Tag Archives: Blackwing

The Last Eberhard Faber Factory

Posted on May 30, 2017 by Sean

In 1956-57, the Eberhard Faber Company moved operations from their Greenpoint, New York location (established in 1872) to a state-of-the-art facility in Crestwood Industrial Park, located in Mountain Top, Pennsylvania. Some 37 acres of woods were cleared for the facility, which was designed … Continue reading →

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“The other [pencils] are a snare, a delusion and utterly useless.” —Eberhard Faber

Posted on August 30, 2016 by Sean

In an interview given to the Salt Lake Herald in 1906, Eberhard Faber II offered some sage advice to pencil users. While most of what he said borders on common sense it’s still illuminating to hear it straight from the … Continue reading →

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Filming “No. 2: Story of the Pencil”

Posted on October 17, 2015 by Sean

Yesterday I spent the afternoon with William Allen, a professor and filmmaker who is finishing up work on his documentary “No. 2: Story of the Pencil.” My involvement was limited mostly to the Blackwing, but the interview also covered thoughtful questions … Continue reading →

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The House That Faber Built

Posted on July 5, 2015 by Sean

c. 1902 It’s FAY-ber, not FAH-ber. FAY-ber. FAAAY-ber. That’s what I kept saying to myself on a recent rainy afternoon in Wilkes-Barre (BEAR or BERRY, there doesn’t seem to be a consensus), waiting outside of my hotel. I was trying to … Continue reading →

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A Conversation With Eberhard Faber IV

Posted on June 8, 2015 by Sean

In researching American pencil-making I have encountered one overriding consistency: trade-related print sources are mostly inconsistent, especially the early ones. And as with any long story, names, dates, places, and events are told and retold until at best they become nearly impossible … Continue reading →

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601, 602, 603

Posted on April 4, 2015 by Sean
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National Pencil Day, 2015

Posted on March 29, 2015 by Sean
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Eberhard Faber Transfer Ink Pencil No. 751

Posted on August 21, 2014 by Sean

Copying pencils have a long and storied history. Along with the Noblot and the Blu-Blak, the Eberhard Faber Co. also made the Transfer ink pencil, which may have been one of their original ink pencils. Though I don’t know their exact age, … Continue reading →

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The Good Old Days

Posted on March 5, 2014 by Sean
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Replacement Parts

Posted on February 8, 2014 by Sean

There’s a pronounced inequity when it comes to the two components of a tipped wood-cased pencil: The pencil itself could survive for centuries and still work as well, while the eraser would have long-since become part of the fossil record. … Continue reading →

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