======================================================================== Nib Noise * Volume 9 Number 1 * April 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 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Springtime in the South *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Great Southeastern Pen Show, aka the Atlanta Pen Show, is a great show in a great city in a lovely season. After we missed it last year, we're thrilled to be going this year. The show will be open for business -- not this weekend, but the one after, April 9-11! Barbara and I will be on hand for all the festivities -- where will YOU be? With festivities beginning at noon Friday for dealers and weekenders, and two full public days on the weekend, this year's show is guaranteed to be better than ever. 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 show's Web site: http://www.atlantapenhow.com/ We'll have a selection of new pens from the companies we represent. THESE CAN HAVE THEIR NIBS CUSTOMIZED WHILE YOU WAIT. We'll also have a couple of mugs of Merlins. You remember, those '50s celluloid pens from Germany that we've been offering since last summer? They're a few months older than when we got them, but that just means they're more experienced! 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. 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. We look forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones. We hope to see you there. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** It's Back! The Namiki Resin Falcon Is Here Again! *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Since the new metal Pilot Falcon hit these shores, there's been a dearth of the old reliable resin-bodied Namiki Falcon. Well, the back order came through, and we now have Namiki Falcons again. But we don't have very many of them, so order now! http://www.richardspens.com/?pens=nam+falcon ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Just in Time for the Spring Planting Season *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FIELD NOTES arrives in a special limited-edition “Packet of Sunshine.” In the reusable interoffice-mail styled envelope you’ll find three FIELD NOTES books with bright yellow covers printed in springtime hues of RED, ORANGE, and GREEN. And to make sure your spring and summer are bright, there’s a “Crackerjack Mix” packet of real marigold seeds (with care instructions) from Bay Farm Services of Bay City, Michigan. We’re so taken with this great package that we even ordered extras to be sure you’d get yours! http://www.richardspens.com/?acc=field_notes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Don's Pen Boxes: If You Haven't Sprung Yet... *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ...why not? These repurposed Spanish cedar cigar boxes rock. The selection changes every month, but the quality, novelty, and value don't. Get with the program! http://www.richardspens.com/?acc=dons_boxes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Pen Repairers take Note *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Repairing your pens is at least half the fun. Hey, maybe it's more than half. We continue to expand our selection of professional-quality repair tools and accessories. Give them a look -- you might just find what you need. Remember, only rich people can afford cheap tools. http://www.richardspens.com/?acc=tools ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Broad Strokes" by Richard Binder ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Beginning in about 1925, the Postal Pen Company, Inc., of New York City produced the Postal Reservoir Pen and sold it exclusively by mail order. Offered as only two models (one for men and one for women) and priced at $2.50, the Postal Pen was a flat-top pen fitted with a bulb filler... http://www.richardspens.com/?prof=postal ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Extra Fine Points" by Don Fluckinger ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This month Don continues his deep dive into a pen book to find some great obscure facts. If they don't win you a bar bet at the next post-pen-show Saturday cocktail hour, you're hanging out with some pretty knowledgeable people.. http://www.richardspens.com/?xf=1004 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** 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.