======================================================================== Nib Noise * Volume 8 Number 7 * October 2009 ======================================================================== Welcome to Nib Noise. This e-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/?info=nibnoise ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Trays, Trays, Trays, and That's a Good Thing! *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ For October we have two, count 'em TWO, trays! The RichardsPens.com pen tray, of course, features some surprisingly nice pens, especially a couple of surprising moderns. http://www.richardspens.com/?pens=vint And for those who want something even more special we have a tray of pens from Barbara's Top Shelf. These are some pretty cool pens that we've accumulated here and there, now and then, and it's time for them to move on. All they need is an enabler, and that's where you come in. http://www.richardspens.com/?pens=spl ------------------------------------------------------------------------ IMPORTANT READ THIS IMPORTANT READ THIS IMPORTANT READ THIS IMPORTANT ------------------------------------------------------------------------ For the first time ever, Richard will offer a hands-on workshop on nib smoothing, working directly with participants at the New York City Pen Show. In this 75-minute workshop, Richard will teach you how to smooth nibs with the tools and methods he uses daily at the Nashua Pen Spa. Read more and register to participate! http://www.richardspens.com/?page=workshop ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** New York Is Back in New York! *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ After a couple of years' visit to New Jersey, the NYC Pen Show, scheduled for October 9-11, will be back on its home turf, in the City That Never Sleeps, where the Cash Cab roams. Check it out, and make your reservations today (if not sooner)! http://www.nycpenshow.com/ 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 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 Aurora, Bexley, Classic Pens Inc., Namiki/Pilot, and Pelikan. 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. 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/?info=tabletalk 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** If You Can't Make It to New York... *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ There'll always be Ohio next month. You might want to make your plans now, while you can still get a cheap flight. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Are You a Netbook User? *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ I've been taken to task for having a site that's not netbook friendly. Specifically, the search box in the left-side menu is hidden if your screen is tiny. So, always looking for ways to improve the site (aka "toys to play with"), I've added a feature that detects screens less than 654 pixels tall and displays the menu so that you can use the search box. Okay, all you netbook users, you don't have any excuse to feel you can't keep up with us big-screen guys anymore, right? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Field Notes Knows It's the Autumn of the Year *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ For a very limited time, we have Field Notes in special MACKINAWW AUTUMN COLORS. These are the usual great Field Notes graph-paper notebooks, in a three-pack with one book each in Burnt Red, Running-Board Brown, and Harvest Moon Orange. See 'em -- and order 'em -- today! http://www.richardspens.com/?acc=field_notes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Don's Cigar Box Pen Chests Just Keep Getting Better *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Don's got an attractive assortment of pen chests fabricated from wooden cigar boxes this month, some new to the lineup and some old favorites that pen collectors snap up quickly--so jump on these if you want yours! http://www.richardspens.com/?acc=dons_boxes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Pelikan Style in Black and White *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Are you a fan of silver-colored furniture? Fitted out in dramatic black and white with rhodium-plated furniture and an unplated steel nib, two new Pelikan M205 pens will be arriving at the Nashua Pen Spa during the first week of October. They’ll be priced at $98.00 each or $185.00 for a matched set. In case you happen to be getting married, these are ideal for the bridal couple or the guest book. Pelikan is calling them the White Wedding set, and they even come in special silver boxes. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** The Tortoise and the Hare *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The hare may get off the line quicker, but the Tortoise is the real winner. It's a limited model, though, made in only one production run -- and supplies are dwindling. Don't miss out on the opportunity to add an M415 Tortoise to *your* stable. http://www.richardspens.com/?newp=pel+m400_brown We also still have a stock of the great M205 blue demonstrator -- but these won't last forever, either... http://www.richardspens.com/?newp=pel+m205 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Broad Strokes" by Richard Binder ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Every time I check my favorite Internet pen forum -- well, maybe it's only every other time -- I see some variation of this question: "Why does ink get all over the top of my pen's nib? I wipe it off, but it keeps coming back." What's up with that? Find out this month. http://www.richardspens.com/?ttp=creeps ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Extra Fine Points" by Don Fluckinger ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Take this, Twitter, texting phones, PDAs, and netbooks! Cursive writing will not go away on our watch, despite proclamations it's already dead. http://www.richardspens.com/?xf=0910 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** 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 Aurora, Bexley, Classic Pens Inc., Conway Stewart, Namiki and Pilot, 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! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** 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/?info=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/?info=nibnoise Note: We will never sell your name or email address. Your privacy is as important to us as it is to you.