======================================================================== Nib Noise Volume 7 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 To subscribe or unsubscribe, please visit the Free Email Newsletter page on our site: http://www.richardspens.com/?page=nibnoise ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** New York Is Hoppin', Even If It's in New Jersey *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Last year the NYC Pen Show became the NY/NJ Pen Show and moved to the Doubletree Inn in Elizabeth, New Jersey. It'll be there again this month, but the HOTEL HAS CHANGED ITS NAME. It's now the Renaissance Newark Airport Hotel by Marriott. Mark your calendar now, for the weekend of September 19, 20, 1nd 21. Three whole days of pens, pens, pens. And people! If you don't yet have a reservation at the hotel, you'd better get it in gear, because the block that Maryann and Steve reserved - at a bargain-basement rate, I might add -- is almost sold out. 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.nycpenshow.com/ Barbara and I will be there for the whole show, from the Overture on Friday to the final curtain on Sunday. We'll have a good selection of new pens from Bexley, Classic Pens Inc., Namiki/Pilot, Pelikan, and Signum. All will have special low show prices. We'll also have a stock of my preground Pelikan M200 and Namiki/Pilot Vanishing Point specialty nibs, with demonstrators of them all for you to try before you buy. The Pelikan nibs fit M200, M250, M400, and M600 pens, including the M640 Polar Lights, which is the prettiest so far in Pelikan's Wonders of nature series. (People have told me that this is the pen that convinced them to try an M640, and they *loved* it!) If you don't have a Pelikan pen to go with your new nib, we'll be happy to fit your nib with a new M200 pen body in your choice of colors. As I've done each year since 2002, I'll be regrinding, tweaking, and repairing nibs. Bring a pen or two, 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; we have made some important changes in our continuing quest to serve you better: http://www.richardspens.com/?page=tabletalk.htm 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Yellow Vanishing Points Are Moving *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ We've received our second shipment of the new yellow Pilot Vanishing Point pens! They're available now on our site, and we'll have them at the show. http://www.richardspens.com/?newp=nam+vp ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** 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! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Do You Repair Sheaffer or Eversharp Plunger Fillers? *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ One of the problems in restoring plunger filling systems such as Sheaffer's Vacuum-Fil and Wahl-Eversharp's One-Shot, until now, has been the availability of high-quality plunger head gasket material. The solution: The high-grade, high-durometer synthetic rubber sheet we offer is ideal. We have it in 4"x4" sheets, in packages of one or three sheets: http://www.richardspens.com/?acc=plunger_matl If this is a repair you're not quite up for -- and yes, it is not the easiest job in the world -- we'll be happy to work on your pen for you. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Special Pens for September *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ We have a nice selection of special Bexleys for you this month on our Bargains and Special Pens tray. With one exception, these are all out-of-production models, some of them more than a decade old. Snag 'em while you can! http://www.richardspens.com/?newp=oth ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** For the Vintage Collector in You *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This month, our Vintage Pen Show Tray features a special pen, the legendary Sheaffer Imperial owned by none other than the very real Flake A. Parker. We also have a short version of the Legend of Flake A. Parker for your reading delectation, but I suggest you snag the pen first and read the legend later...: http://www.richardspens.com/?newp= ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Get Sets (!) among Don's Boxes *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Don's got his typically nice-and-eclectic selection of boxes for you this month, but if you pride yourself on being a bargain hunter and have been seeking quality storage for either oversize, limited-edition pens or smaller pens -- such as ring tops -- go straight to the bottom of the page, because there are some one-of-a-kind stacks waiting just for you...and they'll go fast. http://www.richardspens.com/?acc=dons_boxes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Broad Strokes" by Richard Binder ------------------------------------------------------------------------ With the DC show last month and the NY/NJ show this month, I've been short enough on time that I haven't finished the research on the new reference page i'm currently writing. So I'm rolling out some reference info I wrote a while back. I've updated it, and it's still useful. http://www.richardspens.com/?page=ref+pendoctor ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Extra Fine Points" by Don Fluckinger ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Don concludes his epic series on the Sheaffer Targa by bringing in another ringer -- and gleaning collecting advice for the rest of us from two top Targa Maniacs: http://www.richardspens.com/?xf=0809 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** 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.