IWAKO ERASERS

 

Our Iwako’s fun erasers are not just fun, they are great erasers! The performance of our erasers exceed the standard by 7.7%, tested by the Japanese Industral Standard, JIS. Unlike other erasers, our colors are mixed into the erasers, not painted, so the colors will not disappear. Our erasers are like fun puzzles with many parts. You can pull the erasers apart and put them back together. Check out how we make our erasers!
eraser craftsmaneraser modeleraser model

1. MAKE MODELS

Taking ideas from customers, our craftsman, Mr. Chikazaemon, uses wax to build the model erasers. In order to achieve all the intricate details, he wears magnifier headset as he create the eraser models and its parts. He also went to many cafes and bakeries and ate a lot of delicious desserts, so he could really attain that realism in the erasers. Mr. Chikazaemon even got questioned by the police because he was looking too intently at the police vehicles.

pizza eraser modeleraser molderaser molderaser mold

2. CREATE MODELS

After the model is finalized, we then create molds for each part of the eraser. Shown here, are the molds for the pizza eraser. From the left, is the wax model for pizza eraser, and its molds – pizza crust, tomato, green bell pepper, and cheese.

eraser pigmentseraser pigments eraser colorer

3. COLOR

Coloring is an important process for the final pizza eraser to look as delicious as real pizza. Mr. Kato experiments with eraser pigments over and over again to get the right color pigments and the right amount of pigments to achieve that perfect color for each part of the pizza eraser. Mr. Kato is proud of his high level color coordination and proficiency license.
eraser factory

4. FORM OUR ERASERS

With our molds and colors set, the erasers are ready to be formed in our little factory.

 eraser molds eraser mold

5. PLACING THE MOLDS IN THE MACHINE

After the molds are mounted in the molding tool, the molding tool is placed in the forming machine. The molding tools are made of metal and they are so heavy that they require lifting crane to move them.

 
rubber pallets eraser machine

6. MATERIALS

“Blend! baby blend!” says factory master, Mr. Erikawa. After the rubber and the pigments are mixed together and turned into pellets, the colored rubber pellets are poured into the forming machine.

 
melt erasers erasers formed assemble erasers

7. MELTING POINT

The machine melts the rubber pellet and shoots the melted rubber out like toothpaste into the molds. Each part of the eraser are formed and cooled down.

 
eraser assemble

8. ASSEMBLY

All the parts of the erasers are then assembled into individual erasers by hand. Our delivery team bring the parts to hundreds of local house wives, mothers, and grandmothers. With many hands at work, one by one, Iwako erasers are born.

packing erasers pack erasers ship erasers ship erasers

9.PACK AND DELIVER

Our ladies carefully inspect and package each individual erasers. They sort and pack the erasers into boxes, “Bye bye!” the erasers are send off to a big ship where they travel over 5,000 miles to our store at Berkeley, CA.