,
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Blackwing 602
因被很多作家使用而出名
因被很多作家使用而出名
尤其是约翰·斯坦贝克
和弗拉基米尔·纳博科夫
和弗拉基米尔·纳博科夫
03:06
especially John Steinbeck
and Vladimir Nabokov.
and Vladimir Nabokov.
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然后就是迪克逊铅笔公司
03:09
And then, you have
the Dixon pencil company.
the Dixon pencil company.
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他们制作了迪克逊·泰康德儒格
这款经典的铅笔
这款经典的铅笔
03:12
They're responsible
for the Dixon Ticonderoga.
for the Dixon Ticonderoga.
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它是一个标杆
03:15
It's an icon,
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当人们想到铅笔时就会想到它
03:16
it's what people think of
when they think of a pencil
when they think of a pencil
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当他们想到学校的时候也会想到它
03:18
and what they think of
when they think of school.
when they think of school.
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我认为 事实上
铅笔是这么一种产品
铅笔是这么一种产品
03:21
And the pencil's really
a thing that, I think,
a thing that, I think,
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普通用户都不会过多去思考
03:23
the average user
has never thought twice about,
has never thought twice about,
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它是如何被制造的
或者为什么用这种方法制造
或者为什么用这种方法制造
03:25
how it's made or why it's made
the way it is,
the way it is,
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因为它一直是以这种方式
呈现在大家的面前
呈现在大家的面前
03:28
because it's just always been that way.
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03:31
In my opinion, there's nothing
that can be done
that can be done
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在我看来 没有任何方式
可以让铅笔比现在更好
03:33
to make the pencil better than it is.
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03:36
It's perfect.
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它非常完美
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Caroline Weaver - Author, pencil store ownerCaroline Weaver owns CW Pencil Enterprise, a wood-cased pencil specialty shop in New York City.
Why you should listen
Grown from a lifelong interest and opened in 2015, Caroline Weaver's shop has garnered the attention of the New York Times, Bloomberg, the Wall Street Journal and many other publications for its faithful dedication single object and its playful design. Weaver is also the author of The Pencil Perfect: the Untold Story of a Cultural Icon, a book on pencil history published by Gestalten in 2017.
Caroline Weaver | Speaker | TED.com