======================================================================== Nib Noise * Volume 9 Number 7 * October 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 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** New Cigar Box Pen Chests! *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Don's been at it again. Like the television networks, he's got a hot fall lineup of great new pen chests crafted from Spanish Cedar cigar boxes, one of the hobby's best pen-storage bargains. http://www.richardspens.com/?acc=boxes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** New Pens! *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ New on our site this month is the exciting new Aurora Alpha. This pen is a new direction for Aurora, and it's one that I find pretty cool. You will think so, too; go check it out! http://www.richardspens.com/?pens=aur+alpha ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Shows 'n' Things! *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ You can always find out what shows we plan to attend over the next few months by visiting our show calendar page: http://www.richardspens.com/?info=shows This month we have no pen shows to go to. Our next show will be the Ohio Pen Show, next month, where I'll be delivering my famous (notorious? infamous?) hands-on nib smoothing workshop on Sunday morning. See below for more information. http://www.ohiopenshow.com/ Oh, umm, don't forget the auction on Saturday night. This year, the prize lot will be an actual Parker Aztec, worth roughly thirty grand. If you're not in that league, come anyway -- the Ohio Pen Show auction is one of the great highlights of the whole show circuit. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Hands-On Nib Smoothing Workshop at Ohio Pen Show *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Richard will offer a hands-on workshop on nib smoothing, working direct- ly with participants, at the Ohio Pen Show. Richard's workshop will begin promptly at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 7. In this intensive 75-minute session, Richard will teach you how to smooth nibs using the tools and methods he uses daily at the Nashua Pen Spa. (We cannot guarantee that you will be an accomplished nibmeister at the end of the session, but you will have learned a lot and, we hope, had a good time.) Participants must register in advance. Your prepaid $20.00 materials fee will cover the cost of the smoothing kit and buff sticks you will use. (The smoothing kit includes two practice pens.) After the session, you will keep your materials so that you can continue honing your skills at home. Don't miss out. Register will open later this month. Bookmark this link now: http://www.richardspens.com/?page=workshop Participation is limited to 12 people, but if you can't register you're still welcome to come and audit the session. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Richard Will Be on TV This Weekend! *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ For those of you who were at the Washington DC SuperShow in August, you surely saw the CBS-TV crew who were filming around the ballroom. They were recording and interviewing for CBS News' Sunday Morning, with Rita Braver. The show, which also includes interviews at some of the inter- viewees' homes (including Richard's), will air this Sunday morning, October 24, at 9 a.m. Eastern time. Check your local listings for time and station. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** You Can Still Go Postal in a Nice Way! *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ We still have a good stock of most versions of the New Postal Pen. But it's been drawing rave reviews, and our current stock won't last until the cows come home. We've already had to place another order for Seniors! Go Postal now, before somebody raises the postage! http://www.richardspens.com/?pens=gct ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Inky Thoughts Are Brewing *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Gate City Pen and Ink Company (makers of the New Postal Pen) means it about ink. Gate City is in the process of releasing its own especially-formulated vintage-style EVERFLO ink. Designed to bring back the great Golden Age writing feel, this ink deserves space on any inkophile's shelf -- and on yours, too! We don't know just when we'll have EVERFLO available, but we're hoping it'll be sometime this month. Check out the Gate City Pen site's ink page: http://www.gatecitypen.com/ink.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Some Birds Are Flying Away... *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Pelikan has discontinued the blue marbled M200. When we learned this we bought Chartpak's remaining stock of this iconic entry-level pen. They won't last forever... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** ...and One Bird Is On Hiatus *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Less than two weeks ago, we received a partial shipment of the luminous new M800 Blue o' Blue. We've already sold them. We ordered more but the Blue o' Blue is on back order from Pelikan. We're sorry for this delay, and we'll have more of this great pen ASAP! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** For the Pen Repairers Out There *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ We're continuing to expand our line of pen repair tools and supplies. After numerous requests, we now have 100% pure silicone grease for sale in half-ounce jars. If you repair pens, you can't do without this stuff. http://www.richardspens.com/?acc=silicone ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Broad Strokes" by Richard Binder ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Modern nibs draw bigger lines than vintage nibs, and in fact a surprising number of people these days want exactly that. http://www.richardspens.com/?ttp=supersize ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Extra Fine Points" by Don Fluckinger ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This month, Don channels Paul Erano and makes the case for addition by subtraction -- with your whole pen collection. http://www.richardspens.com/?xf=1010 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Check Our Monthly Pen Show Tray *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Our best October Pen Show Tray in years offers a bounty of cool pens, as always, and you can find them here: http://www.richardspens.com/?pens=vint ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** 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 our 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.