The Erasable Podcast

Journalist Gabe Bullard joins us to talk about his new book, Against Convenience: Embracing Friction in an Age of Endless Ease. We dig into what we trade away for ease: the Starbucks app, robotaxis, New Release Tuesdays, memories apps, and AI's "sheen of fakery" — plus Wendell Berry's rules for adopting a new tool and Gabe's chat with our friend Caroline Weaver. We’re missing Tim today because his hotel wi-fi is not working.

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 man...

The Pencil Primer returns with part three: the other end of the pencil. We trace the eraser from stale bread crumbs to Goodyear's vulcanized rubber to Hymen Lipman's well-timed patent sale, then get into ferrules — wartime plastic ones, the Blackwing's famous clip, and why American pencils wear erasers while Japanese and German ones mostly don't. But first: Andy falls down a Carter Family rabbit hole, Johnny finds a forest green ink and an all-black Musgrave Ceres, and Tim awaits Blackwing's new Telecaster pencil.

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Erasable episode 237: Pencil Primer, Part 1

No Pencil Primer this time (part three is coming, promise) — instead, a Fresh Points extravaganza to say bye-bye to summer. Blackwing goes big with a Mickey and Friends collection and the gorgeous Frida Kahlo Volume 143, Andy's wristwatch rabbit hole deepens into designing the perfect podcaster's watch, Johnny hand-binds his kids' planners and stocks up on pastel Musgrave Ceres, and Tim shows off Sharpie Harpy art and a compendium of delightfully weird writing prompts. Plus: Hobonichi szn is upon us, the SF Pen Show, Ian Schon's new dip nib, and a tall stack of books. Patreon subscribers at any level ca...

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 Patre...

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 Patr...

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 Prime...

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 t...

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...

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...

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...

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?”.

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AEnima by Tool

In Case You Were Napping by Puscifer

True Wri...

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 lis...

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...

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!

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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...

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!

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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 sup...

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 w...

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!

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Ali...

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!<...

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...

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.

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The Light Phone

reMarkable tablet

Goodnotes app

Kindle Scribe

The Far Side by G...

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.

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The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper

Uniball Micro UB150

Stalogy no...

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.

Sh...

During our Decade of Pencilcasting celebration, a few folks mentioned that we should talk more about art pencils, and our good friend Leslie Herger from the RSVP Podcast and Comfortable Shoes Studio joined us to do just that!

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XOXO 2024 Field Notes

Gentleman Stationer Shop

Nahvalur Aqua Regia and Terra Firma

Uni-Ball Zento

Pilot Precise: Harmony

Comfortable Shoes Studio

Less is More Healthy

Less’s Kofi

Less’s YouTube recommendations:

Drew...

In this episode, we;re taking a break from rooting for Team USA to check in with a midsummer episode about some fun new Blackwings, the latest Field Notes release, and a rousing round of Tools of the Trade to see what we’ve been listening to, reading, and writing with.

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Sturgill Simpson GQ Profile

Johnny Blue Skies - Passage Du Desir

Jason Hardy Songs

Jason Isbell Field Notes

Stephen Wilson Jr. - Son of Dad

Microtomic Bl...

On this episode of Erasable, the guys are trying to muster as much patriotic spirit as they can and talk about some of their favorite American-made stationery brands. From JR Moon to Write Notepads, there are still some good quality products made between American shores. Plus: Updates from Blackwing, Andy’s trip to Seattle, and more!

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Born in the USA

J. R. Moon 

General Pencil Company

Musgrave Pencil Company

Blackwing 746 Collection

Jason Isbell Field Notes

Qui...

After a few weeks of different mixes of hosts and guests, we’re back as The Terrific Trio tonight, talking about the latest Tools of the Trade and Fresh Points.

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Star Trek Discovery

Nuclear War: A Scenario

Writers Playing Video Games

Suits

Daisy Jones and the Six

Blake Mills "If I'm Unworthy"

Navel Gazing

Under the Bridge

Guild of Bookworkers Newsletter Archive

Playlist to win a custom journal from Jo...

