Explore every episode of the podcast The Erasable Podcast
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Episode 243: A Sheen of Fakery (with special guest Gabe Bullard, author of "Against Convenience") | 08 oct. 2026 | 01:18:12 | |
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 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 Links Against Convenience: Embracing Friction in an Age of Endless Ease by Gabe Bullard The Membership — Tim's Wendell Berry podcast “Why I Am Not Going to Buy a Computer” by Wendell Berry “Feminism, the Body, and the Machine” by Wendell Berry Dieter Rams' ten principles for good design Don Hertzfeldt interview in Slate The Influencing Machine by Brooke Gladstone Can Gen Z's Nostalgia Save Chain Restaurants? (New York Times) Meta's Muse AI agent at Connect 2026 Google's "Dear Sydney" Gemini ad Mongol Pencil — the new relaunch Louise Carmen leather notebook cover The reporter's notebook by Gabe Bullard (Nieman Reports) Stálogy Editor's Series 365Days Notebook Alton Brown's Rhodia pad on Good Eats Ira Glass, This Is How I Work (Lifehacker) David Sedaris's fake German notebooks from Japan (Literary Hub) Kurt Vonnegut's envelope story Erasable Podcast Discord invite Our Guest Gabe Bullard Your Hosts Johnny Gamber Andy Welfle Tim Wasem | |||
| Episode 242: Ren Faire LARPing (Pencil Primer, Part 3) | 20 sept. 2026 | 00:53:07 | |
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. Show Notes & Links Show notes Erasable episode 237: Pencil Primer, Part 1 Erasable episode 240: Pencil Primer, Part 2 Lost Weekend by Phoebe Bridgers Trio by Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, and Emmylou Harris Country Music: A Film by Ken Burns Birthplace of Country Music Museum Field Notes Explore America: Northern California Penco Bullet Ballpoint Pen Light The Art of the Fold by Hedi Kyle and Ulla Warchol John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs by Ian Leslie Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger Against Convenience by Gabe Bullard Enshittification by Cory Doctorow Musgrave America250 Ceres 909 Red, White, & Blue Set Blackwing x Fender Butterscotch Blonde Telecaster pencils Blackwing x Fender Butterscotch Blonde Telecaster notebook Blackwing x Fender Stratocaster pencils The brief and fascinating history of WWII-era pencil ferrules Telephone pencils in action — pencils with a tip for dialing rotary phones Supreme Court gift shop gavel pencils The Blackwing pencil: a history Craft Design Technology pencils Camel pencils and the integrated eraser Erasable Podcast Discord invite Your Hosts Johnny Gamber Andy Welfle Tim Wasem | |||
| Episode 241: Disney Meth | 27 août 2026 | 01:04:08 | |
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 can watch the video version. Show Notes St. Denis Medical — season 1 on Netflix, season 2 on Peacock Against Convenience by Gabe Bullard — out September 15 from Hanover Square Press; preorder it! (More at gabebullard.com) Tom's Studio refillable fineliner pen Paper Mate InkJoy multi-pen — surprisingly good company swag The Land and Its People by David Sedaris — recorded live at his readings Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt — the octopus book, now a Netflix movie three six five: prompts, acts, divinations by Lucy Ives (Siglio Press) — Tim's beautiful, backordered book of writing exercises (three ribbons!) Field Notes: Is a River Alive? — Tim's favorite Field Notes ever, with art by Stanley Donwood for Robert Macfarlane's book Uni-ball Air Micro — Tim's pocket pen Musgrave Ceres — America 250 blue for Johnny, pastels by the gross for back to school Levenger True Writer in Sea Glass with Levenger Empyrean bottled ink ("navy blue and teal had a very beautiful baby") Hamilton Khaki Field Murph — the Interstellar watch, plus Andy's musings on military field watch dials and podcaster's-watch design Hobonichi Techo season — Weeks, Cousin, and the V&A collabs; see Yoseka Stationery's big walkthrough video San Francisco Pen Show — this weekend, bring your elbows Schon