Tips using Lead – ChatterTip January 2014
Tips using Lead… As in Lead Pencils – ChatterTip January 2014
As I’ve mentioned before, the Planet ruling the sign of Capricorn is Saturn, and Saturn’s metal is Lead, the heaviest of all the metals – another reason as to why we literally feel weighed down by Saturn’s influence. So this month we are bringing you a few Tips using Lead – Lead Pencils, that is! However, I must clarify for a moment… Many of you are familiar with the term “lead pencils” and many of us grew up using them for drawing and writing at school. But did you know that most Pencil cores are actually made from Graphite mixed with a Claybinder – that makes sense since Capricorn is after all an Earth sign! The black core of pencils is still referred to as “lead” even though they never actually contained any Lead at all!
But let’s stick to writing and drawing for just a moment, and what else is black in color and might be used to draw or sketch besides a graphite pencil? Why Charcoal, of course! Coal (and therefore Charcoal) connects with the sign of Capricorn, and is comprised primarily of fossilized Carbon – notice the similarity in the letters of the words Capricorn, Carbon, Charcoal, Coal and so on… Capricorn was also associated with Antimony, one of what are now known as the “mundane elements.” Metallic Antimony was at one time mistakenly identified as Lead, but was later established to be its own element around the 17th century.
Notice also that all of these metals and elements are either dark or Black in color, and the color connected with Saturn, surprise, surprise, is Black. In the Ancient Arab world, Antimony was called Kohl, which derives from the word Coal meaning “that which is black” – and many of you may be familiar with the Kohl make-up pencils. I even found a Singapore-based Trading Company online that specializes in wait for it… Antimony Ore, Manganese Ore and Lead Ore – and the name of the company – Royal Capricorn! I’m not making this up people – Astrology is all around us, whether you realize it, or not.
And here are those tips:
Easing a New Key into a Lock – You know when you make a copy of a house key, for example, but when you get back home that new key doesn’t quite fit into the lock properly the same way the original one does? Simply rub a Pencil over the teeth of the key (the Lead end, we’ll talk about the Eraser in a minute!) – the Graphite Powder should help the key to then open the door.
Unsticking a Sticky Zipper – Similar to the “new key” situation, a Pencil could also be the unexpected answer to rectifying that annoying zipper on your favorite jacket that always sticks… Simply rub the Pencil along the teeth of the zipper to un-stick it.
Repelling Moths with Pencil Shavings – Here’s an environmentally friendly way to avoid getting holes in your sweaters and recycle your Pencil Shavings at the same time! Save the shavings until you have a decent amount, and then place into small fabric sachets to hang in your closets. Apparently the Cedar Shavings will deter those pesky moths.
Removing Sticky Label Residue – Remember I said I’d get back to the Pencil Eraser? A good quality Eraser is great for removing that sticky residue left behind by annoying Stick-on Labels. It has to be a “soft” eraser made from rubber or vinyl though, because once they dry out and get hard, they don’t work.
Removing Scuff Marks on Floors – Similar to the “sticky label” situation, Pencil Erasers can also be effectively used to remove those obstinate black scuffmarks that end up on your vinyl floors thanks to your family’s assortment of shoes and scuffing feet!