In 1905, Bittner, Hunsicker & Co., a Pennsylvania clothing company, had a truly excellent logo as their letterhead. It’s a skep – an early beehive – with the slogan: “Never Despair: Nothing Without Labour.” (FYI, bees and skeps were early symbols used by tradespeople. It’s not a Masonic, Mormon or cult thing. It’s bees, people. Bees are busy and productive – end of story.)
Now we have put the image on a bandana and printed the slogan on some excellent shop pencils. We are offering them together for one price: one bandana and five shop pencils for $33. Sorry, they are not available separately.
About the Bandanas
The original art was a bit dense for a clean, crisp screen print. So our pal and talented illustrator Page Biersdorff tidied up the image with screen printing in mind, and our bandanna beaus at One Feather Press worked their magic
The Lost Art Press bandana is designed by us and made by the fantastic One Feather Press in East Nashville, Tenn. Each bandana is cut, sewn, printed and washed by hand, one at a time. It’s a true water-based discharge print, so the design is visible on both sides of the fabric. The edges are hemmed, and one edge is the fabric’s selvage – the clean edge of the fabric that can’t unravel. They’re softer than our old bandannas, and an even better print quality.
Limited quantities. Once they are gone, they are gone forever.
Some statistics:
22″ x 22″
100 percent cotton
Cut, sewn and printed in Tennessee
Limited edition of 240
About the Pencils
For years we have searched for shop pencils that were durable, had lead that wasn’t gummy, were easy to hold and didn’t have the silly eraser (which is worthless in the shop, in our opinion). And we wanted them to be inexpensive.
We aren’t pencil hobbyists who debate the fine points of the Blackwing 602 vs. the Caran d’Ache Hb1 (where each pencil costs $2 or more).
We finally found these pencils via one of our local contractors, who picked his up from an old hardware store. I traveled to the store and sweet-talked their buyer into giving up the supplier.
These are tough pencils at a full 3/8″ in diameter and won’t snap without a fight. The lead is stronger than a typical pencil, takes a fine point and makes a dark mark.
If you are looking for a pencil to take to the Fancy Lad Academy, look elsewhere. If you want a day-to-day tool, these are great.
— Christopher Schwarz
Dear sir: I would like to complain about your comments about us. We here at Fancy Lad Academy are dedicated to making furniture that won’t cause your tutu to ride up.
Hi Chris, Would your supplier have other marking colors?
This factory does only black.
Ordered!! Kinda have too since the bandanas were made less then an hour from my home.
Some of us did a semester abroad at the Fancy Lad Academy, you know…
Busy as a bee. That might be where the old phrase was originated.
Oh, come on!! Sold out!? I was so excited about these.
Limited editions are for chumps. Print more.
Hi Chris. Thanks just bought one. Its way cool. Since I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (aka Mormon) I think it is way cool. Always a fan of the industrious beehive. Thanks again, Steve McD. ( the Cricklebee woodworker).
My Great-Grandmother’s maiden name was Bittner and I’m local to the Allentown PA area. I asked my cousin if we are related to Elias Bittner and turns out we are. So I clicked to order and it’s already sold out. Bummer from that aspect but neat that I learned something new today.
My Great Grandmother was a Bittner and I’m local to the Allentown PA area. I asked my cousin if we’re related to Elias Bittner. Turns out we are so learned something new today. It’s a bummer that it’s sold out already but I’m glad I learned something about my family.
“Oooo, I better order one tonight because these will sell out in a couple days for sure…. wait…. waaaaaat?!? Sold out already!?! Worse than getting ahold of those Foo Fighters MSG tickets….”
I’d like to throw my hat in the ring requesting more of these be created-
We have a second batch of these – about 70 bandanas with pencils – that should be in the store in a week or so.
I missed the stickers, I missed the t-shirts, and now I missed the bandanas!
Anyway to get on the list? Pre-order? For those of us intentional-Luddites who can’t live pressing re-fresh every couple seconds?
Very cool logo. You may have seen this, but the 19th century Duchy House of London has the almost identical artwork over the front doors. Minus the ‘never despair’ part of the slogan and the Masonic Cult Eye of Sauron.
https://images.app.goo.gl/xG3LSSxUuWejdVUP6
Very cool logo. Found the same in the details of the door of the 19th c. Duchy House in London. The American version added the ‘never despair’ and the Eye of Sauron.
(tried to post a link to a picture of the Duchy House, but the comment was eaten. I am guessing links are not allowed in the comments. Easy enough to Google though)
I’m delighted to be one of the lucky ones to have spotted these pretty much as they went up for sale yesterday, and to have put in an order straight away …
As it happens, today I’m flattening the underside of the top for the workbench I’m building, in a workshop at 75° F with a relative humidity just north of 70%, so I’m circulating through my collection of LAP bandannas, tying them around the brow to keep the worst of the sweat out of my eyes and off of the surface I’m working on. Works a treat, too!
Cheers,
Mattias
I would like to pre-order. or just send me a heads up when they are in stock..Thanks
OK, I’m the guy who can go on too long about blackwing pencils…but my LAP shop pencils made it here and they are better than advertised. (the bandana is nice, too).