DSGN — Ian Schon's new $68 titanium dip nib, debuting at the show Blackwing x Disney Mickey and Friends collection — soft graphite, $40 a dozen Blackwing Volume 143 — the Frida Kahlo edition: saturated florals, pink metallic ferrule, teal eraser, and the best QC in years Blackwing One-Step sharpener — a big responsibility, bud Sharpie Harpy — Em Varian's Sharpie art on Etsy (you can even license a tattoo) Leuchtturm1917 — Tim's new default notebook gift for normal people Pencil Revolution Press — Johnny's handmade planners and '90s diskette journals Musgrave Test Scoring 100 — now with that sweet new ferrule Musgrave Tennessee Red pencils and the Songbird edition — remembering Dolly Parton Support the show and get video episodes: patreon.com/erasable Your Hosts Johnny GamberPencil Revolution Andy WelfleWoodclinched Tim Wasem@TimWasem | |||
| Episode 240: Synchronized Head Molts (Pencil Primer, Part 2) | 06 août 2026 | 00:49:21 | |
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 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 & Links Blackwing Volume 458 — a tribute to birding: Clark's Grebe, Mallard, Green Jay, and Black Rail gradients (Behind the Design) How Blackwing Pencils Are Made — the making-of video we kept mentioning (also on YouTube) Field Notes Paletas — nine popsicle notebooks inspired by Paletería Los Magos in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood Field Notes: The Founding Documents Outshine popsicles — the official popsicle-flavor icebreaker Nahvalur Original Plus — new sparkly colors (plus mystery jewel-tone demonstrators spotted at the NYC stationery festival) Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu-gaki ink — Andy's persimmon-orange favorite Stationery Day recaps from Brad Dowdy and friends Musgrave Tennessee Red — eastern red cedar, clear lacquer, glorious smell Musgrave Single Barrel 106 — named for Erasable episode 106 with Henry Hulan of Musgrave Pencils Past and Present — the YouTube channel reviewing the Single Barrel 106 (and lots of vintage pencils) ForestChoice — the FSC-certified incense cedar standard-bearer General's Cedar Pointe — naked cedar, as God intended Koh-i-Noor Hardtmuth — where the yellow pencil (and its complicated marketing history) began Caran d'Ache Swiss Wood 348 — reportedly discontinued; pour one out (Pen Addict review; Well-Appointed Desk review) Dixon Tri-Conderoga — Andy's triangular gateway pencil Ticonderoga Laddie — the bigger, soft-triangle one Faber-Castell Grip 2001 — triangular, six design awards, formerly bubbly grip dots | |||
| Episode 239: Mavis Beacon for President | 14 juil. 2026 | 00:48:08 | |
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 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 & Links Murchie's Tea (Victoria, BC) — Scottish breakfast blend ForestChoice #2 pencil — still $5 a pack at Pencils.com Field Notes Explore America: Northern California — Golden Gate National Recreation Area edition (with Big Sur and Muir Woods) Range Leather notebook cover Bound to Be Beautiful by Bari Zaki — from Bari Zaki Studio in Chicago Asvine P90 piston-fill fountain pen (~$30) Organics Studio Walt Whitman Leaves of Grass ink Baron Fig x Caroline Weaver Archer pencil Rhodia Goalbook in Peacock James Corden's live after-match World Cup show on Tubi The Art of Simple Living by Shunmyo Masuno Replica J. Thoreau & Son pencil from The Shop at Walden Pond Moleskine Cahier XL notebook — $9.99 at Walmart Casio F-91W and the Ollee Watch Bluetooth mod (~$60) Casio Vintage series — calculator, world-time, and the Alien wrist-communicator lookalike Timex Weekender, Timex Expedition, and a Draplin Design Co. x Timex Scout Fitbit Air ($99) — strap-only tracker people pair with analog watches Paper & Pencil (Chicago) custom Stationery Day Field Notes — including a stamp-collecting edition Delfonics Rollbahn Micro — the impossibly tiny new size, found at Maido The Blackwing 250 Collection — red, white, and blue pencils, plus the 250-box with a gold one (only 50 sets) Musgrave America250 Cedar Box Set — 2 dozen red, white, and blue Ceres pencils Field Notes: The Founding Documents Nahvalur Nautilus Fireworks limited edition Pen+Gear round black #2 pencils — back-to-school find at Walmart Panini World Cup sticker album — $2 packs, 450+ stickers | |||
