(Revised January 8, 2012)
On the first of each month, we publish Nib Noise, a free email newsletter. This is not spam; we will not send Nib Noise to you unless you subscribe, and we’ll stop sending it to you if you unsubscribe.
Each issue of Nib Noise contains two primary articles:
Broad Strokes — usually a new article that Richard has added to the Reference Pages section
Extra Fine Points — a disquisition by Don Fluckinger, sometimes seemingly far afield but always, in the end, related to pens and writing
There are also a few short articles about what’s new for sale, where the next pen show is, and other items of interest.
The most recent issue of Nib Noise is posted below — except that we don’t post it here until a few days after we’ve mailed it to subscribers.
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======================================================================== Nib Noise * Volume 10 Number 10 * January 2012 ======================================================================== Welcome to Nib Noise. We hope you'll enjoy reading this month's issue. PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS NEWSLETTER! For comments or questions, send email to: richard@richardspens.com To subscribe or unsubscribe, please visit the Free Email Newsletter page on our site: http://www.richardspens.com/?info=nibnoise ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Happy New Year *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ As we welcome in 2012, we wish you and yours the happiest, healthiest, and most fulfilling year you've ever had. We thank you for being part of our lives, and we hope to see you again soon! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Pens That Write Right! *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Unless otherwise requested at the time of sale, we tune each new pen or nib at no extra charge before shipment. We fill the pen with Waterman Blue-Black ink and write with it on paper from the same fountain pen friendly pads we sell, adjusting as necessary to bring it up to the RichardsPens.com "factory" standard for smoothness and flow. If you order a new pen with a customized nib, I will modify the nib (for an extra charge) and ship the pen immediately instead of putting it into my regular queue. Remember, we are authorized retailers for Bexley, Edison, Gate City Pen, Namiki and Pilot, Onoto, and Pelikan. We don't always have a complete line up on the site, but we can get anything our manufacturers offer -- if you don't see it, just ask! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Barbara's Attic: a New Occasional Feature of Our Site *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ From time to time, things find their way into the attic that should really go to people who can use and enjoy them. Barbara has decided to spread the wealth, in a manner of speaking. Barbara's Attic will show up when Barbara brings things down from the attic. Some of the things she'll offer are new, some are gently used. All will have prices on them that should make them quite appealing. http://www.richardspens.com/?acc=attic ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Do It Yourself! *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Throughout 2011, we have continued to add accessories, tools, and other items to enhance your enjoyment of your pens and to make your repair work better and easier. http://www.richardspens.com/?acc= If you have ideas for accessories, tools, supplies, etc., that you'd like to see us carry, please let us know by email. We can't guarantee that we'll add your item or items, but we'll certainly consider each and every suggesstion we receive. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** And Speaking of the New Year *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Yay! The first pen show of the year is coming up this month, and it's a goodie. From January 20 to 22, things will be hopping at the Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown Hotel in the heart of the City of Brotherly Love. The Philadelphia Pen Show is famous for some of the weirdest weather around, and it's also famous for being a show that Goldilocks would love: not too big, not too small, but just right. Make it a destination, and start the new year right! If you plan to come and haven't ever been to a show before, you might want to read my article on Your First Pen Show: http://www.richardspens.com/?shows=firstshow For more information, visit the show's Web site: http://www.philadelphiapenshow.com/ We'll have a selection of new pens from the companies we represent (see below). THESE CAN HAVE THEIR NIBS CUSTOMIZED WHILE YOU WAIT. As always, I'll be regrinding and tweaking nibs while their owners wait. Bring a pen, and share some chatter at my table while I jazz up your writing experience. PLEASE READ OUR "TABLE TALK" FAQ TO LEARN HOW WE OPERATE AT A SHOW: http://www.richardspens.com/?info=shows+faq If you have pens that need repairs other than nib work, you can hand them to Ron Zorn of Main Street Pens, one of the best repair guys I know, and have them fixed right there. To find Ron, just look for the traffic light! We look forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones. We hope to see you there. