“It’s like my whole world is coming undone, but when I write, my pencil is a needle and thread, and I’m stitching the scraps back together.”-Julia Alvarez
Pencils are practical tools, ever ready to capture words and scratch your thoughts onto paper. Since childhood, most of us have lived with pencils. In elementary school, they first gave us those big fat pencils that felt like logs in our little hands. Later we got to use real grown-up pencils, usually the bright school bus yellow variety (the best were the Ticonderoga brand). Somewhere in junior high or high school, most of us left our pencils behind, traded for the ubiquitous ballpoint pen, also a wonderful tool. Recently I have rediscovered the pencil. And in doing so, I think I’ve found the perfect one.
With some trepidation, I can say that I am a writer. When working on a column, I always write my first draft using my typewriter, a treasured Royal portable (a 1946 Arrow model). But before going to my typewriter, often in the wee hours of the morning when I first fall out of bed, I will write out by hand what I call skeleton notes. Sometimes this is just an outline, so I have a word map of sorts to guide me as I type. Sometimes it is more. Often words will just flow, like turning on a faucet. And as I sit up in bed in my boxer shorts, I need to capture them. Ordinarily, I keep a notepad and pen handy. But now, instead of a pen, I have switched to a pencil. I find that a pencil better captures words before they get away. I can write faster with a pencil. This small change occurred after I read about and bought a box of the famous Blackwing pencils.
The Blackwing 602 pencil, with its flat ferrule, clamp eraser, and trademark slogan “Half the Pressure, Twice the Speed” stamped on the side, was created in 1934 by the Eberhard Faber Company. It was the first commercial pencil made with wax in its core and was noted for its incredibly smooth writing. The Blackwing pencil caught on with creative folks, most notably writers, animators, and musicians. John Steinbeck wrote the Grapes of Wrath using a Blackwing 602. He didn’t type, so would hand write his manuscripts and then have his secretary type them. Many other writers, including Truman Capote and Thomas Wolfe were fans of the Blackwing pencil.
The Blackwing 602 was especially popular with artists and animators. Chuck Jones, whose work included Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Wile E. Coyote, was a big fan, along with Tim Hodge who was known for his work on the classic Tom & Jerry cartoons. Walt Disney’s core animators – known as the “Nine Old Men” – were huge fans of the Blackwing 602. Ollie Johnston, creator of Bambi and Thumper, kept the first one he ever owned as a prized possession. Brothers Robert and Richard Sherman used Blackwing pencils for their contributions to Mary Poppins, Winnie the Pooh, and The Jungle Book. Shamus Culhane, known for his work on Snow White, was such a fan that he was buried with a Blackwing 602 pencil in his hand.
Many notable musicians loved their Blackwing pencils as well, including composer Stephen Sondheim, band leader Nelson Riddle, pianist and composer Duke Ellington, trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis, songwriter Johnny Mercer, composer Leonard Bernstein, composer Aaron Copland, and Texas music legend Guy Clark.
Blackwing pencils have also been used at times on TV and in cinema. In the movie Jaws (1975), Richard Dreyfuss in one scene is pictured with a Blackwing 602 clenched between his teeth. In Revenge of the Nerds (1984), Anthony Edwards and Robert Carradine, as nerds Gilbert and Lewis, carry Blackwing pencils tucked into their pocket protectors.
Despite their cult status with the artistic crowd, for a number of reasons, including low sales volume, broken machinery, and company acquisitions, in 1998 the Blackwing 602 pencil was discontinued. With Blackwings no longer in production, the resale market went crazy. Pencils were selling on eBay for as much as $40 each.
A few years later, a company in Stockton, California – Cal Cedar – acquired the Blackwing name and trademark. In 2010 they brought the Blackwing 602 back. Because the exact secret formula of graphite, clay, and wax had been lost, the company had to re-engineer the pencil in order to bring it back to life. They mastered the top-secret graphite formula. Some say the new Blackwing is better than the original. And fortunately, we can now buy them again.
They have several models, but the classic Blackwing 602, usually recommended for writers, is what I use. I find them smooth and easy. It’s like writing with butter. The pencil skims across the page easily and quickly. And using my Blackwing appeals to my senses. The 602 has a tactile quality that is missing with a drugstore pencil or plastic pen. The smooth finished wood feels good in my hand. The smell of graphite and cedar is soothing. There is a satisfying scratch on paper as dark lines emerge. All stirs the senses and makes writing a pleasure. And I can quickly capture my thoughts and whip out my skeleton notes before running my words through my typewriter.
If you find the need to pull words from your head and put them on paper, consider the lowly pencil, and maybe try a Blackwing (blackwing602.com). They are a bit expensive. You’ll pay a little more than a few dollars per pencil (much more than a twenty-five cent Walmart pencil), but I think they are worth every penny. Happy writing…
© 2025 Jody Dyer
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