| Episode 238: No Playing Lawyer Ball | 10 juin 2026 | 00:42:14 | |
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 Primer, Part 2. 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 & Links Erasable Podcast Discord invite Blaze Foley — Live at the Austin Outhouse Blaze (2018), Ethan Hawke's film about Blaze Foley Won't Back Down: Heartland Rock and the Fight for America by Erin Osmon A Short History of Nearly Everything 2.0 by Bill Bryson A Perfect Circle — "Starless" (new single) Arab Strap — "You You You" (new single + video) Field Notes Explore America memo books Grandma Gatewood's Walk by Ben Montgomery Musgrave America 250 collection Fisher Space Pen — America 250 AG7 Astronaut Pen Nahvalur Horizon Pride 2026 fountain pen Your Hosts Johnny GamberPencil Revolution Andy WelfleWoodclinched Tim Wasem@TimWasem | |||
| Episode 237: Pencil Primer, Part 1 | 11 mai 2026 | 00:59:10 | |
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 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 & Links Erasable Read a transcript of this episode at Erasable Scribe Erasable Discord invite Episode references Podcasts / media Books Bill Frisell, Beautiful Dreamer Excellent Advice for Living by Kevin Kelly Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers Pencil / stationery / book arts Nicolas-Jacques Conté (Britannica) Henry David Thoreau (Britannica) Photography / camera stuff Apps / sites / companies People / artists / companies Your Hosts Johnny Gamber Andy Welfle Tim Wasem | |||
| Episode 236: An Impressionistic Budget | 19 avr. 2026 | 00:53:50 | |
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 see this and other supplemental content at any time! Show notes & links Erasable Podcast Discord invite The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons Pilão coffee (Tim's Brazilian coffee recommendation from Skip Simmons) 12 years of Erasable, by the numbers (according to Claude) Ed Kemp on zines (Erasable episode) (if you have a specific episode link handy) Blackwing Quarterly Zine, Issue 1 Baronfig Winnie the Pooh Squire Hex Baronfig Legend hardcover notebook Musgrave America 250 Celebration Red, White, and Blue set Your Hosts Johnny Gamber Andy Welfle Tim Wasem | |||
| Episode 235: Little Podcast Mustache | 14 mars 2026 | 01:05:43 | |
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 & Links Erasable Podcast Discord invite Pencil & Paper’s custom Field Notes Your Hosts Johnny Gamber Andy Welfle Tim Wasem | |||
| Episode 234: Bearded and Abroad | 25 févr. 2026 | ||
| Episode 233: The Dark Side of STEM (with special guest Ian Schon) | 25 janv. 2026 | 01:14:30 | |
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 & Links Erasable Podcast Discord invite Erasable at the Baltimore Pen Show after party at Write notepads Our Guest Ian Schon Your Hosts Johnny Gamber Andy Welfle Tim Wasem | |||
| Episode 232: Wide Nut Swamp Ash | 26 nov. 2025 | 01:01:10 | |
| Episode 231: Stocking up on Scalpels | 18 oct. 2025 | ||
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. | |||
| Episode 230: The Hobonichi To-Do (with special guest Tyler McCall from Pencil & Paper) | 21 sept. 2025 | 00:48:32 | |
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. | |||
| Episode 229: Fresh Points of Bel Air Part 491043 | 30 août 2025 | 00:59:51 | |
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 Links Erasable Podcast Discord invite AEnima by Tool In Case You Were Napping by Puscifer True Writer Killarney fountain pen Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz Lessons in Magic and Disaster by Charlie Jane Anders Mission Impossible Final Reckoning Snipe Hunter by Tyler Childers Your Hosts Johnny GamberPencil Revolution Andy Welfleandy.wtf Tim Wasem | |||
