DiscoverCRAFTEDNib Making, Engine Turning, & Hand Chasing: the Art of Pen & Pencil Making with Giles English of Yard-O-Led
Nib Making, Engine Turning, & Hand Chasing: the Art of Pen & Pencil Making with Giles English of Yard-O-Led

Nib Making, Engine Turning, & Hand Chasing: the Art of Pen & Pencil Making with Giles English of Yard-O-Led

Update: 2025-10-08
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Since 1822, Yard-O-Led has been making some of the finest pens and pencils in the world. They’ve survived wars, they created the “self-propelling pencil,” and today, we talk with Giles English, about the nearly 200-year history of the company that invented the mechanical pencil and still hand-crafts every sterling silver pen in their Birmingham workshop. We dig into the artistry behind engine-turning and hand-chasing, Yard-O-Led’s story of wartime survival, and what it means to carry Victorian tradition into the 21st century.

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TOPICS & TIMES:

The Custodian of Yard-O-Led (3:41 )

Origin Story of Yard-O-Led (5:36 )

Nibs & Nib Making (9:30 )

The Self-Propelling Pencil (13:33 )

The Craft of Penmaking (22:27 )

Ink Propulsion (34:20 )

Yard-O-Led’s Lineup (40:50 )

Why Pens Matter (44:38 )

Surprises in the Pen Making World (48:34 )

The Yard-O-Led Arcade (54:42 )

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Nib Making, Engine Turning, & Hand Chasing: the Art of Pen & Pencil Making with Giles English of Yard-O-Led

Nib Making, Engine Turning, & Hand Chasing: the Art of Pen & Pencil Making with Giles English of Yard-O-Led