Headquartered in Stockton, California, Blackwing is about finding the joy in analog creative tools at a time when digital devices consume our attention. The manufacturer produces its signature pencils in a series of specialized factories in Japan, where the graphite cores are meticulously processed before being sent to a wood shop. In a behind-the-scenes video, the company shares how that process works, followed by how the utensils begin to take shape.

Sandwiched between slats of wood, individual pencils are then sliced and trimmed to their characteristic hexagonal shape. Yet another factory takes care of the painting and labeling, where depending on the style, the pencils can receive up to 10 coats of lacquer to achieve the final color and feel. And for the final step, the instruments journey to Stockton, where a proprietary machine attaches each eraser, and they’re inspected by hand before being boxed by the dozen.

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