As is often the case with technology, an improvement in design begets advancements in production which in turn calls for further improvements in design. Such was the case with pencil sharpeners. All sorts of variations on grinding, twisting and scraping emerged in pencil sharpener design throughout the late 19th century (see the images at The Early Office Museum) but they all had one major flaw; they required the user to hold the sharpener steady and turn the pencil or hold the pencil steady and turn the sharpener. Either way, the result was often broken lead.