https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/maclainedesign/a-custom-mechanical-pencil-that-is-built-to-last-a-lifetime
Here’s a pencil designed to last a lifetime as well as write for a lifetime. The Wingback Mechanical Pencil is an expertly crafted all-metal writing/drawing instrument designed to work seamlessly for decades. Made from high-quality metals with well-engineered tolerances, the Wingback Mechanical Pencil looks premium and feels robust. Like any good piece of stationery, it’s weighted to give you a comfortable writing and drawing experience, measures a compact 117.5mm to fit perfectly in the crook of your hand, and it’s built to last… but its most remarkable feature actually sits under its hood, away from your eyes.
Unlike most mechanical pencils, the Wingback focuses on the less tangible aspects of performance too. Sure, a pencil should be able to let you draw flowing lines, and let you ideate with relative ease… but what happens when you suddenly run out of lead in the middle of a sketch? Your thought-flow breaks and you spend a good 2 minutes opening the pencil, emptying the old lead piece out, and adding a new lead piece in. The Wingback Mechanical Pencil circumvents that problem with a cleverly designed interior. The pencil’s hollow body holds as many as 40 lead refills at a time, and a cleverly designed bespoke mechanism allows new leads to deploy as soon as the old lead finishes, allowing you to continuously write or draw without any break in your flow. In fact, designer Alasdair MacLaine claims that the pencil fits 10x more lead than traditional mechanical pencils, and can continuously write for 50 full kilometers, so you should only have to refill the lead tank a handful of times in a lifetime (that’s if you’re a serious sketch-bug!)
The Wingback Mechanical Pencil is reminiscent of the London-based design studio’s Mechanical Pen design from 2019. It comes immaculately machined from metal, with three metallic options to choose from – Brass, Stainless Steel, and Black Steel (featuring a scratch-resistant tungsten carbide surface finish). The gripping area measures a comfortable 10mm in diameter and features a knurled texture that’s great to look at and even greater to hold.
Pressing the top of the pencil triggers the unique all-metal propelling mechanism inside, which has been designed by Wingback in England and built specifically for this model by a specialist manufacturer in Japan. This mechanism lets you fit a stunning 2.4 meters worth of lead refills inside, while the clicking action deploys a new refill as soon as the old one finishes. A retractable lead sleeve, activated by holding down the clicker, allows the lead to be pushed back inside the Pencil, and prevents any unwanted lead-wobble as you write, giving you an entirely well-calibrated writing experience from start to end.
Speaking of ‘from start to end’, that seems to be Wingback’s underlying philosophy too. Just like its 2019 Mechanical Pen, the Wingback Mechanical Pencil is built to outlast any other stationery you have. Its immaculately designed, engineered, and constructed body is made to last a lifetime (the brass variant should even develop a brilliant patina over the years), and with space for 40 lead refills, the pencil’s writing capacity will probably outlast your creativity too!
The brand’s logo is discreetly engraved along the barrel using a pulsed fiber laser, and each Pencil comes with the option to add up to 50 characters on the reverse, making it an extra personal keepsake. With a subtle nod to its heritage and local construction, MADE IN ENGLAND is also unobtrusively engraved on the Pencil’s internal compartment. Wingback have also announced that the Mechanical Pencil will be offered with limited edition artist collaborations throughout April, so keep your eye on their campaign for each new release!
Designer: Alasdair MacLaine of Wingback
Click Here to Buy Now: $107 $130 (18% off). Raised over $200,000.
The Designer’s All-metal Mechanical Pencil
Made in England by design studio Wingback, the Mechanical Pencil has a bespoke all-metal propelling mechanism that can fit up to 2.4m of 0.7mm or 4.8m of 0.5mm diameter lead – enough to keep you writing for over 50km.
With a wide 10mm (3/8 inch) diameter and diamond knurled grip, it sits comfortably in the hand to reduce writing fatigue, while the satisfying weight of its materials encourages more time to be taken with every stroke.
Mechanism
Their all-metal mechanism holds up to 2.4m of lead. Which should keep you writing, sketching, drawing and doodling for months or even years.
Customized designed from start to finish, the pencil’s mechanism is made in Iwaki, by Japan’s oldest mechanical pencil manufacturer (founded in 1909) with a track record for producing quality parts for the world’s most respected pencil brands.
Personalization
Every Pencil is engraved with a pulsed fibre laser and can be personalized with up to 50 characters along the barrel – enough space for initials, a name or quote to make the pencil extra special for its owner.
