The Erasable Podcast

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

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@scho

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.

We’ve got a special episode today. Tyler McCall, co-owner of Chicago stationery shop Pencil & Paper, joins us to talk about the havoc caused by the Trump administration’s chaotic tariff policies. These policies aren’t just hurting small businesses like Tyler’s — they’re also driving up costs and creating disruptions for everyday consumers in ways you might not expect. This conversation is for anyone who cares about supporting local shops, stationery or otherwise. And if you’re in Chicago, be sure to stop by Tyler’s store in Andersonville.

Happy International Workers Day, everyone! If you get a long weekend, we really hope you make the most of it. (Andy’s going to the SF Pen Show, for example!) Before we go off and celebrate, we’re coming atcha with some new Fresh Points, including some new Blackwings, a cool film camera, and the question that plagues our minds, “why is loose leaf paper so terrible?”. Show Notes and LinksErasable PatreonErasable Podcast Discord inviteAEnima by ToolIn Case You Were Napping by PusciferTrue Writer Killarney fountain pen Automatic Noodle by Annalee NewitzLessons in Magic and Disaster by Charlie Jane AndersSlow HorsesMission Impossible Final ReckoningSnipe Hunter by Tyler ChildersBlackwing Volume 292Kodak EtkarNahvalur TriadBlackwing x Fender San Francisco Pen ShowMonoc Evo by Schon DesignYour HostsJohnny  GamberPencil RevolutionAndy Welfleandy.wtfTim Wasem

We have a very special episode for you today, folks. We’re joined by Allison King, a novelist who recently published The Phoenix Pencil Company, a multi-generational story about Chinese-American women, data privacy, surveillance, LGBT love, and… pencils! We read the book and loved it, and Allison is here to answer some questions. If you want a copy for yourself, you can buy it at this link, or preferably at your local bookstore.Warning: this episode contains spoilers! If you’re reading, or intending to read this book, you might want to wait until you finish it to listen to this episode.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 and LinksLast Boat Out of ShanghaiA Tale for the Time BeingEmpire of AIOur GuestAllison KingAllison's Website@allisonkingwrites on Inst

After a month full of travel from our intrepid hosts, involving everything from counterfeit theatre tickets to marriage proposals to a literal train wreck, we’re back to regale each other with stories from our travels, and, of course, the stationery we picked up along the way. Plus, we announce a future book club episode with The Phoenix Pencil Company by Allison King.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 and linksErasable PatreonErasable Podcast Discord invitePhoenix Pencil Company by Allison KingUntitled Goose Game bookAnimal Crossing bookParis France by Gertrude SteinAndor Season 2The Bureaucratic Banality of Andor | RonBronson.designMy Friends by Fredrik BackmanEveryman’s Library Pocket Poets SeriesCharley CrockettSomebody Feed PhilIs a River Alive?Rem

The summer limited editions are out early this year! Join us for the scoop on two releases from Blackwing, some very watery Field Notes, and finally — you can buy our newest Erasable merch!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 and linksErasable PatreonErasable Eraser Friend pinErasable logo corduroy hatOrbitalAndor Season 2Doctor Who Series 14Levenger True Writer in Sapphire MosaicDiamine Sapphire BlueField Notes Summer ToteField Notes Is a River Alive?Is a River Alive? By Robert MacFarlaneNew Field Notes box artThe artist and his pencil sharpener collectionBlackwing Labs 05.13.26 pencilsBlackwing Labs 05.13.26 notebookBlackwing Volume 140Andy Johnny/Pencil RevolutionYour HostsJohnny  GamberPencil RevolutionAndy Welfleandy.wtfTim Wasem

May is upon is, and we’re here with a short one, discussing our tools of the trade, and some fun fresh points — Johnny talked about his sugar cane notebooks for Earth Day, and Andy introduced some new spring Erasable swag for 2025 (Stay tuned!)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 PatreonThe Birthday Massacre’s Sleep TonightWhere the Crawdads SingDamnedPusciferNahvalur Nautilus Ti Herbin Sapphire Bullet Journal 2.0 2023 Artist EditionChiikawaWhen We Were RealWhere the Axe is BuriedLed Zeppelin by Bob SpitzBad Monkey SoundtrackEverybody's Live with John MulaneySugar Cane paper notebooks at Pencil Revolution PressMakers CabinetElipso KickstarterIRIS Large FormatTimberlines on Substack (Blog of Charles Berolzheimer, CEO of B

To celebrate our podcast turning 11 last month, we’re traveling back in time to channel our 11 year-old selves, and examine what stationery meant to us as Little Guys.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 and LinksErasable PatreonErasable Podcast Discord inviteBon Iver Field Notes“The Chicago Look” Field NotesNahvalur Original PlusNahvalur Nautilus Ti BlackAndy’s Yikes blog postYour HostsJohnny  GamberPencil RevolutionAndy Welfleandy.wtfTim Wasem

