The Erasable Podcast

Episode 240: Synchronized Head Molts (Pencil Primer, Part 2)

The Pencil Primer returns with part two: the case of yonder pencil. We trace the wood itself — from Conté's badass eyepatch to eastern red cedar, California incense cedar, and the creeping basswood era — plus why pencils are yellow (blame a Siberian graphite strike and some questionable 19th-century marketing) and why triangular pencils are weird. But first, the summer releases: Blackwing's birding-themed Volume 458 and Field Notes' melty, paleta-inspired Paletas edition get the full review. Next time: ferrules and erasers. Patreon subscribers at any level can watch the video version.For this episode, we recorded video, available to Patreon subscribers! If you’re a patron, head over to see our faces and visual examples of many of the things we discuss. And if you’re not a patron, join us at any level and you can see this and other supplemental content at any time!Show Notes & LinksBlackwing Volume 458 — a tribute to birding: Clark's Grebe, Mallard, Green Jay, and Black Rail gradients (Behind the Design)How Blackwing Pencils Are Made — the making-of video we kept mentioning (also on YouTube)Field Notes Paletas — nine popsicle notebooks inspired by Paletería Los Magos in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhoodField Notes: The Founding DocumentsOutshine popsicles — the official popsicle-flavor icebreakerNahvalur Original Plus — new sparkly colors (plus mystery jewel-tone demonstrators spotted at the NYC stationery festival)Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu-gaki ink — Andy's persimmon-orange favoriteStationery Day recaps from Brad Dowdy and friendsMusgrave Tennessee Red — eastern red cedar, clear lacquer, glorious smellMusgrave Single Barrel 106 — named for Erasable episode 106 with Henry Hulan of MusgravePencils Past and Present — the YouTube channel reviewing the Single Barrel 106 (and lots of vintage pencils)ForestChoice — the FSC-certified incense cedar standard-bearerGeneral's Cedar Pointe — naked cedar, as God intendedKoh-i-Noor Hardtmuth — where the yellow pencil (and its complicated marketing history) beganCaran d'Ache Swiss Wood 348 — reportedly discontinued; pour one out (Pen Addict review; Well-Appointed Desk review)Dixon Tri-Conderoga — Andy's triangular gateway pencilTiconderoga Laddie — the bigger, soft-triangle oneFaber-Castell Grip 2001 — triangular, six design awards, formerly bubbly grip dots

Episode 239: Mavis Beacon for President

The whole gang is back together to catch up. Andy recaps his Field Notes–filled wedding, starts a new job, and falls down a serious wristwatch rabbit hole — from Bluetooth-modded Casio F-91Ws to a Draplin x Timex Scout. Johnny's loving a $30 Asvine piston-filler, a possibly haunted Cedar Pointe, and a Rhodia Goalbook in Peacock, while Tim is deep in World Cup fever and cheap-but-good Pen+Gear black pencils. Plus: Blackwing's 250 drop, Nahvalur's Fireworks Nautilus, and a locked-in promise that next episode is a Pencil Primer all about wood. For this episode, we recorded video, available to Patreon subscribers! If you’re a patron, head over to see our faces and visual examples of many of the things we discuss. And if you’re not a patron, join us at any level and you can see this and other supplemental content at any time!Show Notes & LinksMurchie's Tea (Victoria, BC) — Scottish breakfast blendForestChoice #2 pencil — still $5 a pack at Pencils.comField Notes Explore America: Northern California — Golden Gate National Recreation Area edition (with Big Sur and Muir Woods)Range Leather notebook coverBound to Be Beautiful by Bari Zaki — from Bari Zaki Studio in ChicagoNo Man's SkyAsvine P90 piston-fill fountain pen (~$30)Organics Studio Walt Whitman Leaves of Grass inkGeneral's Cedar Pointe #1Baron Fig x Caroline Weaver Archer pencilRhodia Goalbook in PeacockJames Corden's live after-match World Cup show on TubiThe Art of Simple Living by Shunmyo MasunoReplica J. Thoreau & Son pencil from The Shop at Walden PondMoleskine Cahier XL notebook — $9.99 at WalmartCasio F-91W and the Ollee Watch Bluetooth mod (~$60)Casio Vintage series — calculator, world-time, and the Alien wrist-communicator lookalikeTimex Weekender, Timex Expedition, and a Draplin Design Co. x Timex ScoutFitbit Air ($99) — strap-only tracker people pair with analog watchesPaper & Pencil (Chicago) custom Stationery Day Field Notes — including a stamp-collecting editionDelfonics Rollbahn Micro — the impossibly tiny new size, found at MaidoThe Blackwing 250 Collection — red, white, and blue pencils, plus the 250-box with a gold one (only 50 sets)Musgrave America250 Cedar Box Set — 2 dozen red, white, and blue Ceres pencilsField Notes: The Founding DocumentsNahvalur Nautilus Fireworks limited editionPen+Gear round black #2 pencils — back-to-school find at WalmartPanini World Cup sticker album — $2 packs, 450+ stickers