| Episode 228: We All Have a Little Graphite In Us (with special guest Allison King, author of "The Phoenix Pencil Company") | 22 juil. 2025 | 00:52:14 | |
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 Links Our Guest Allison King Your Hosts Johnny Gamber Andy Welfle Tim Wasem | |||
| Episode 227: No Canoodling at Walden | 02 juil. 2025 | 01:20:03 | |
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 links Erasable Podcast Discord invite Phoenix Pencil Company by Allison King Paris France by Gertrude Stein The Bureaucratic Banality of Andor | RonBronson.design Everyman’s Library Pocket Poets Series Nahvalur Verdigris Muse fountain pen Erasable Eraser Friend lapel pin Your Hosts Johnny GamberPencil Revolution Andy Welfleandy.wtf Tim Wasem | |||
| Episode 226: Hot n Early | 29 mai 2025 | 00:44:49 | |
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 links Levenger True Writer in Sapphire Mosaic Is a River Alive? By Robert MacFarlane The artist and his pencil sharpener collection Blackwing Labs 05.13.26 pencils Blackwing Labs 05.13.26 notebook Your Hosts Johnny GamberPencil Revolution Andy Welfleandy.wtf Tim Wasem | |||
| Episode 225: Justin Timberlake Was Supposed to Be Here | 03 mai 2025 | 00:39:13 | |
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 & Links The Birthday Massacre’s Sleep Tonight Bullet Journal 2.0 2023 Artist Edition Everybody's Live with John Mulaney Sugar Cane paper notebooks at Pencil Revolution Press Timberlines on Substack (Blog of Charles Berolzheimer, CEO of Blackwing) Your Hosts Johnny GamberPencil Revolution Andy Welfleandy.wtf Tim Wasem | |||
| Episode 224: Keep That Eye Jelly | 15 avr. 2025 | 01:19:33 | |
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 Links Erasable Podcast Discord invite “The Chicago Look” Field Notes Your Hosts Johnny Gamber Andy Welfle Tim Wasem | |||
| Episode 223: We Use Glasses Like Civilized People | 23 févr. 2025 | 00:43:01 | |
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 Links The Hardest Working Font in Manhattan Your Hosts Johnny Gamber Andy Welfle Tim Wasem | |||
| RErasable: Episode 106 with Musgrave Pencil Company’s Henry Hulan | 04 févr. 2025 | 00:52:21 | |
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 If 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. | |||
| Episode 221: I Found Some Dorks! | 16 janv. 2025 | 01:07:44 | |
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 & Links Erasable Podcast Discord invite | |||
| Episode 220: A Very Soft Triangle | 12 déc. 2024 | 00:59:03 | |
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 Links Long After Dark Tom Petty notebook and Pen More Adam Savage pencil hunting Nahvalur Nautilus fountain pens Best American Food/travel writing Your Hosts Johnny GamberPencil Revolution@pencilution Andy WelfleWoodclinched@andy.wtf on Bluesky Tim Wasem@TimWasem | |||
| Episode 219: Indiana Area Code Day | 19 nov. 2024 | 00:55:33 | |
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 & Links It. Goes. So. Fast. : The Year of No Do-Overs by Mary Louise Kelly The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger Field Notes Dream Journal Gift Set Find us on Bluesky! The Stationery Folk Starter Pack Star Trek wine advent calendar! Your Hosts Johnny Gamber Andy Welfle Tim Wasem | |||
| Episode 218: I Want To Go To There | 04 nov. 2024 | 00:47:40 | |
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 Links Your Hosts Johnny Gamber Andy Welfle Tim Wasem | |||
| Episode 217: Posh Blond English Protagonist (with author Roland Allen) | 24 oct. 2024 | 01:11:13 | |
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 Links The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper Our Guest Roland Allen Your Hosts Johnny Gamber Andy Welfle Tim Wasem | |||
| Episode 216: Roll On the Wrap On | 24 sept. 2024 | 01:14:35 | |
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 Links Our book club selection: The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper by Roland Allen | |||
| Episode 215: I Got Spinners on my Xacto (with special guest Leslie Herger) | 04 sept. 2024 | 01:09:50 | |
