======================================================================== Nib Noise * Volume 8 Number 11 * February 2010 ======================================================================== 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 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Don's Pen Boxes Are Turning into Rarities *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The last two Los Blancos Triple Deckers are rolling through this month and next. Don has talked to his local shop, and although these cool boxes may come available again, they are gone for now. If you've been thinking of purchasing one of these very hot pen-storage boxes, hurry. When they are gone, they could take months or longer to reappear -- if they ever do. http://www.richardspens.com/?acc=dons_boxes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** The 2010 Bexley Owners Club Pen Is Now Available to Everyone *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ As of February 1, Bexley is releasing its remaining 2010 Owners Club pens for purchase by everyone. You don't have to be a Bexley owner to become one by taking home this unusual and excellent pen. It's created from an unusual material that, up to now, has not been used to make fountain pens. Called G-10, it has multiple layers of laminated fiberglass that have been impregnated with epoxy resins. The result is a highly stable, durable material with a checked pattern reminiscent of carbon fiber, but with a more subtle pattern. It is polished to a smooth semi-gloss finish and is warm and inviting to the hand, with a tactile feel similar to that of hard rubber. The 2010 Bexley Owners Club pen is available only as a fountain pen. The pen also features Bexley's unique "violin" clip, hand cast in solid coin silver (.900) that is alloyed for extra strength. Furniture is plated in your choice of rhodium or 23-carat yellow gold. The pens are equipped with Bexley's two-tone 18K solid gold nibs in fine, medium, broad, or broad stub widths. Cartridge/converter filling. Our price for this gorgeous and innovative pen is $380.00. http://www.richardspens.com/?pens=bex+oc2010 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Speaking of the New Year, Do You Have Your Calendar Yet? *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Our 2010 fountain pen wall calendar is still available, but this month is your last chance to buy it and keep your collection complete. At only $16.99, it's little bit classic, a little bit nostalgic, a little bit kinky (the lizard), and a lot of just right for your den or cubicle wall. Don't be left on New Year's day with no pix of pens to ogle, snag your calendar now! http://www.cafepress.com/richardspens.417997229 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Prices Reduced on the NB Consignment Tray! *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The pens remaining on the NB Consignment Tray page are now available at reduced prices. Our consigner really doesn't have room in the collection for these pens, so the prices have come down to make it easier for you to own one of these remarkably nice pens. All have been thoroughly checked and, where necessary, tuned up. http://www.richardspens.com/?pens=spl ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Just in Time for Valentine's Day: Our February Pen Show Tray *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ It's February, and that means ya gotta think about Valentine's Day. We've put up a lover-ly selection of pens on our Pen Show Tray this month, including a couple of exotic Bexleys. Warm the cockles of your heart by falling in love with one of them! http://www.richardspens.com/?pens=vint ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Brrr! It's Cold Outside! Better to Jot Notes on JUST BELOW ZERO *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ We still have a few of the new seasonal limited-edition Field Notes, decked out in JUST BELOW ZERO colors of Winter Night Charcoal, Frozen Pond Blue, and Cold, Cold Grey. These are the usual great Field Notes graph-paper notebooks, in a three-pack with one book in each color. See 'em -- and order 'em -- today, before they're gone. http://www.richardspens.com/?acc=field_notes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Let There Be Light: LED Lenser *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Every pen repairer, amateur or pro, needs to shed light on the depths of barrels and caps. You can use a cheap incandescent or LED light, but what you’ll get is dim light and short battery life. And with the “bargain” LED lights that you find at hardware stores and all over the Web, you’ll also be replacing the tool itself when it breaks (which it will do on a regular basis). The solution is our mini LED Lenser. We've just placed the order for our first shipment of this essential tool -- pre-order yours today! http://www.richardspens.com/?acc=lenser ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Broad Strokes" by Richard Binder ------------------------------------------------------------------------ EVerybody loves the Esterbrook J. But there were Esties before the J. This month, we have a profile of the famous Dollar Pen. http://www.richardspens.com/?prof=dollar ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Extra Fine Points" by Don Fluckinger ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Don goes back to the office—on a daily basis—for the first time in a dozen years. His Pilot Custom 823 is coming with him, as well as his LiveScribe Pulse pen. http://www.richardspens.com/?xf=1002 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Pens That Write Right! *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Unless otherwise requested at the time of sale, we tune each new pen or nib at no extra charge before shipment. We 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., 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.