You can figure out _a_ way to make a pencil, but it may not be as efficient or clever as they did it the first time. Or it might be a lot more practical with modern abilities that were impossible at the time of the first pencil.

If you started today, you might not use graphite, or wood. That's ok for pencils. But it might mean we've forgotten a technique they used for making pencils that's also useful for tiny gear shafts. But we don't use it for gear shafts anymore because somebody invented the Swiss lithoscropy process.