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** From the Reader’s Corner, Something Sneaky *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mandarin Yellow, by Steven M. Roth If you’re a mystery fan, you shouldn’t miss this novel that features a Parker Duofold (the eponymous Mandarin Yellow). This is prime mystery: well plotted and compellingly written. Roth weaves a taut storyine, paces it perfectly, and wraps it in twists and turns that make no sense until you get to the end (when everything clicks perfectly into place). Along the way, he slips in all the clues you need to solve the mystery right along with hero Socrates Cheng. http://www.richardspens.com/?bks= ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Bexley News *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Now is the time to think about the 2012 Owner's Club edition. Bexley has been having trouble getting the new material for this pen, but the problems have been straightened out and the Owner's Club should be available VERY SOON. It's a piston filler, and we've seen the final design prototype. I like it, and I think most Bexley owners will like it, too. Bexley makes Owner's Club pens in very limited numbers, and they're offered exclusively to registered Bexley owners before the general public gets a chance at them -- if there are any left, If you have a Bexley pen that isn't yet registered, fill out the registration card and get it in to Bexley ASAP so you'll be on the list of owners in time to snag your Owner's Club pen. We'll have this pen up on our site as soon as it's released to us! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Price Increase at Pilot *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The price of the Vanishing Point went up today. The suggested retail price of the standard models has risen from $166.00 to $175.00, and our sales price has had to rise accordingly. http://www.richardspens.com/?pens=nam+vp ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Onoto News *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Onoto announced two fantastic new pens recently, the Heritage and the Winston Churchill Pinstripe. We now have both of these pens in stock and available for shipment, and one of them could be just right for you. The Heritage features the plunger filling system that gave Onoto its start back in 1906, and it's an exquisitely smooth and positive filler. Read more: http://www.richardspens.com/?pens=ono+heritage The Winston Churchill Pinstripe is the same size as the Magna Classic, but it has a really modern flair thanks to its special fusion-bonded acrylic, with an elegant pinstripe pattern. Read more: http://www.richardspens.com/?pens=ono+churchill_pinstripe ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Pretty Stuff from Pelikan *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ If you're a Toledo fan who likes silver, Pelikan has your pen. It's the new M710 Toledo Silver, and it is GORGEOUS. Just like the M700 Toledo except for its color, it's fitted with a hand-engraved sterling silver Binde that gives it a remarkably good balance and lovely tactile feel in the hand. Priced at $900.00, it's available now from our site -- but we don't know how long we'll be able to obtain it for you, so don't waste time dithering. http://www.richardspens.com/?pens=pel+m700 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Can't Go to Spain? Bring a Little Spain to You! *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ring in the new year with a new pen chest fashioned from a Spanish cedar former cigar box. It's the perfect way to reduce, reuse, and recycle! You're going to expand your fountain pen collection in 2012, we know it's your number-one resolution. Why not do your part to reduce the global waste stream? The polar bears thank you. http://www.richardspens.com/?acc=boxes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** "Broad Strokes" by Richard Binder *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "This Christmas there is something NEW -- Waterman's Patrician, a fountain pen so fine, so beautiful, that it is really a piece of personal jewelry." Thus ran the introductory line of a Waterman advertisement in late 1929. Get the whole story! http://www.richardspens.com/?prof=patrician ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** "Extra Fine Points" by Don Fluckinger *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Don kicks off 2012 with another installment of his series on the best books every fountain pen collector should have in his or her library. http://www.richardspens.com/?xf=1201 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** After the Holidays, a Surprisingly Cool Tray *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ We've got a bunch of unusually nice flexies for your delectation this month, along with some nonflexies for those who don't care for nibs that bend like grass in a breeze. http://www.richardspens.com/?pens=vint ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** We're Still Building a List of Pen Clubs! *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Pen collecting is a lot more fun when you share your passion with others. We have a new page listing pen clubs that we know. There's probably a club near you. If there is, and it's not listed on our page, please let us know about it. If not, maybe you should start one! http://www.richardspens.com/?info=clubs ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Follow Us on the Internet with RSS, Facebook, and Twitter *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ You can follow us on the Internet by subscribing to our RSS feed by clicking the orange RSS button at the top of our site or by plugging the following URI into your browser or RSS reader: http://www.richardspens.com/richardspens.rss We're also on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Richard-Binder-Fountain-Pens/213539818666986 And we're also on Twitter: @RichardsPens ======================================================================== If you received this newsletter from Richard Binder, you are a Nib Noise subscriber. If it came from someone else, I invite you to subscribe. To subscribe or unsubscribe, please visit the Free Email Newsletter page on our site: http://www.richardspens.com/?info=nibnoise Note: We will never sell your name or email address. Your privacy is as important to us as it is to you.