Episode 238: No Playing Lawyer Ball

Andy's out this week for the best possible reason — he got married! (Congratulations, Andy and Erica! 🎉) So Johnny and Tim keep it short and sweet with a catch-up and some fresh points: Tim falls down a Blaze Foley rabbit hole and digs into a new book on heartland rock, Johnny can't stop playing No Man's Sky, and both Henries pick up guitars. Plus: Field Notes' new Explore America memo books, Musgrave's America 250 collection, a pencil-powered fire-starting experiment, and a look at this year's (sadly slim) crop of Pride stationery. We'll be back next time, Andy in tow, with Pencil Primer, Part 2.For this episode, we recorded video, available to Patreon subscribers! If you’re a patron, head over to see our faces and visual examples of many of the things we discuss. And if you’re not a patron, join us at any level and you can see this and other supplemental content at any time!Show Notes & LinksErasable PatreonErasable Podcast Discord inviteBlaze Foley — Live at the Austin OuthouseBlaze (2018), Ethan Hawke's film about Blaze FoleyWon't Back Down: Heartland Rock and the Fight for America by Erin OsmonAndorKing of the HillNo Man's SkyA Short History of Nearly Everything 2.0 by Bill BrysonA Perfect Circle — "Starless" (new single)Arab Strap — "You You You" (new single + video)Field Notes Explore America memo booksGrandma Gatewood's Walk by Ben MontgomeryPencil graphite lighter videoMusgrave America 250 collectionFisher Space Pen — America 250 AG7 Astronaut PenNahvalur Horizon Pride 2026 fountain penThe Trevor ProjectWar by Sebastian JungerYour HostsJohnny  GamberPencil Revolution@pencilutionAndy WelfleWoodclinched@awelfleTim Wasem@TimWasem

Episode 237: Pencil Primer, Part 1

We kick off the Pencil Primer — a new series for anyone who wants to start at the beginning of pencildom. This installment traces graphite from the legendary Borrowdale lightning strike of 1564 to Nicolas-Jacques Conté's clay-and-graphite breakthrough during the Napoleonic Wars, plus the Thoreau family's role in standardizing the American pencil grade scale and a tour through HB-to-9B. Plus, Tim's into a Bill Frisell biography, Johnny's writing with a sparkly Narwhal "raspberry cheesecake" pen that looks like, uh, something else, and Andy debuts booklet.lol — a vibe-coded book tracker. Patreon subscribers can watch the video version.For this episode, we recorded video, available to Patreon subscribers! If you’re a patron, head over to see our faces and visual examples of many of the things we discuss. And if you’re not a patron, join us at any level and you can see this and other supplemental content at any time!Show Notes & LinksErasableRead a transcript of this episode at Erasable ScribeErasable PatreonErasable Facebook groupErasable Discord inviteEpisode referencesEpisode 57: “The F Bomb”Podcasts / mediaDrug Storyr/pencilsLetterkennyBooksBill Frisell, Beautiful DreamerExcellent Advice for Living by Kevin KellyAutomatic Noodle by Annalee NewitzA Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky ChambersPencil / stationery / book artsCumberland Pencil MuseumNicolas-Jacques Conté (Britannica)Henry David Thoreau (Britannica)Guild of Book WorkersGeneral’s Layout PencilSTAEDTLER WOPEXDerwentPhotography / camera stuffMicro Four NerdsPetaPixelApps / sites / companiesbooklet.lolPeople / artists / companiesWillie NelsonCharlie CrockettBill FrisellJHS PedalsYour HostsJohnny  GamberPencil Revolution@pencilutionAndy WelfleWoodclinched@awelfleTim Wasem@TimWasem