Tonight, Andy and Johnny are chatting, sans Tim, about some of the recent spring releases from Field Notes and Blackwing, recap Andy’s trip to The Happiest Place on Earth™ (hint: it involves many many pressed pennies) and they even talk about $75 minimalist notebooks.

Show Notes and Links

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Levenger True Writer Origins

Three Body Problem on Netflix

Three Body Problem Trilogy by Cixin Liu

The Core of an Onion by Mark Kurlansky

Disney pressed pennies 

Jerry Garcia neckties

Fancy iA Wr...

This is a fun episode, folks. We’re joined by Carol Beggy, a longtime listener, group member, newspaper journalist, and author of “Pencil”, one of the latest books in the Bloomsbury Object Lessons book series, joins us to talk about her book and the object of all of our affections. We chat about the wonders of the newspaper supply cabinet of the 1900s, Thoreau, collecting pencils, and much, much more.

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Pencil (Object Lessons, by Carol Beggy)

Object Lessons series

John C. Burke

Por...

It’s been ten years, folks. In this episode, we talk to some of our favorite recurring guests — Brad Dowdy, Caitlin Elgin, Les Herger, and Caroline Weaver — and reminisce about the last decade. We even have a cool swag bag that you can buy to help us celebrate! Plus, way more potato content than you probably wanted.

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All About The Musette Bag

Pen Addict

Comfortable Shoe Studio

Caitlin Elgin

The Locavore (Caroline’s latest venture)

Potato Pencil Lovin’ (a...

Today’s episode is a short one — as we prepare for a bigger 10-year anniversary episode, we spent some time talking about our tools of the trade, and really focusing on the pencils and paper we’re using lately.

A quick note: We’re getting ready to produce a gift for our Nubbin Stage Patreon supporters! We can’t reveal it yet, but it’s so cool. If you’re a current supporter at that level, please update your shipping address! And if you want to get in on it, please sign up for an annual plan at our Patreon...

Andy is back from the other side of the globe, where he visited Japan looking for adventures —and stationery! Tonight, Johnny and Tim team up to grill Andy about his trip, and best yet — they’re in the same room!

If you’re a Patreon member at any level, you can watch video of this episode at patreon.com/erasable.

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Photos from Andy’s trip

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Pencil, by Carol Beggy

Shift Happens by Marchin Wichary

Blue Lights

How to ADHD

Happy 2024, friends! We’re starting off with the first episode of the new year with a Fresh Points episode, talking about some of the cool new stuff to hit the market since we last recorded — Draplin’s Tactile Turn pen collab, Blackwing Volume 2, Studio Neat’s Keepbook, and more.

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James, Be Opened by the Wonderful 

Sick Souls, Healthy Minds: How William James Can Save Your Life

Feel Something, Make Something

Dr. Who Xmas Special

A History of Wild Things

Nigh...

As we wrap up 2023, Johny, Tim and Andy talked about tools that they used unexpectedly more than overs over the year. From Very Old Ticonderoga’s to dinosaur tape dispensers, there are some old reliables and some newcomers on this list. Happy holidays!

This episode is available with video for active patrons supporting the show at any level over on Patreon.

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Musgrave Songwriter

Doctor Who Specials

Three Body Problem

Andy’s zine shop

Whiskey Advent Calendar

J...

It’s been a while, and a lot of stuff has come out since we last podcasted as our True Selves. We’re rectifying that tonight, as we check out the latest releases from Field Notes and Blackwing. Join us and find out what we’ve been up to!

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 BIRCH BARK

Volume 17, the Gardening Pencil

HEARTLAND

Blackwing “Buy Our Trash” Labs

Blackwing/Moleskine Collab

Theory11 playing cards

The Importance of Not Being Ernest by Mark Kurlansky<...