Materials
Sharpening a compass lead to a flat, approximately 45 degree edge can be done with the use of a sandpaper board or a fine disposable nail file. However, this produces very fine dust which can spread easily onto fingers or the drawing and is difficult to clean away. Another method is with a tiny pencil lead sharpener, known as a lead pointer, which sharpens to a fine, conical point, much like a pencil sharpener. This method produces shavings, but not as fine as the dust and not as spreadable. I tend to use a third method and sharpen both my compass lead, as well as the automatic pencil lead in my compass adapter, to a 45 degree flat edge with the help of a craft knife. I find it is least messy and although initially takes a little practice, it is the quickest method to sharpen my drawing tools because the lead can remain in the compass while it is sharpened.
I use a putty rubber, in a dabbing rather than rubbing motion, to remove any fine dust from paper, whereas a little soap on a damp cloth should remove graphite dust from a table top.
It is possible to purchase graphite for the compass, already cut to the short size. However, I prefer to purchase full length, 2mm pencil graphite and then break it off to the correct size. Please note, this is a thicker, 2mm pencil lead, which is not the same as the 0,5mm lead used for the pencil in the compass adapter. I aways use either H or 2H graphite as it gives a sharper, finer line.