I love the smell of sharpened pencils in the morning…..

But all this about erasers? (“Rubbers” in the UK – stop sniggering, child.) Who uses or needs an eraser?

DO IT RIGHT FIRST TIME. If needs change, or you find an improvement, strike though the old, add the new. WDNNS erasers!

Let’s reiterate on sharpening. Sandpaper. Special slots, glued, velcro, whatever, to secure it close to your work, but sandpaper. It allows you to create whatever shape of point is necessary for the stroke required. Small dabs at the sandpaper can with ease keep the point continuously fresh in a way that use of anything else totally fails to deliver.

Now on to great sharpeners. I have a lousy little electric that always makes me unhappy. I still have fond memories of the old school (literally) hand cranked versions that if you did it right would make a perfect elongated needle point.

Staplers? 60s Swingline.

Was everything just better in the olden days?

We could perhaps talk pens though. Anyone else dig a Hunt 513EF Globe nib with Speedball Super Black India Ink?

Don’t know if they hold up to the build quality of the originals from back in the day (probably now Made in China­™), but they are still sturdy as all hell, and always get the job done.

Also, I second the call for more pencil porn!!

Who wants a pencil with an eraser? What’s the appeal? It’s to unbalanced, too heavy.

What a time to be alive…

I found out about it as a kid, visiting cousins in Japan in the 70s. In fact, I was exposed to an entire culture of school supplies that just didn’t (and really, still doesn’t) exist in the US.

Children’s magazines were filled with ads and articles about the latest pencils and pencil boxes. I remember an article about study desks, with callouts explaining the ergonomic value.

But if there was one object that exemplified the difference, it was the white vinyl eraser. And the scent…ah, the scent.

F’in electric erasers, how do they work?

No seriously. How does that work? Does it do the rubbing for you?

(I’m sorry, there’s no way this conversation can’t sound dirty. I don’t mean for it to.)

Snrk!

The actual eraser cylinder rotates like a drill bit. At variable speed, so you actually could use it as a ladies’ sex toy if you have a steady trigger finger. It does way, way, way less damage to the paper when you’re erasing, which is why it’s so popular on drafting vellum, which is pretty thin. I’ve gotten Prismacolor off white museum board with an acceptable result.

Mine is about 15 years old, but this one is pretty similar.

Its time to go to the gym when you’re calling a pencil too heavy.

One of the first things that you learn when you’re doing calligraphy or ink drawing with disposable pens is: Don’t put the cap on the back end of the pen when you’re using it; it just weighs down your hand.

And that’s about all the enthusiasm I can muster for writing implements today. I use black Uni-Ball micros at work, and haven’t had occasion to use a pencil regularly since 1988 or so, except for occasional woodworking, where almost *anything* sharpish will work for my purposes.

But them Blackwings do look pretty nifty.