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! Show Notes and Links Nahvalur Aqua Regia and Terra Firma Pilot Precise: Harmony Less’s YouTube recommendations: Our Guest Less Herger Comfortable Shoes Studio Your Hosts Johnny Gamber Andy Welfle Tim Wasem | |||
| Episode 214: Original Poison Core | 02 août 2024 | 00:58:13 | |
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. Show notes and links Johnny Blue Skies - Passage Du Desir Stephen Wilson Jr. - Son of Dad | |||
| Episode 213: These Colors DO Run | 04 juil. 2024 | 01:01:58 | |
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! Show Notes and Links Quintessence: The Quality of Having It Your Hosts Johnny Gamber Andy Welfle Tim Wasem | |||
| Episode 212: Jimmy Neutron Zine Scene | 05 juin 2024 | 00:54:02 | |
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. Show Notes and Links Guild of Bookworkers Newsletter Archive Playlist to win a custom journal from Johnny Stephen Sondheim Auction: New Narwhal pens” Spring Nautilus and Pride Editions Your Hosts Johnny Gamber Andy Welfle Tim Wasem | |||
| Episode 211: Eating Chicken Soup From A Stormtrooper Helmet | 14 mai 2024 | 00:52:05 | |
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 Three Body Problem Trilogy by Cixin Liu The Core of an Onion by Mark Kurlansky Independent Bookstore Day 2024 Blackwings Your Hosts Johnny Gamber Andy Welfle Tim Wasem | |||
| Episode 210: A Box of Flamingos (with special guest Carol Beggy) | 25 avr. 2024 | 01:13:23 | |
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. Show Notes and Links Pencil (Object Lessons, by Carol Beggy) The Transcendentalists and Their World Our Guest Carol Beggy Your Hosts Johnny Gamber Andy Welfle Tim Wasem | |||
| Episode 209: Potato Podcast Content | 09 avr. 2024 | 01:19:06 | |
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. Show Notes and Links The Locavore (Caroline’s latest venture) Potato Pencil Lovin’ (a song about making a potato pencil written by AI, prompted by Tim) Your Hosts Johnny Gamber Andy Welfle Tim Wasem | |||
| Episode 208: A Watershed Episode | 01 mars 2024 | 00:40:10 | |
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 before March 11, 2024! Your Hosts Johnny Gamber Andy Welfle Tim Wasem | |||
| Episode 207: The Old Country Buffet of the Mind | 14 févr. 2024 | 01:33:46 | |
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. Show Notes and Links Shift Happens by Marchin Wichary Your Hosts Johnny Gamber Andy Welfle Tim Wasem | |||
| Episode 206: All Reachers Great and Small | 15 janv. 2024 | 00:55:35 | |
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. Show Notes and Links James, Be Opened by the Wonderful Sick Souls, Healthy Minds: How William James Can Save Your Life Feel Something, Make Something Night After Night by Daniel Tashian Keepbook by Studio Neat Your Hosts Johnny Gamber Andy Welfle Tim Wasem | |||
| Episode 205: Blood Erasers | 16 déc. 2023 | 01:03:23 | |
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. Show Notes and Links Jeff Tweedy World Within a Song Your Hosts Johnny Gamber Andy Welfle Tim Wasem | |||
| Episode 204: Shimmery and Sheeny | 29 nov. 2023 | 00:44:39 | |
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! Show Notes and Links Volume 17, the Gardening Pencil Blackwing “Buy Our Trash” Labs The Importance of Not Being Ernest by Mark Kurlansky Your Hosts Johnny Gamber Andy Welfle Tim Wasem | |||
| Episode 203: The Erasable Spellcast, Part 3: Mountain Dew Eldritch Blast™ | 14 nov. 2023 | 00:47:22 | |
Presenting Part 3 of our Dungeons & Dragons campaign with Dungeon Master Monica Corwin! If you’d like to see a video of this adventure, episodes 200 201, 202, and our other D&D episodes, support us at any level on Patreon. Join our band of travelers — Ralph, Sam, and Andrøs — as they worm their way out of the wormling fight in the (literal) dungeon for the third and final installment of our D&D campaign! Who are the metal dragons? How do they defeat them? Will they save Graphia and their (quite literally) erasable world? Your Dungeon Master Monica Corwin Our Adventurers Ralph Rex Samik Stoneback Andrøs Goldenbear | |||
