======================================================================== Nib Noise Volume 6 Number 1 ======================================================================== 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 To subscribe or unsubscribe, please visit the Free Email Newsletter page on my site: http://www.richardspens.com/?page=nibnoise.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** New Pelikans Have Landed! *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Pelikan announced some very sweet new models at Paperworld in January. The lozenge-patterned M215 is here, and it's great! The ring-designed black M215 is gone, but we still have blue M215s, the more casual com- plement to the black lozenge. April 2 is the launch date for the new red M625 and the Niagara Falls, latest in the Famous Places series. We've ordered both of these pens, and we expect to receive them in the coming week. Don't wait -- order now to receive yours before your downstairs neighbor gets his! http://www.richardspens.com/?page=sales/newp_pel.htm#coming_attractions ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Update: The Pharaoh Limited Edition *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Work has been progressing well on The Pharaoh. We had expected to have the final parts and to begin shipping pens before the end of March, but unfortunately we will have to delay a couple of weeks. The castings for the gold furniture were not up to David Broadwell's high standards, and we're having them remade. We apologize for this unforeseen occurrence; but we are all committed to delivering a superb pen, one that its owners can be proud to display and pleased to use. Please bear with us as we work to achieve that end. http://www.richardspens.com/?page=sales/pharaoh.htm The price of $900.00 includes nib customization and shipment to anywhere in the world except Antarctica. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Come to Boston, Get Some Brahmin (and Other Stuff) *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The New England Pen Show is coming. It'll be here over the weekend of April 14 and 15, and once again Nathan Tardif has formulated a special batch of his great Noodler's Boston Brahmin ink. You can only get it at the show, but that's not all you can get. For more information, visit the show's Web site: http://www.vintagewriting.com/new_england_pen_show.htm Barbara and I will have a selection of new pens from Bexley, Conway Stewart, Namiki and Pilot, Pelikan, Signum, and Taccia. THESE CAN HAVE THEIR NIBS CUSTOMIZED WHILE YOU WAIT. We'll have a stock of preground Pelikan M200 and Pilot Vanishing Point specialty nibs, along with M200 demonstrators for you to try before you buy. The Pelikan nibs fit M200, M250, M400, and M600 pens, including the new M620 Niagara Falls and the elegant new red M625, both of which we'll have with us. As always, I'll be regrinding and tweaking nibs while their owners wait. Bring a pen or two, and share some chatter at my table while I jazz up your writing experience. Come early, though, because my dance card tends to fill up pretty rapidly. If you have pens that need repairs other than nib work, we'll be happy to save you some shipping costs by collecting them at the show and bringing them home to the Nashua Pen Spa. We look forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones. We hope to see you there. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Pens That Write Right! *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Unless otherwise requested at the time of sale, I fill-test each new pen 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. Remember, we are authorized retailers for Bexley, Conway Stewart, Namiki and Pilot, Pelikan, Signum, and Taccia. 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! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Last Month's Calendar Page Is This Month's Wallpaper *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The March Richard's Pens calendar page featured the Pilot Capless decimo, which we would love to offer but are not able to obtain. But the 1600x1200 compyter desktop wallpaper that I created for the decimo a few month ago is available for download from our site. To go along with the decimo, I've made a new wallpaper featuring the Namiki Bamboo. For a background I've used one of Kate Chu's beautiful plant artworks -- with Kate's permission, of course -- and you can have a Bamboo in 1600x1200 or, for widescreen monitors, in 1600x1000 "cine" format. http://www.richardspens.com/?page=wallpapers.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Broad Strokes" by Richard Binder ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The pen that changed the way people use fountain pens was born in 1953. Don't know what it was? Find out! http://www.richardspens.com/?prof=cf ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Extra Fine Points" by Don Fluckinger ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Playing the eBay game is a bit like gambling, especially when the seller's obviously ignorant. And like gambling, it can give you one heck of a rush when the machine comes up triple sevens and the mailman brings you a package containing a great pen. http://www.richardspens.com/?page=extrafine/xf0704.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** In the Reader's Corner *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ My Pick of the Month is is something a little different for the collect- or's library. The author explores millennia of writing-instrument history, larding the narrative with lots of contemporary engravings, photos, ads, and more. This coffee-table-sized book is a delightful and educational read. http://www.richardspens.com/?page=bks_txt.htm#potm ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Subscribe to our RSS Feed *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ RSS means Really Simple Syndication. You can subscribe to our RSS feed by clicking the orange RSS button at the top of any page on our site or by plugging the following URI into your browser or RSS reader: http://www.richardspens.com/?page=richardspens.rss If you're not already hooked up to RSS and what it can do for you, take a peek at our introductory page: http://www.richardspens.com/?page=rsshelp.htm ======================================================================== 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 my site: http://www.richardspens.com/?page=nibnoise.htm Note: We will never sell your name or email address. Your privacy is as important to us as it is to you.