![]() ![]() To meet the demands of professionals as well as appeal to the general pencil-buying public, manufacturers developed specialized lead formulations, barrel shapes, ferrules, erasers, etc., for specific uses. Therefore the personal and professional demand for pencils was once very high and it spurred innovation within an increasingly competitive pencil-making industry, which resulted in a greater range of products for consumers. Though they weren’t as selective, students nonetheless required certain things of their pencils too, not the least of which was that they should be both affordable and durable. ![]() ![]() At the risk of over-generalizing, it’s as if all graphite pencils are lumped into one mental category labeled “not pens”, and are distinguished only by whether their leads are “dark” or “light”. But not so long ago entire professions-such as engineering and drafting-depended on quality pencils in some form, which had to meet the demanding requirements of the discriminating professionals who used them.Īnd prior to the ubiquity of inexpensive ballpoint pens and mechanical pencils, students of all grade levels regularly used wood-cased pencils. To the average person today, if a task requires the use of a pencil it usually means that any pencil will do. John Steinbeck, The Winter of Our Discon tent “It’s so much darker when a light goes out than it would have been had it never shone.” ![]() But by reacquainting ourselves with the personal and professional status wood-cased pencils once had-especially the writing pencil-this devotion may not seem so strange after all. What makes the Blackwing so special, and how could something so common have become the object of such uncommon devotion? I’ll skip right to the end and tell you that I don’t have the answers to those questions. However in wood-cased pencils there lies a rub: to use them means to lose them. But it seems they are mostly bought by those who still want to use them-from the curious who just want to try one, to Blackwing addicts who say they can’t work without them. Others have paid even more:įor this kind of money you would think it’s collectors (or museums) vying for what pencils remain. Whether driven by the melodramatic accounts of its demise, inflated reports of its performance, or the lack of a fitting successor, devotees have willingly parted with upwards of $55 for a single pencil. Soon after, they began turning up on eBay and in the classified ads of pencil-related message boards. Not surprisingly, Blackwing pencils that were still in the supply chain were bought-up and stockpiled. But after they were taken off the market, once-plaintive discussions about pencils and paper began to sound more like wistful, impromptu eulogies. Prior to being discontinued, when interviews of celebrated writers and musicians turned toward the subject of work habits the Blackwing was occasionally mentioned. Introduced by the Eberhard Faber Company during the Great Depression, the Blackwing sold for 64 years until being quietly discontinued in 1998. But rather than being forgotten, among pencil aficionados they became the stuff of urban legend. But it’s not the Blackwing’s looks that have made it so highly-prized, it’s what’s on the inside that counts: the unusually smooth, soft-yet-durable lead that inspired the slogan “Half The Pressure, Twice The Speed.” It has been lauded by writers, artists, and musicians alike for decades including such luminaries as John Steinbeck, Chuck Jones, and Stephen Sondheim to name a few. The graphite-grey lacquer finish, iconic foil-stamped logo, and adjustable eraser housed in an extended ferrule are the hallmarks of its distinctive appearance. This is no ordinary pencil though, it’s the Blackwing 602. It’s also the last of its kind, headed for certain extinction. A rare bird? Yes. It has a sleek aerodynamic design. It’s more than 64 years old yet boasts being twice as fast. ![]()
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