I swear by Rite in the Rain® All-Weather Writing Paper and was certainly excited when the opportunity presented itself to sneak a peak behind the scenes at J.L. Darling Corporation. It was a great experience to see the process by which these fine American Made outdoor writing products are manufactured, and meet the men and women who make it all happen.

The tour started with a peek at the high tech machinery and steps taken to transform giant rolls of plain paper into the Rite in the Rain All-Weather Writing Paper that I have grown to love. Without a doubt this great product has saved me and countless others around the world a headache on many occasions.

The manufacturing process is designed to have an ultra-low impact on the environment. The application of the water based coating emits only steam and all mill off cuts are recycled back into the paper manufacturing stream. Their modern facility and equipment are designed for energy efficiency, 100% of their printing inks are soy based and all printing plates and processing liquids are recycled. To protect their secrecy regarding the application of the coating I did not photograph this part of the facility, but I can tell you it certainly was impressive.

After the coating process is complete, the huge rolls of paper are cut for the first time into correct size for printing based upon desired end product. These perfectly uniform stacks of All-Weather paper are then fed through modern printing presses and move onto the next steps where they are cut down further and holes are punched for the spiral bound books. Meanwhile the covers are going through a series of steps in unison.

The spiral binding process was very interesting to watch. It was another reminder that, though the modern machinery streamlines the work flow, the skilled hands of the craftspeople that work there are involved with every step of the process. I was able to watch as they bound both the Yellow 135 and Green 946 notebooks, two that I use regularly, though I prefer the green or tan over the yellow. These colors were originally developed for the military but are perfect for the outdoorsman.

It was also interesting to see some of the older equipment from their history still in use. With all of the obvious upgrades to the facility, it was nice to see nothing was wasted, and if a machine still served a purpose it was kept in service. I enjoy the personalized touches that apparently have appeared over time, they always make a great photo and conversation piece.

In the the custom assembly room there were more hints to the company’s history as patinated wooden racks painted in the company signature blue were complemented by matching colored machinery. Fading pictures taped to the ends of rolling carts give you a glimpse into the personality of their users. The efficiency and order in which the products were being assembled and packaged brought us to the modern day as I watched on in earnest.

J.L. Darling corporation has a long history in Tacoma, Washington. Developed for the Pacific Northwest logging industry in the 1920’s by the founder Jerry Darling, their product has been continually evolving. The early days found Jerry hand dipping each page and hanging them to dry on a hook while he went off fishing. The tell tale sign it was Rite in the Rain was the hole punched in the corner for hanging and the opposite corner cut off where the coating had built up during drying. When the coating process was complete J.L.’s wife Mary sewed the early books together by hand. It was a great glimpse into history to see a handful of these original hooks, with the coating built up on them from many uses. It also showed as a stark contrast to the efficient manufacturing process they employ today.

In addition to the hooks from J.L. Darling’s early days I was able to check out a few used notebooks from the 1950’s when they were still based in Browns Point, Tacoma Washington. It was in the late 50’s when the Silver family took the reins from Jerry.

Though Jerry has long since passed away his vision is shared by the growing team at J.L. Darling. Rite in the Rain paper is now used around the globe, in a range of situations from desert warfare to rainforest insect research. I personally carry a notebook in my back pocket wherever my travels take me. Their use specific products are a perfect match for a ton of jobs and recreational activities, with their hunting journals seeing frequent use by me.

Today the company is run by co-presidents Scott and Todd Silver, who are committed to making J.L. Darling Corporation one of the best places to work on the planet. They credit their team of craftspeople for the quality of their products.

I can’t wait to see what the folks at J.L. Darling have in store for us. Despite their rich history they continue to look forward with an R&D department, working continuously to develop products for new applications and welcoming input from the end user.

It was a great time spent with the helpful and courteous folks at Rite in the Rain and I can’t explain how happy I am to be selling their wonderfully useful products.

-C.H.

Vist the Wood & Metal Store

©2011 Wood and Metal LLC. Visit us @ www.woodandmetal.com