Lounge
May 11, 2015
Part 39: Stories About "Living" – Writing Utensils (Part 2)
The 39th Installment: Stories Related to "Living" – Writing Utensils (Part 2)
Mere writing tools... yet, they are so much more. In this second part, we introduce a few of M.Y. LABEL’s carefully selected products that are not only a joy to write with but also a pleasure to own.
Summary by Fuyuki TogawaPhoto by Jamandfix
A Product for Carrying a Single Pencil
As I mentioned last time, I’m a big pencil person, and this rocket cap was designed for carrying a pencil anywhere.
Without a cap, a pencil’s exposed lead is dangerous, and you can’t exactly walk around with it tucked behind your ear all the time (laughs). Plus, I like to walk around with my hands free, wearing a jacket!
To solve this pressing issue, I created a silver cap that fits a pencil perfectly. Simply snap the cap onto the pencil and slip it into your breast pocket. The clip secures the pencil comfortably, allowing you to go anywhere.
The clip uses the structure of a carabiner, a piece of climbing gear. Its unique wire bend allows it to hold securely without a spring. Standard clips, made by bending a flat piece of metal, concentrate force on a single point and tend to break easily. The carabiner system, however, distributes force evenly, significantly reducing the risk of breakage. A carabiner, to which a climber entrusts their life, is a prime example of excellent design, meticulously considered for safety.
When we first started selling them, we included a clear-barreled ballpoint pen with the cap, which turned out to be surprisingly popular. It was later discovered that pencil standards are international, so the cap fits other writing instruments as well, making it a highly versatile and popular M.Y. LABEL product.
As the weather gets nicer, why not try tucking a pencil into your breast pocket and heading out for a stroll, perhaps to enjoy some street sketching over a cup of coffee at a cafe?
The Bullet Pen series. Its name comes from the English word "bullet" due to its shape. The black body is made of ebonite, said to be the blackest material currently available. It is typically used for the mouthpieces of pipes. To reduce stress on the fingertips, where concentration is focused, a special seamless joint has been applied between the silver and body sections.
The Sterling Infini series comes with a strap to wear around your neck. The wooden bodies, other than the silver ones, are made from briar wood (heather), which is used for the bowls of pipes, and each piece has a unique grain pattern. As natural materials can expand and contract slightly with the seasons, a fine groove is cut at the joint with the metal to ensure a comfortable feel when held.