Wingback X Artist Series
Wingback have teamed up with select artists, illustrators and even cartographers from around the world. These special edition collaborations will be available in brass and stainless steel.
Limited Edition Drop #1: Wingback X Anoushka Irukandji – This Brisbane-based artist’s henna-inspired “Terra Australis” design is a declaration of love for her adopted home country. “It’s inspired by the spectacular flora, everblooming trees and the beautiful shapes and textures in the leaves, bark and seed pods that I’m privileged to walk among every day,” she explains.
Limited Edition Drop #2: Wingback X Mister Vi – They first partnered with New York-based illustrator Vi Luong for the release of our Mechanical Pen in 2019. His “NYC” skyline explores the view of midtown Manhattan and the iconic art deco-inspired Empire State Building from downtown Soho. Not only an homage to the scale and enormity of the city he lives in and loves, Mister Vi’s artwork is a celebration of the precise fine line architectural drawings that influence his craft.
Limited Edition Drop #3: Last Maps – They are delighted to partner with Lást Maps, a cartography studio based in York, made up of Thomas Moore and Angélique Jones. “Our mission is to capture the excitement of adventure in nature, while raising awareness for the environment and wildlife we share it with,” says Thomas.
Everything Lást Maps produce is hand-drawn, creating work rooted in pencil, pen and paper. “Polar Explorer” is their tribute to cartographers of old and the explorer in each of us. “Maps help us navigate our position in the world, reflect on past journeys, and inspire adventures ahead,” Thomas adds.
Limited Edition Drop #4: Wingback X Inky Daze – For their final collaboration, they opened submissions to find a new artist and artwork to bring to life in our Mechanical Pencil. The standout winner for making full use of the 360˚ pencil canvas came from Jessica Rozencwajg, a New Zealand-based artist specializing in printmaking, illustration, jewelry and crafts.
Jessica’s “Fungi” design is a celebration of nature – “a rich source of inspiration for so many creatives” – which she produced using a traditional hand-carved lino block print.
Design & Functionality
Over a year of design work and 20+ iterations has refined this design. A larger diameter barrel means your hand won’t fatigue as quickly as gripping a narrower pencil and the knurled barrel provides good purchase for your fingers.
The satisfying weight of the pencil also puts a little extra momentum behind straight lines and circles and also acts as a gentle reminder to take more time over your writing and drawing, achieving a neater result.
Materials
All of the metal used to machine the pencil housing is sourced from European companies who supply the aerospace industry. Available in Brass, Stainless Steel and Black Steel (Tungsten Carbide).
Brass: 40g / 1.41 oz – The heavier of the two, the brass pencil will develop a unique patina as its surface oxidizes and interacts with the natural oils in your hands. This pen will quickly look like a timeless tool, but can easily be polished up to its original luster.
Stainless Steel 304: 36g / 1.27oz – Slightly lighter than brass, stainless steel has a harder surface and will not oxidize over time. This means it will maintain its crisp aesthetic indefinitely.
Black Steel 304: 36g / 1.27oz – Black Steel rivals the exotic look of Damascus steel or titanium, with a sub-metallic lustre that reveals a glimmer of the steel beneath the surface. The Black Steel finish also serves a vital purpose in protecting the Wingback Pencil for the long haul.
All parts are interchangeable, allowing you to mix and match brass, stainless steel and black steel parts if you back the full set.
Engineering
The pencil’s machined casing is custom made from start to finish and they are proud to make this product in England using trusted local suppliers. A solid block of stainless steel or brass is CNC machined to produce incredibly precise parts which are a pleasure to use. Each one is individually inspected and tested to ensure it will withstand the test of time. Our manufacturing partner make predominantly aerospace components and have BS EN AS 9100 accreditation.
Specification
The pencil is designed to be as compact as possible to fit discreetly into a bag or pocket for use on the go, but long enough to sit comfortably in the crook of your hand while drawing for long periods. The wide diameter makes it comfortable to use for long periods and strong enough to last a lifetime.
– Diameter: Ø10mm / 3/8 Inch
– Height: 117.5mm / 4.63 Inch
The Finish
Machined finish to a surface roughness of 1.6 Ra (μm) with a 0.5mm perpendicular diamond knurl around the circumference. The surface roughness is visually smooth, but has a lovely tactility, the deliberate microscopic surface variation means that scratches picked up will be less prominent than on a smoother surface. The small knurling detail offers a good solid grip for long sessions.
Click Here to Buy Now: $107 $130 (18% off). Raised over $200,000.
