======================================================================== Nib Noise * Volume 8 Number 12 * March 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: Last Chance for the Los Blancos triples! *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The last yellow Los Blancos triple decker is on sale this month, for all you who had missed out since our one-per-month run began last October. For those who want more economical choices, check out the other single boxes and stacks, which remain some of the best storage bargains in the pen-collecting hobby.. http://www.richardspens.com/?acc=dons_boxes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Bexley Ranger: Open Spaces, Adventure, and the Best of the Best. *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bexley has taken a page from Wahl's 1928 Gold Seal catalog and created Ranger. The soldier clip, the twin narrow cap bands, the mottled ebonite, the roller clip, it's all there but the lever filler. And who needs levers, anyway? Ranger is a remarkably attractive pen, and -- with Bexley's excellent 18K gold two-tone nib in your choice of Fine, Medium, Broad, or Broad Stub -- a superb writer. Our price for this gorgeous pen is $296.00. http://www.richardspens.com/?pens=bex+ranger ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Introducing... Miss Ruby Red! *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Don't be fooled by her size -- this little LIMITED PRODUCTION lady is no shrinking violet! She's high-class, sleek, diminutive but never demure! Pelikan's new M320 Ruby Red is feisty, bursting with personality and wants to show you what she's made of... A lover of haute couture, Ruby Red dresses only in the highest quality resin, and is adorned with rings plated in 24-carat gold... just one look and you'll be smitten! This little lady is a gem for lovers of fine writing instruments and, if you win her heart, she'll be yours forever! Our price for this classy lady is $258.00. http://www.richardspens.com/?pens=pel+m320 And while we're on the topic of limited production Pelikans, we regret to say that the Brown Tortoise M415 is gone, gone, gone. We've tried to order more, but there aren't any to be had. We hope you got yours in time! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Everybody Loves Chocolate! *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Pilot's ever-popular Vanishing Point Family has just grown. The new Chocolate Brown Vanishing Point is dignified and retiring in color, but not so much in performance -- as with every other Vanishing Point, it writes well and offers that great click-click convenience! Our price for this delicious writer's bite is $77.00 (body only) -- with a nib, it's $132.00. http://www.richardspens.com/?pens=nam+vp Oh, by the way, Pilot has discontinued green Vanishing Points, in both rhodium-trimmed and gold-trimmed versions. We have a very small number of these classics. Don't wait, though -- when they're gone, there won't be any more. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** The Fourth Annual Long Island Pen Show Is on Its Way! *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mark your calendar for Saturday and Sunday, March 27 and 28, 0n the campus Hofstra University in Hempstead, Long Island. The show is held in the student center which boasts and extensive food court along with other amenities. I'll be working on nibs as I do at every show we attend, and Barbara will manage the table, handling sales and making sure I keep my nose to the grindstone. PLEASE READ OUR "TABLE TALK" FAQ TO LEARN HOW WE OPERATE AT A SHOW: http://www.richardspens.com/?info=tabletalk 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 For more information, visit the Long Island Pen Show's Web site: http://www.lipenshow.com/ And make your reservations TODAY! We'll have a selection of new pens from the companies we represent. THESE CAN HAVE THEIR NIBS CUSTOMIZED WHILE YOU WAIT. We'll have a stock of my preground Pelikan M200 specialty nibs, with demonstrators of them all for you to try before you buy. These nibs fit M200, M250, M400, and M600 pens, including the M640 Beauties of Nature series. 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. We'll also have preground nibs for Pilot Vanishing Point pens -- and Vanishing Point bodies, too, if you haven't yet succumbed to this pen's techno-cool appeal. 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 my studio -- or you can hand them to Ron Zorn of Main Street Pens, one of the best repair guys I know, and have them fixed right there. To find Ron, just look for the traffic light! We look forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones. We hope to see you there. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** On the Heels of March Cones April -- and the Atlanta Pen Show! *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ After you mark your calendar for the long Island Show, you should turn the page and mark April for the Atlanta Pen Show, a three-day show from April 9 to April 11. All the usual stuff applies, but this is Atlanta! Warm spring weather, great food, nightlife, history, and shopping to distract the non-collecting companion from your show purchases. What more could you ask? We'll be there, will you? Check it out: http://www.atlantapenshow.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** In Like a Lion? Out Like a Lamb? Who Knows? *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Have I mentioned that it's March? We have a fun Pen Show Tray this month, but as you know, these pens don't hang around long. No layaways, no holds, it's first come first served. So why are you still reading this? http://www.richardspens.com/?pens=vint ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Pen Sacs and Sac Cement are Here! *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Repairing your pens is half the fun — but you can’t do it without sacs. Here they are! We offer top-quality U.S.-made sacs made using the original White Rubber Company formula and produced on the original White Rubber Company machinery. We also have sac cement. Our sac cement is a special high-quality orange shellac that we’ve chosen for its stickiness and for its long shelf life. http://www.richardspens.com/?acc=sacs Don't forget to check our our other essential repair tools such as section pliers, bore lights, Da Book, and more. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Broad Strokes" by Richard Binder ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Once upon a time, I received an email message from a client who was seriously interested in documenting the performance of nibs in terms of stroke width. Now, this sort of thing is a minefield, but this person wanted to do it anyway. And, truth be told, so did I. See what I found! http://www.richardspens.com/?ttp=wysiwyg ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Extra Fine Points" by Don Fluckinger ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This month Don begins a series of columns on his favorite pen books, listing ten things he's learned about pens from within each one's pages. http://www.richardspens.com/?xf=1003 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** 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.