A pencil’s hardness begins in its core
铅笔的软硬，藏在笔芯的配方里
同样是黑色铅笔，笔杆上的字母却可能是H，也可能是B。
Two black pencils may have different letters on their barrels: H or B.
这些字母不只是型号装饰，还提示笔芯的软硬。
Those letters do more than label a model; they indicate the hardness of the core.
要找到差别，得先看看黑色笔芯里装了什么。
To understand the difference, start with what is inside the black core.
传统木杆石墨铅笔的笔芯，并不是一根金属铅。
The core of a traditional wood-cased graphite pencil is not a rod of metallic lead.
制造商介绍的基本原料包括石墨、黏土和水。
The basic ingredients described by manufacturers include graphite, clay, and water.
石墨负责留下灰黑色的痕迹，黏土则帮助材料结合并保持形状。
Graphite leaves the dark gray marks, while clay helps bind the material and hold its shape.
改变两者的比例，就能做出不同软硬的笔芯。
Changing their proportions produces cores with different degrees of hardness.
黏土多一些，笔芯通常更硬；石墨多一些，笔芯通常更软，画出的颜色也更黑。
More clay generally makes a harder core; more graphite makes it softer and produces darker marks.
不过，把原料混在一起，还没有得到可以使用的铅笔。
Mixing the ingredients does not yet produce a usable pencil.
按照施德楼介绍的工艺，材料要先压成笔芯形状、干燥，再经过高温烧制。
In the process described by STAEDTLER, the material is pressed into a core shape, dried, and then fired at high temperature.
之后还要经过浸蜡处理，再装入保护它的木杆中。
It is then treated with wax and enclosed in a protective wooden barrel.
标记为H的是较硬的一类，B表示较软的一类，前面的数字用来进一步区分。
H marks the harder group and B the softer one, with preceding numbers distinguishing further grades.
在同一套标记里，H前的数字越大越硬，B前的数字越大则越软。
Within one grading system, larger numbers before H mean harder cores, while larger numbers before B mean softer ones.
一支看起来简单的笔，早在碰到纸之前，就已经通过材料比例和加工方式选好了自己的性格。
A seemingly simple pencil has its character set by material proportions and processing long before it touches paper.