Today’s episode is a short one — Tim’s out, and Johnny and Andy talk about some of their new pencil hauls (including a Pentel Black Polymer 999 that Andy’s particularly excited about). Johnny gets civilly disobedient (more so than usual, that is) in his reading from his zilbaldoni.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 and LinksErasable PatreonThe Erasable Podcast DiscordAndy’s new blog, AsterismsThe War on CarsThe BookmakersKiridashi KnifeKamikokuenPencil GroceryThe Hardest Working Font in ManhattanYour HostsJohnny  GamberPencil RevolutionAndy Welfleandy.wtfTim Wasem

Welcome to the first installment of Re-rasable, a new series where we resurface some of our most memorable episodes and interviews from the past ten years.For this inaugural edition, we’re rewinding to Episode 106 and our conversation with Henry Hulan, Chairman of the Musgrave Pencil Company. This interview was a true highlight, giving us a rare inside look at the history and craftsmanship of American pencil-making. Even more exciting, it led to the creation of the Musgrave Single Barrel 106—a pencil made from vintage red cedar and numbered after this very episode!Join us as we revisit this special moment in Erasable history.Links & Resources The Erasable Podcast – erasable.us Musgrave Pencil Company – musgravepencil.com Musgrave on Instagram – @musgravepencil Musgrave on Facebook – facebook.com/musgravepencilIf you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow pencil nerd! Thanks for listening, and stay tuned for more Re-rasable episodes to come.

We’re back for the New Year, with a ton of Fresh Points and Tools of Our Trade -- and the first sections from our Zibaldoni!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 inviteAli Serra’s Blackwing extenderADHD is awesomeStaying Alive by Neil AstleyPort Protection TV seriesVintage Field NotesDraplin’s “Turquoise Tribute” Field Notes

For our last episode of 2024, we came together to talk about some of our favorite Tools of the Trade from the last year. Andy recounts his trip to Hawaii and Tim talks about a new segment we’re starting next year. For this episode, we recorded video, available to Patreon subscribers! If you’re a patron, head over to Patreon 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 and LinksErasable PatreonLong After Dark Tom Petty notebook and PenField Notes: VintageNahvalur Christmas 2024 penBlackwing Lab 11.19.24More Adam Savage pencil huntingHow to ADHDNahvalur Nautilus fountain pensDiamine OnyxMusgrave Harvest ProBest American Food/travel writingMoonboundThree Body Problem TrilogyStories are WeaponsiA Writer NotebookYour HostsJohnny  GamberPencil Revolution@pencilutionAndy WelfleWoodclinched@andy.wtf on BlueskyTim Wasem@TimWasem

Today on the show, we have a much needed catch up, with a freewheeling discussion around Tools of the Trade and Fresh Points. We cover the new Blackwing 574, the Field Notes Dream Journals, Bluesky, and even talk about something Andy's only dreamed of — Star Trek wine.For this episode, we recorded video, available to Patreon subscribers! If you’re a patron, head over to Patreon 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 & LinksArab Strap bandGangs of London TV seriesStardew ValleyIt. Goes. So. Fast. : The Year of No Do-Overs by Mary Louise KellyThe Terraformers by Annalee NewitzPsalm for the Wild-Built by Becky ChambersI Cheerfully Refuse by Leif EngerField Notes Dream Journal Gift SetMade in BaltimoreBlackwing 574Find us on Bluesky!@andy.wtf@timwasem@bsky.social@johnnygamber@bsky.socialThe Stationery Folk Starter PackEberhard Faber Per

For this shorter episode, we’re fighting our pre-US election anxiety by talking about handwriting in digital notebooks. Johnny had a few questions about it that we didn’t have time to ask Roland in the last episode, so instead he turned to Andy and Tim, both who have some experience writing on a tablet with a stylus, to learn the ins and outs of digital writing.Show Notes and LinksErasable PatreonThe Light PhonereMarkable tabletGoodnotes appKindle ScribeThe Far Side by Gary LarsonYour HostsJohnny  GamberPencil Revolution@pencilutionAndy WelfleWoodclinched@awelfleTim Wasem@TimWasem

Tonight, for our special Erasable Book Club episode, we discuss the new book The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper. And who else better to discuss it with, than the book’s author himself, Roland Allen! Roland joins us from the UK to talk about how he researched the book, how the structure of it came to be, and especially to geek out about his favorite notebook and writing utensils.Show Notes and LinksErasable PatreonThe Notebook: A History of Thinking on PaperUniball Micro UB150Stalogy notebooks at JetpensOur GuestRoland AllenRoland-Allen.com@notebook_historian on InstagramYour HostsJohnny  GamberPencil Revolution@pencilutionAndy WelfleWoodclinched@awelfleTim Wasem@TimWasem

Tonight we catch up on some Tools of the Trade, from watching too much British TV, to the Allman Brothers. We look at the latest Blackwing release, compare ADHD to stationery, and Andy recaps his trip to Europe. And finally, we reveal our next book club book, which we’ll talk about in the next episode!If you want to follow along in our book club discussion, pick up a copy of The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper by Roland Allen. We’ll be discussing it for episode 217, coming out the week of October 7, 2024.Show Notes and LinksErasable PatreonOur book club selection: The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper by Roland AllenBlackwing Vol. 71The Library ThiefFahrenheit 451The MarchThe AcolyteCalexit: The comicDrunk On All Your Strange New WordsThe Power Broker