![]() ![]() However, since its width is just a hair shorter than a Blackwing eraser’s length, a larger Sumo would offer longer eraser usage but would require a third cut. The Sumo is nearly ideal – sufficiently firm while still erasing completely – and I could cut the B60 to the right size with only two slices, resulting in minimal waste. Of course, all three finalists erased better than the Blackwing eraser. I also included a standard pink Blackwing eraser (attached to a Volume 811) for comparison. For the final round, I tested these erasers secured to Blackwing ferrules on lines made with the soft Blackwing and the Blackwing 602 and a shaded mark made with the Hi-Uni 6B. I could tell some erasers would be too soft even as I was slicing them.Īfter eliminating all contenders that were too soft, I was left with three finalists: the Rasoplast, the Sumo, and the Mono Smart. If I felt the eraser wobble and bend as it erased, even when it was well-supported by the ferrule, I knew it would eventually break. As a block, a soft eraser has enough stability to perform well, but cutting it to fit a ferrule takes away its stability. An eraser firm enough to hold up well in a ferrule tends to perform worse than soft standalone erasers. In fact, there’s the rub: In general, the softer the eraser, the better it performs. An earlier hack attempt with my favorite Tombow Mono worked well for a while but eventually broke, even when I wasn’t erasing vigorously. Sadly, most of these otherwise excellent erasers will not work as hacks because they are too soft. ![]() A too-thin eraser will not be held securely by the ferrule and will either fall out or break when used. Hint: Err on the side of a slice that is slightly too thick rather than too thin. At first, I wasted quite a few eraser slivers trying to get the dimensions just right, but eventually my skills improved. The difficult part was slicing precisely so that the rectangles would fit in the ferrule. Using a sharp Opinel knife and a standard Blackwing eraser as a template, it was relatively easy to make clean eraser slices. ![]() That left nine erasers to hack (more coffee, please). The only eraser I was able to eliminate in this round was the Pentel Hi-Polymer Ain Black because its color left a visible smudge (the scanned image shows the results better). None erased the colored pencil line well, as I expected, and all but one erased the graphite lines acceptably. I tested them on lines made with a soft (“MMX”) Blackwing, the vermillion side of a Uni Mitsubishi editing pencil, and a Uni Mitsubishi Hi-Uni 6B, and a shaded mark made with a Blackwing Pearl. My intention was to eliminate any that didn’t perform better than a Blackwing eraser. My first step was to simply compare their basic erasing performance before cutting. Staedtler Rasoplast Black – size M ($1.75) I chose 10 block erasers, most of which were new to me:ĭerwent Art and Derwent Soft Art (set of 2/$3.50) (In case you missed them, see Ana’s great eraser rub-off and my follow-up.) Memorial Day weekend delivered the necessary rainy afternoon, so I went to work. Neither Ana nor I are strangers to epic eraser challenges they require coffee, stamina and a very rainy afternoon. Inspired by these pioneers, I decided to go on an eraser hack-a-thon. Others have taken their frustration a step further by cutting up their favorite erasers to fit a Blackwing ferrule. Some have speculated that only the wood and graphite parts of the pencil are made in Japan, and the other parts are outsourced elsewhere. ![]() It seems logical that Blackwing pencils would come with high-quality erasers. We know Blackwings are made in Japan, and we know that the Japanese make most of the best standalone erasers available. Why, then, are these otherwise premium quality pencils attached to such mediocre erasers? We love the high-quality graphite, beautiful finishes, distinctive ferrules and often intriguing themes, and we’re willing to pay $24.95 to $27.95 for a dozen (or much more if you missed a limited edition and you’re willing to shop on eBay after they sell out). Palomino Blackwing pencils have a huge following. ![]()
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