| Episode 202: The Erasable Spellcast, Part 2: Waking up with an Elvish Coffee | 30 oct. 2023 | 01:23:12 | |
Presenting the second part of our Dungeons & Dragons campaign with Dungeon Master Monica Corwin! If you’d like to see a video of this adventure, episodes 200 and 201, and our other D&D episodes, support us at any level on Patreon. Our intrepid heroes are back! Ralph Rex, Samik Stoneback, and Andrøs Goldenbear officially enter the mysterious forests of Graphia, and try to solve puzzles, fight golems, and understand which dice to roll, under the fearless tutelage of Dungeon Master Monica Corwin! Tune in for the second part of The Erasable Spellcast, our celebration of 200 episodes and more than 9 years of podcasting. Your Dungeon Master Monica Corwin Our Adventurers Ralph Rex Samik Stoneback Andrøs Goldenbear | |||
| Episode 201: The Erasable Spellcast, Part 1: You Gave It Your Awl | 28 sept. 2023 | ||
The first part of our Dungeons & Dragons campaign with Dungeon Master Monica Corwin gets underway! If you’d like to see a video of this adventure, episode 200, and our other D&D episodes, support us at any level on Patreon. Embark on an epic journey in the enshrouded realm of Graphia, a land veiled in ancient curses and enigma. As darkness threatens to engulf this mystic plane, a brave band of adventurers rallies together, fueled by an unbreakable bond of friendship and a collective intellect that defies all odds. In a race against time, they forge ahead, relying on synergy and wit to navigate through veils of mystery and danger. Their ultimate quest: to unearth the legendary Eternal Quill and salvage not only the doomed land but their own fates as well. Will their camaraderie and ingenuity prevail, or will the shadows of Graphia consume all? Step into this thrilling saga and find out. And coffee. Your Dungeon Master Monica Corwin Our Adventurers Ralph Rex Samik Stoneback Andrøs Goldenbear | |||
| Episode 200: The Erasable Spellcast, Part 0 | 31 août 2023 | 01:27:41 | |
🪄 A D&D adventure, with Dungeon Master Monica Corwin 🐉 These guys are characters. For our two hundredth episode, we wax a bit nostalgic and also begin a new adventure: Along with a seasoned Dungeon Master Monica Corwin, we’re making D&D characters for a pencil themed campaign (which you’ll hear in our next couple of episodes)! A quick note: Patreon subscribers will be able to watch video of this episode and our further D&D episodes! Subscribe at any level and see our lovely faces. Our Guest Monica Corwin Your Hosts Johnny Gamber Andy Welfle Tim Wasem | |||
| Episode 199: Pencils Under the Table (with special guest Aaron Bartholmey) | 27 juil. 2023 | 00:40:45 | |
In this episode, the penultimate of the first 200, we’re excited to have the impending Guiness World Record holder for the largest pencil collection, Aaron Bartholmey. Aaron is also the Secretary-Treasurer of one of our favorite organizations, the American Pencil Collector Society. He talks with us about his collection, counting it for the record, and of course, getting involved with the APCS. Show Notes and Links American Pencil Collectors Society Interview with Aaron in the Associated Press Interview with Aaron in the Washington Post Current Record Holder for Largest Collection of Pencils Our Guest Aaron Bartholmey Your Hosts Johnny Gamber Andy Welfle Tim Wasem | |||
| Episode 198: Shout Out to Linda | 14 juil. 2023 | 01:37:33 | |
Much as with our retrospective on Blackwings Volumes editions last episode, today we’re taking a look back at the Field Notes releases we’ve gotten since around the beginning of the pandemic. Show Notes and Links Le Voyageur from Write Notepads & Co. Mitsubishi Uni “hahatoco” cat themed pencils! Pencil penrose (aka our tattoos) pins from Tim Belonax Your Hosts Johnny Gamber Andy Welfle Tim Wasem | |||
| Episode 197: A Shocking Lack of Knowledge | 28 juin 2023 | 01:19:56 | |
