Inside the Making of Blackwing Pencils: From Japan to California
How Blackwing Pencils are Made [video]
Blackwing offers a first-ever look at how its iconic pencils are made, from graphite formulation in Kofu, Japan, to woodworking and lacquering in Tokyo, and finally to imprinting, ferrule assembly, and hand-packing in Stockton, California. The film highlights the meticulous craftsmanship behind each pencil, emphasizing the brand's commitment to quality and mindfulness.
Each and every Blackwing pencil is thoughtfully made to help you slow down and have the best tools for your creative journey.
- tkgally
A couple of months ago, I went with my daughter and six-year-old grandson to the Kita-Boshi Pencil factory in eastern Tokyo [1]. He is a first-grader at a public elementary school in Yokohama, and he is learning to write using wooden pencils.
We had watched many times a similar video [2] showing pencils being made at the Kita-Boshi factory. The production line wasn’t operating the day we went, but we still got a full introduction to the history and manufacture of pencils from the company chairman, who is very enthusiastic about pencils. The other attendees were all elementary school children and their parents or grandparents.
There used to be dozens of pencil factories in Tokyo, but Kita-Boshi is one of the few remaining. The larger Japanese pencil brands, such as Tombow and Mitsubishi, now source most of their production from places like Vietnam or China.
We came back home with a bag full of Kita-Boshi pencils that I bought there. I don’t use pencils much myself anymore, but when I tried writing with them they felt smoother and easier to write with than the wooden pencils I used as a child in the U.S. sixty years ago.
- zcw100
I can't help thinking of David Rees. This guy is hilarious https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KabOfnbS4TQ&t=139s
- leonidv
I have a box of 120 Blackwing pencils of all types. They look nice, expensive, but a bad tool.
(review -> https://www.instagram.com/p/CrD5KRnuLnh/?img_index=2&igsh=cD... )
They are not suitable for fine drawing (too waxy and soft) - those are either STAEDTLER, FaberCastell, or Tombow (Japanese brand).
The fancy tip eraser is also not very useful. The metal around it is so soft, it can't hold any pressure. Also extremely not child friendly, as the small metal part inside just fells out.
Tombow Mono - de-facto standard eraser.