Khanindiboleke Ipensile

NGUMBHALI KAVUKANI! EBRITANI

AYIBIZI mal’ ingako, ixhaphakile yaye ikhaphukhaphu. Ingena lula epokothweni. Ayifuni mbane, ayisoze ivuze yaye umbhalo wayo uyacimeka. Abantwana bafund’ ukubhala ngayo, amagcisa azoba ngayo imifanekiso emihle, yaye inkoliso yethu sibhala ngayo amanqaku. Ewe, ipensile eqhelekileyo yenye yezinto ezibiza imali encinane yaye ehlabathini lonke isetyenziswa njengento yokubhala. Ibali elimangalisayo lokwenziwa kwepensile liqala ngendlela eyafunyanwa ngayo ngokungalindelekanga kwidolophana yaseNgilani.

Umsizi Omnyama

Ngenkulungwane ye-16, kwafunyanwa izigaqa zento engaqhelekanga emnyama ngezantsi kwenduli iBorrowdale, intlambo ekwiLake District kumantla weNgilani. Nangona esi simbiwa sasingathi lilahle, sasingavuthi; yaye sasishiya ibala elikhazimlayo, elimnyama nelicimeka lula ephepheni. Ekuqaleni, le nto yayibizwa ngamagama ahlukahlukeneyo—umsizi, into ethambileyo yokuvingca nangokuthi yiplumbago, igama elithetha “into enjengomsizi.” Ekubeni yayingathi inamafutha, abantu babefaka izigaqa zayo kufele lwegusha okanye babhijele izinti zayo ezimfutshane ngomtya. Akaziwa umntu owaqal’ ukufaka umsizi phakathi kwizinti, kodwa ngeminyaka yee-1560 iipensile zamandulo zazisele zisetyenziswa eYurophu.

Kungekudala, umsizi wawusembiwa uze uthunyelwe kwamany’ amazwe apho wawusetyenziswa khona ngabazobi, yaye ngenkulungwane ye-17, phantse wawusetyenziswa ehlabathini lonke. Kwangaxeshanye, abenzi beepensile babezam’ iindlela zokuvelisa into yokubhala ephucukileyo. Umsizi waseBorrowdale owawusulungekile nowawufumaneka lula wawubiwa uze uthengiswe ngokungekho mthethweni. Ngenxa yoku, ngowe-1752 iPalamente yaseBritani yawis’ umthetho wokuba nabani na oba umsizi avalelwe kwintolongo yasekuhlaleni okanye kwenye ekude.

Ngowe-1779, isazi semichiza saseSweden uCarl W. Scheele wafumanisa ukuba umsizi (black lead) wawungenanto yakwenza nelothe  kodwa lilahle elithambileyo nelingangxengwanga. Kwiminyaka elishumi kamva isazi ngezimbiwa saseJamani uAbraham G. Werner wawubiza umsizi ngokuthi yigraphite, igama elisuka kwelesiGrike elithi graphein elithetha “ukubhala.” Phofu ke, wona umsizi awunayo nencinane ilothe nakuba ubizwa ngokuba yilead pencil!

Ukuveliswa Kwepensile

Kangangeminyaka emininzi abenzi beepensile eYurophu babek’ imiqathango yokuveliswa komsizi ekubeni wawusetyenziswa unjalo. Noko ke, umsizi waseYurophu wawungekho mgangathweni, yaye abenzi beepensile bazam’ ukuwuphucula. Ingcali yemichiza yaseFransi, uNicolas-Jacques Conté wadibanisa umsizi ocoliweyo nodongwe, waza wawenza wazizinti, emva koko wazifaka kwionti. Ngokuxuba umsizi nodongwe ngomlinganiselo owahlukahlukeneyo, wakwazi ukwenza iipensile ezimnyama ezingafaniyo—into eqhubeka isenziwa nanamhlanje. Ngowe-1795, uConté wayikhusela ngokusemthethweni imisizi yakhe ukuze ingenziwa ngomnye umntu.