We always offer hot takes on each Blackwing Volumes release. But how do things look when we step back a little and look again with some more context and perspective? Tune in as we talk about the last few years of Blackwing Volumes, give our spicy and mild takes, and give each volume a grade. Show Notes and Links Blackwing Pencil Release Guide Adam Savage’s Indiana Jones notebook replica Volume 840: Surfer Dude and the Coast Volume 3: Ravi Shankar Volume XIX: The 19th Amendment Volume 6: Independent Businesses Volume 223: Woodie Guthrie Volume 64: Comics Volume 651: Bruce Lee Volume 93: Corita Kent Volume 200: Coffeehouses Volume 55: The Golden Ratio Volume 7: Animation Volume 192: The Lennon and McCartney Volume 20: Tabletop Games Volume 57: The Basquiat Pencil Your Hosts Johnny Gamber Andy Welfle Tim Wasem | |||
| Episode 196: Full of Expletives | 02 juin 2023 | 01:01:09 | |
Today, we have a full episode of just the Tools of the Trade. Skip this if you don’t want to hear about the 16 different albums Tim is listening too, what gritty British crime dramas Johnny’s watching, or what books Andy says he’s reading. Plus: the greatest concert film ever made, starring Seth Rogan. Show Notes and Links New Jason Isbell album next week! The Eyes and the Impossible by Dave Eggers Hidden Systems by Dan Nott Promises Stronger Than Darkness by Charlie Jane Anders Don't Tell Anyone the Secrets I Told You by Lucinda Williams This Wheel's On Fire by Levon Helm Otherwise: New & Selected Poems by Jane Kenyon Your Hosts Johnny Gamber Andy Welfle Tim Wasem | |||
| Episode 195: Flaubert with a Chicago Accent (with special guest Jay Newton) | 18 mai 2023 | 01:28:29 | |
We’re celebrating National Poetry Month a month too late, but we think it’s always time to celebrate poetry. To that end, we’ve invited Jay Newton, long-time listener and Erasable Poet Laureate, onto the show to talk about his new chapbook, Effigies, and how he thinks about and creates poetry. We also celebrate silly little limericks by pitting Jay against ChatGPT to write extremely specific pencil limericks. Show Notes and Links New Musgrave Shorthand Notebook in BLUE Big ol’ pressed penny notebook Limerick Showdown Here are the poems that we asked Jay and ChatGPT to write. Read them and judge them! Limerick about the struggle of using a pencil with an off-center core (from Donny Pearce) ChatGPT: With graphite askew, pencil's no fun, Off-center core makes writing undone. The lines dance in strife, Disrupting the life, Of precision, alas, it's all gone. Jay: If there’s one thing I simply abhor, It’s a stick with an off-center core. It may write as smoothly as Lapis Lazuli But some things I just can’t ignore. Limerick about how the Field Notes pencils should be better than they are (from Donny Pearce) Jay: The pencil from Draplin is lacking. Does he not have financial backing? It scratches the page Like a one-million H While Musgrave is counter-attacking. ChatGPT: Field Notes pencils, touted with cheer, But their performance fails, I do fear. Smoothness they lack, Graphite too slack, In need of improvement, that's clear. Limerick about how there are only so many words that actually rhyme with “pencil” (from Kathy Rogers) ChatGPT: "Pencil," a word we oft rhyme, Yet choices are limited, no time. Stenciled, essentials, Potential, credentials, Options are scarce, yet sublime. Jay: A brooding baboon with a pencil, Could trace, with his tail, a stencil. He found it intriguing That he was a Being Both prehensile and existential. Our Guest Jay Newton Your Hosts Johnny Gamber Andy Welfle Tim Wasem | |||
| Episode 194: It's Almost a Blurple | 20 avr. 2023 | 01:01:13 | |
We’re here, smack in the middle of National Poetry Month, to read and discuss a few of our favorite poems. We also rap about the latest Field Notes and Blackwing releases, and more! Show Notes and Links Almost Cha-Cha (Brett Elizabeth Jenkins) The Changing Light (Lawrence Ferlinghetti) “The Cinnamon Peeler’s Wife” (Michael Ondaatje) “Having It Out with Melancholy” (Jane Kenyon) Your Hosts Johnny Gamber Andy Welfle Tim Wasem | |||