======================================================================== Nib Noise Volume 4 Number 6 ======================================================================== Welcome to Nib Noise. This newsletter is a joint effort of Richard Binder and Don Fluckinger. 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 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Gearin' Up for Gotham *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The New York City Pen Show comes only once a yaer. This is a good thing, because I don't think I could stand the Big Apple night life twice a year. (Yeah, right!) Not the biggest show, or the one with the longest legacy, New York's festival is nonetheless a tremendous weekend. Located in the Crowne Plaza, right in the heart of Times Square, it is a great show in a great city. With three full public days (September 9, 10, and 11), this year's show promises to be another winner. The sponsors will be presenting exciting products -- including Signum's new Python, which I will have available for sale -- and the exhibitors of new and vintage pens are always worth spending time with. For more information, visit the show's Web site: http://www.nycpenshow.com/ If you have pens that need repairs other than nib work, I'll be happy to save you some shipping costs by collecting them at the show and bringing them home to my studio. I'll have a selection of pens from the companies I represent: Bexley, Conway Stewart, Filcao, Pelikan, Signum, and Taccia. I'm especially well stocked on Bexley -- besides my usual stock and the Binder Submariner SE, I have some special Submariner Grandes, and two of the dramatic Red, White, and Blue Washington show LEs. Most of the pens I have at shows are offered at DISCOUNTED SHOW PRICES, with their nibs checked and smoothed -- and you save shipping costs, too. Talk about INSTANT GRATIFICATION! I'll have a stock of my preground Pelikan M200 italic, oblique, and stub nibs, with demonstrators of them all for you to try before you buy. These nibs fit M200, M250, M400, and M600 pens, including the M620 City series and the new Piazza Navona. (They also fit the "1931" and "1935" limited editions.) If you don't have a Pelikan pen to go with your new nib, I'll be happy to fit your nib with a new M200 pen body in your choice of colors. As always, I'll be regrinding and tweaking nibs while you wait. (You don't actually have to watch if you're going to be nervous about it...) Bring a pen or two, and share some chatter at my table while I jazz up your writing experience. I look forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones. I hope to see you there. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Closing Out Some Nice Stuff *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ From time to time, I find good buys on pens that aren't from the companies I usually represent. I pass these special deals on to you. These pens are all new manufacturer's stock, fully warranted, and I stand behind them as I do with my regular pens. Take a look at what's up this month: http://www.richardspens.com/?page=newp_oth.htm Wouldn't you know it, I do something like this and Keith Grubb is there with a NibLit cartoon. Check out what's happening in the NibLit world: http://www.richardspens.com/?page=niblit.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Flex the Flex *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ I've had really good response since I began offering flexible nibs. I create these nibs from the same gold nibs, made for the Pelikan M250, that I use for my specialty shapes. I can create semiflex or full-flex nibs with virtually any of the specialty shapes I offer. Flexible nibs are very personal, and I create each one to order. Please send email to discuss the purchase of a flex nib that is unique to your requirements. http://www.richardspens.com/?page=newp_pel.htm#flex Note: I can also add flex to some kinds of other nibs; it's limited to 14K, and some nibs (like the Parker 75) just won't work well. Please feel free to contact me about flexing up a nib on one of your own pens. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Nib Tips *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Unless otherwise requested at the time of sale, I dip-test each new pen that you purchase at no extra charge before shipment, aligning and smoothing the nib and ensuring that it has good flow. If you order a new pen with a customized nib, I will modify the nib and ship the pen immediately instead of putting it into my regular queue. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Broad Strokes" by Richard Binder ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Once upon a time, there were no self-filling pens. (At least, there weren't any that worked very well.) Then along came Roy Conklin to change the world. See what he started and where it has gone since: http://www.richardspens.com/?fillers=hump ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Extra Fine Points" by Don Fluckinger ------------------------------------------------------------------------ If any pen designers for the companies that manufacture limited editions read this column, feel free to poach any one of these 10 ideas for your next issue...I offer them to the public domain. http://www.richardspens.com/?page=extrafine/xf0509.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Vintage Pens for Sale ------------------------------------------------------------------------ I've been between Washihgton and new York, catching up wherever I can, but I've managed to put up a small number of newly-restored vintage pens. These aren't all the vintage pens I have, just the ones that weren't there last month. Give all my vintage pens a look! Pens are graded according to the following condition scale. Within a grade, I use + or - to indicate shades of variation; for example, a pen that is B+ falls into the B grade and shows so little use that it is only marginally not A2. Condition Description A1 Mint (uninked). Shows no signs of use. A2 Mint (inked). As for A1 but may have been dipped or inked. N New Old Stock (NOS). Unsold dealer or manufacturer stock. Not dipped or inked but may show shop wear. B Excellent. All parts original and showing only very slight signs of use. Very slight surface scratching; very minor discoloration or brassing; crisp imprints; no significant dings. C Fine. All parts original. Some discoloration and brassing; light or worn imprints; small dings to metal or scratching on plastic. D Fair. Some parts possibly not original; significant brassing or discoloration; very worn imprints; dings and scratches. Maybe a good writing pen or usable for parts. Esterbrook ---------- Gray Dollar Pen, NOS 2556 nib. Condition: B. Price: $65.00 Red single-jewel transitional J, 1555 nib. Condition: B-. Price: $35.00 Copper SJ, 1550 nib. Condition: B. Price: $40.00 Blue LJ, 1555 nib. Condition: B. Length: 51/16". Price: $40.00 Esterbrooks for sale: http://www.richardspens.com/?page=sale_est.htm Parker ------ Gray Slender Duofold Geometric ("Toothbrush"), XF nib. Condition: B+. Price: $150.00 Red "21" Mark I, F nib. Condition: B+. Price: $45.00 Parkers for sale: http://www.richardspens.com/?page=sale_pkr.htm Sheaffer -------- Burgundy Tip-Dip Touchdown, steel B nib. Condition: B. Price: $60.00 Assorted school pens, steel M nibs. Condition: B to B-. Price: $12.00 each Sheaffers for sale: http://www.richardspens.com/?page=sale_she.htm Others ------ BCHR clipless Conklin's Crescent-Filler No. 30, semiflexible XF nib. Condition: B+. Price: $200.00 Black Pearl Waterman's Ideal No. 94, Red Keyhole No. 7 nib. Condition: B+. Price: $200.00 BCHR Canadian Waterman's Ideal No. 52, semiflexible M nib. Condition: C+. 9K solid gold F.D.W. hallmarked band. Price: $90.00 Navy Blue Eversharp Skyline, M nib. Condition: B. Price: $100.00 Others for sale: http://www.richardspens.com/?page=sale_oth.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Subscribe to my RSS Feed *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ RSS means Really Simple Syndication. You can subscribe to my RSS feed by clicking the link on my site's main page: http://www.richardspens.com/?page=main.html If you're not already hooked up to RSS and what it can do for you, take a peek at my introductory page: http://www.richardspens.com/?page=rsshelp.htm ======================================================================== If you received this newsletter from Richard Binder, you are a subscriber. If not, you can subscribe by sending a mail message to richard@richardspens.com with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line, or by clicking on this link: mailto:richard@richardspens.com?subject=SUBSCRIBE To unsubscribe from this newsletter, send a mail message to richard@richardspens.com with UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line, or click on this link: mailto:richard@richardspens.com?subject=UNSUBSCRIBE Note: We will never sell your name or email address. Your privacy is as important to us as it is to you.