Episode 236: An Impressionistic Budget

A big one this time around: we celebrate 12 years of Erasable, Andy launches a transcript site and an AI quiz generator, Johnny's been making books and hiking in 15-degree weather, and Tim christens his new Nahvalur Nautilus with a boiling water incident. Plus fresh releases from Field Notes, Blackwing, Baronfig, and Musgrave.For this episode, we recorded video, available to Patreon subscribers! If you’re a patron, head over to see our faces and visual examples of many of the things we discuss. And if you’re not a patron, join us at any level and you can see this and other supplemental content at any time!Show notes & linksErasable PatreonErasable Podcast Discord inviteThe Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip SimmonsPilão coffee (Tim's Brazilian coffee recommendation from Skip Simmons)Erasable ScribeQuizard.cool12 years of Erasable, by the numbers (according to Claude)Ed Kemp on zines (Erasable episode) (if you have a specific episode link handy)Plumbago magazineField Notes "Lucky"Blackwing Volume 343Blackwing Quarterly Zine, Issue 1Baronfig Winnie the Pooh Squire HexBaronfig Legend hardcover notebookMusgrave America 250 Celebration Red, White, and Blue setNahvalur Nautilus Ti "Toffee"Mike Masuyama nib grindingYour HostsJohnny  GamberPencil Revolution@pencilutionAndy WelfleWoodclinched@awelfleTim Wasem@TimWasem

Episode 235: Little Podcast Mustache

The Erasable Podcast turns 12! As of March 12, we’ve officially been doing this podcast for 12 years. 279 hours of audio — that’s more than 11.5 straight days of Erasable! Tim is out today, but Johnny grills Andy about his trip to Hong Kong and Japan, including some of the cool pencils he found at a stationery shop in Kyoto that’s been in business since the 1600s. Have a listen!For this episode, we recorded video, available to Patreon subscribers! If you’re a patron, head over to see our faces and visual examples of many of the things we discuss. And if you’re not a patron, join us at any level and you can see this and other supplemental content at any time!Show Notes & LinksErasable PatreonErasable Podcast Discord inviteGestalt App — join the beta!Pencil & Paper’s custom Field NotesJ Herbin Vert Pre inkIroshizuku chiku-rin inkKyukyodoYour HostsJohnny  GamberPencil Revolution@pencilutionAndy WelfleWoodclinched@awelfleTim Wasem@TimWasem

Episode 234: Bearded and Abroad

Episode 233: The Dark Side of STEM (with special guest Ian Schon)

We’re back, after two months away! Sorry for the silence, friends. But we think we have something really special for you — a guest we’ve wanted to come on the show for almost 6 years. It’s Ian Schon of SCHONDSGN, a craftsman who makes incredible, unique fountain pens. We’re talking about his journey to  starting his own company, design and engineering challenges that fountain pens present, and his foray into his greatest challenge; making the Monoc, his own fountain pen nib from bars of titanium.For this episode, we recorded video, available to Patreon subscribers! If you’re a patron, head over to see our faces and visual examples of many of the things we discuss. And if you’re not a patron, join us at any level and you can see this and other supplemental content at any time!Show Notes & LinksErasable PatreonErasable Podcast Discord inviteSchon DSGNEmbassy penAuxiliary MammalsErasable at the Baltimore Pen Show after party at Write notepadsSchon DSGN KickstarterOur GuestIan SchonSCHONDSGN website@schon_dsgn on InstagramYour HostsJohnny  GamberPencil Revolution@pencilutionAndy WelfleWoodclinched@awelfleTim Wasem@TimWasem

Episode 232: Wide Nut Swamp Ash

Episode 231: Stocking up on Scalpels

Happy October! This very autumnal episode is a short one — just some fresh points and tools of the trade. Johnny’s playing too much Mario Kart World, Andy regales us with his trip to New York City, and Tim is designing a thuper thecret notebook. Plus: we talk about some new Field Notes and feel very old because of the new Blackwing Eras.