Ngenkulungwane ye-19, ishishini lokwenz’ ipensile lakhula kakhulu. Umsizi wafunyanwa kumazw’ aliqela, kuquka iSiberia, iJamani nendawo ngoku ebizwa ngokuba yiCzech Republic. Kwaqaliswa imizi-mveliso eliqela eJamani naseUnited States. Ukwenziwa kwazo ngoomatshini nobuninzi bazo kwabangela ixabiso leepensile lehla, yaye ekuqaleni kwenkulungwane yama-20, nabantwana besikolo babebhala ngepensile.

Ipensile Yanamhlanje

Ekubeni ehlabathini lonke kusenziwa amawaka ezigidi eepensile nyaka ngamnye, ngoku ipensile iphuculiwe yaye isetyenziswa ngeendlela ezininzi ekubhaleni nasekuzobeni. Ngepensile eqhelekileyo usenokukrwela umgca oziikhilomitha ezingama-56 ubude ubhale namagama angama-45 000. Ezinye iipensile zenziwa ngesinyithi okanye iplastiki, yaye umsizi uyafakwa yaye azilolwa. Kwiipensile ezinemibala, kufakwa umsizi oxutywe needayi nezinto zokutshintsh’ umbala.

Ekubeni isetyenziswa kwizinto ezininzi, ipensile eqhelekileyo yomelele, ilula yaye iluncedo, yaye ayinakuze iphelelwe ngumsebenzi. Ngenxa yoko, kangangexesha elide, enoba kusekhaya okanye emsebenzini, usenokuva ubani esithi, “Khanindiboleke ipensile?”

[Ibhokisi/Umfanekiso okwiphepha 13]

UMSIZI UFAKWA NJANI KWIPENSILE?

Kunyanzelwa umxube ocolisisiweyo womsizi, udongwe namanzi kumbhobho omncinane wentsimbi uze uphume ungumcu omde. Emva kokuba womisiwe, wasikwa, waza wafakwa eontini, lo msizi ufakwa kwioli nakumthwebeba oshushu. Umthi, odla ngokuba ngumsedare, ololeka lula, usarhwa ube zizijungqe—uncwelwe ube licala lepensile uze wenziwe ifolo. Emva koko kufakwa umsizi kwifolo yelinye icala, kuze kuncanyathiselwe elinye icala lize licinezelwe phezu kwelokuqala. Yakuba iglu yomile, ezi zijungqe ziyasikwa zibe ziipensile eziliqela. Emva kokuncwelwa kwayo ngeendlela ezahlukahlukeneyo, igudiswe, ipeyintwe, ize ifakwe uphawu lomenzi wayo namanye amagama, ngoku ipensile engabonakaliyo ukuba idityanisiwe ilungele ukusetyenziswa. Maxa wambi kuncanyathiselwa irabha kweliny’ icala.

[Inkcazelo]

Faber-Castell AG

[Ibhokisi/Umfanekiso okwiphepha 14]

YIYIPHI IPENSILE ENDIFANELE NDIYISEBENZISE?

Xa ukhetha ipensile, phawula amagama namanani abhalwe kuyo abonisa indlela umsizi oqine okanye othambe ngayo. Umsizi othambileyo ushiya umbhalo omnyama kakhulu.

Ebhalwe HB, isetyenziswa kwizinto ezininzi, ayiqinanga kodwa ayithambanga.

Ebhalwe B, leyo inomsizi othambileyo. Kanti ebhalwe 2B okanye 6B oko kubonisa indlela ethambe ngayo—okukhona inani lisiba likhulu kokukhona ithambe ngakumbi.

Ebhalwe H umsizi uqine ngakumbi. Okukhona inani lisiya liba likhulu—2H, 4H, 6H—kokukhona umsizi uya uqina.

Ebhalwe F inencam etsolo.

Kwamanye amazwe kusetyenziswa inkqubo eyahlukileyo. Ngokomzekelo, eUnited States, ebhalwe 2 ifana nebhalwe HB. Kule nkqubo xa inani lisiya linyuka, umsizi uqinile.