======================================================================== Nib Noise * Volume 9 Number 2 * May 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 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** The Merry Month of May -- It's SHOWTIME! *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The New England Pen Show is coming. It'll be here over the weekend of May 15 (pre-show) and 16. This is an intimate show, a favorite of old- time New England vintage collectors (and dealers). We missed it two years running, but we returned last year, and we'll be back again this year! 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.nepenshow.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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** And Next Month It'll Be Raleigh *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ We had a great time at the Atlanta Pen Show in April, we're expecting another fun weekend at the New England show, and we're already looking forward to the Seventh Annual Triangle Pen Show in Raleigh (Cary), NC, in June. Check out the show's site now, and reserve while there's plenty of space in the Embassy Suites Hotel, where you get a free breakfast every morning to give you the energy to tackle the demands of a first-class pen show! http://www.raleighpenshow.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** New from Bexley: Be Fearless with Intrepid *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ It's 5-31/32" capped, 6-7/8" posted, and all PEN! That just has to be Intrepid. "Intrepid" means fearless, and that's a fair characterization of Bexley's big, bold successor to the BX701. Carved with smooth, slender contours, it's longer and better balanced than pretty much any other pen in its price class, and it's guaranteed to get double-takes when you're using it. Are you intrepid enough to go Mandarin or Blue Shimmer, or is your cuppa just a little more laid back, in black or Duofold Red? Whichever Intrepid is yours, it will be noticed -- and so will you. http://www.richardspens.com/?pens=bex+intrepid ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** The Namiki Resin Falcon Is Really Here! *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ For a while after the new metal Pilot Falcon hit these shores, there was a dearth of the old reliable resin-bodied Namiki Falcon. Well, the dam broke. Our back order last month came through, and we've been able to order more. We now have a good stock of Namiki Falcons again. http://www.richardspens.com/?pens=nam+falcon ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Don's Pen Boxes: Check Out Filene's Basement! *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Don has his usual exquisite assortment of hand-made cigar box pen chests this month, and for all you bargain hunters: Scroll to the bottom of the page for some scratch-and-dent specials. 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 are in the process of building a basic resacking kit, with all the requisite tools and 20 sacs in 10 sizes. As always at RichardsPens.com, there won't be any flea-market junk tools in this kit. Remember, only rich people can afford cheap tools. We will have our kit ready for sale some time this month, so check frequently! http://www.richardspens.com/?acc=tools ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Broad Strokes" by Richard Binder ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Two things. First, I've added a little information to last month's profile of the Postal Pen. I make these kinds of edits on an ad-hoc basis, and not only to new pages. It's worth checking back to see whether pages you've seen before are still the way you left them. In Chapter 1 of my Pen Detective's Guide, I discussed tracking down the manufacturers of your pens. Part of knowing about pens is knowing about the materials pen makers used. In Chapter 2, I present some pens that will surprise you. http://www.richardspens.com/?det_gde=2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Extra Fine Points" by Don Fluckinger ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The cessation of Stylus Magazine's quarterly paper edition makes us feel a little more like dinosaurs... http://www.richardspens.com/?xf=1005 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** 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.