======================================================================== Nib Noise Volume 7 Number 3 ======================================================================== 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 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Pens That Write Right! *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Unless otherwise requested at the time of sale, I tune each new pen or nib at no extra charge before shipment. I 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, Classic Pens Inc., Conway Stewart, Namiki and Pilot, Pelikan, and Signum. 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! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Father's Day is this month! Give Dad a box! *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Don has put up a special selection of his great cigar-box pen chests for Father's Day. Pick the one that's perfect for your Dad -- or for yourself. They won't last very long, though, so don't wait until the one you want is already gone! http://www.richardspens.com/?acc=dons_boxes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Notes on Field Notes *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ For those of you who use your pens with wild abandon, by which I mean that you actually carry them and write with them, we've added a new reason to write: FIELD NOTES. Inspired by the vanishing subgenre of farmers' memo books, ornate pocket ledgers and the simple, unassuming beauty of a well-crafted grocery list, FIELD NOTES offer "an honest memo book, worth fillin' up with GOOD INFORMATION." They're made in the U.S.A. with superb paper, and they fit in everyone's pocket or purse so you'll never have to go paperless again. http://www.richardspens.com/?acc=field_notes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Brides aren't the only thing happening in June. Come to Raleigh! *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ It's less than a week to the opening of the 5th Annual Triangle Pen Show (formerly called the Raleigh Pen Show), and things are seriously heating up here in Nashua. We're looking forward to getting in the car to head south -- maybe the weather will be cooler there, right? North Carolina is a pretty nice place any time, but with a pen show in the offing, it's even more attractive. The show begins Thursday, June 5, at the truly deluxe Embassy Suites (free breakfast and Happy Hour, woo hoo!) in Cary, just outside Raleigh, and it runs through Sunday the 8th. Public days are Friday (starting at 1 p.m), Saturday, and Sunday. Mawhorter-run shows have always been extraordinary -- and the 2008 show is a very special one as Terry has dedicated this show to the memory of his wife Sonya, who passed away earlier his year. It's looking to be one of the best shows ever, for both experienced showgoers and pen show virgins. 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/?page=ref_info/firstshow.htm For more information, visit the show's Web site: http://www.raleighpenshow.com/ Barbara and I will also have a selection of new pens from Bexley, Classic Pens Inc., Conway Stewart, Namiki and Pilot, Pelikan, and Signum, as well as a stock of my pre-ground Pelikan M200 and Vanishing Point specialty nibs, along with demonstrators of them all for you to try before you buy. The Pelikan nibs fit M200, M250, M400, and M600 pens, including the M620 Famous Places series and the new M640 Wonders of Nature; Vanishing Point nibs fit Namiki and Pilot Vanishing Point pens, including the decimo and the Fermo. If you don't have a pen to go with your new nib, we'll be happy to fit your nib with a new M200 or Vanishing Point pen body in your choice of colors. I'll be there to regrind and tweak nibs. Bring a pen or two, and share some chatter at my table while I jazz up your writing experience. 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. We look forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones. We hope to see you there. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Don't miss out on the Streamlined Watley! *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Bexley elves have been at it again, making cool pens to fit some Waterman Gentleman sections they found. This time they've outdone themselves; there's an elegant new Watley that not only looks like a Streamlined Duofold Junior, it even writes like one. I already snagged one of the pens Bexley sent us, and I'm not giving it up. (I didn't even hear a squawk from the Managing Partner!) Check it out here: http://www.richardspens.com/?newp=bex And while you're there, check out the Pearlesse and the very strictly limited Cutting Edge -- these are writers' pens all the way (and a great pocket knife, too)! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Changes in our Consignment Offerings *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Our consigner has withdrawn one pen and reduced prices on some others. This might be your chance to snag the special pen you've been looking for. Follow this link: http://www.richardspens.com/?newp=oth ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** In the Reader's Corner: my Pick of the Month *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ It's not about what to write, or how to write, or what to write with. That said, it's fascinating. Serious calligraphers, poets, writers, dilettantes, you need this book. See this book and all the others in the Reader's Corner: http://www.richardspens.com/?page=books ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Come to the Richard's Pens Pen Show *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ All new this month are the pens on our Pen Show tray. I can't say "on our VINTAGE Pen Show tray," because we've dug up a couple of modern pens that are pretty desirable in their own way. Don't miss 'em! And there's an extra serving of pens that I've taken out of my own collection to make room in the budget for a certain Soviet "51" copy that's on page 7 of my "Other Pens" collection gallery. http://www.richardspens.com/?newp= ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** And speaking of that Soviet "51" copy... *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ If you haven't been reading my blog, I invite you to add it to your list of pages to visit. Among other things, there's more about the Soyuz set. ("Soyuz" means "Union" in Russian, and it's the name of the factory that made my "51" copy set.) http://web.mac.com/richardspens/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Broad Strokes" by Richard Binder ------------------------------------------------------------------------ After last month's profile of the Eversharp Doric, I've take a sudden turn in another direction: the 1940s produced one of the most reviled name-brand pens, yet one that can be -- and should be -- collectible. http://www.richardspens.com/?prof=glider ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Extra Fine Points" by Don Fluckinger ------------------------------------------------------------------------ People think that in fountain pen collecting, having exact, perfectly matched authentic parts must be a part of every pen. Bosh, says Don, who sets the record straight -- and sets you free to make your pens the best they can be. http://www.richardspens.com/?xf=0806 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Visit Richard's Wallpaper Shop and tart up your Garmin nüvi GPS *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ I never know how popular my computer desktop wallpapers are, but I enjoy making them, and I hope you like at least some of them. This month I've created two new ones for you: Signum Imperial Rome LE Chilton Golden Quill Both of these are available in 1600x1200 and 1600x1000 "cine" sizes -- and I've also made 480x272 versions to use as splash screens for Garmin nüvi GPS units. Several of my older papers are also newly available in 1600x1000 and 480x272 sizes, so take a look -- and download your faves. http://www.richardspens.com/?page=wallpapers ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** 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/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 ======================================================================== 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 Note: We will never sell your name or email address. Your privacy is as important to us as it is to you.