======================================================================== Nib Noise * Volume 10 Number 12 * March 2012 ======================================================================== Welcome to Nib Noise. 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 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Marching Off to Back-to-Back Pen Shows *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Baltimore was a new show last year, but we couldn't be there because it was on the same weekend as Long Island. This year, it's all by itself on the first weekend of the month. Festivities will run from Friday, March 2, through Sunday, March 4. Word had it that last year's show was a good debut, and we're looking forward to an even better return engagement. We will be there all weekend, enjoying the crowd and the hospitality of the Tremont Plaza Hotel, one of the most elegant in the city! There's also FOOD in Baltimore. You can't visit Charm City Cakes, but there are plenty of restaurants offering everything from barbecue to seafood, and everything in between. And the very next weekend will bring the Long Island Show. We have been habitues of this show since its very first year, and we still like it. Not too big, not too small, it draws a good crowd of dealers and show- goers. Mark your calendar for Saturday and Sunday, March 10 and 11, on the campus of Hofstra University in Hempstead, Long Island. The show is in the student center, which boasts an extensive food court along with other amenities. I'll be working on nibs both weekends 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=shows 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 shows' Web sites: http://www.baltimorepenshow.com/ httap://www.lipenshow.com/ We'll have a selection of new pens from Pelikan, Onoto, Bexley, Edison, Pilot/Namiki and Gate City. THESE CAN HAVE THEIR NIBS CUSTOMIZED WHILE YOU WAIT. We look forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones. We hope to see you there. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Shipping Schedule *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Because we'll be traveling directly to Long Island from Baltimore, we will not be able to ship anything until after we return from Long Island. The first day we'll be able to ship will be Wednesday, March 14, on which day we'll be able to make only a limited shipment. Our first full shipping day will be Saturday, March 17. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Reminder: Changes Coming at RichardsPens.com *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Thanks to you, our loyal clients, our retail business continues to grow. In fact, it's grown so much that we simply no longer have time to do all that we want to do to serve you in the way that you deserve. Something has to go, and after a lot of second thoughts and wishful thinking, we have come to the conclusion that it has to be repairs. As of June 1, 2012, we will no longer be accepting pens for repair or nib customiza- tion. We will complete all work on pens that arrive before the beginning of June, but we won't be taking in any more pens for repair after that date. BUT WE'RE NOT GOING AWAY! We will continue to offer the accessories and pens that we currently have (and probably a few new accessories). We will continue to Binderize every pen and nib that we sell, and we will still be happy (for the usual additional charge) to customize nibs, creating italics, needlepoints, ItaliFines and other specialty points that you can't get from your friendly neighborhood pen manufacturer. As noted above, I'll also be happy to work on your nibs at pen shows -- nothing has changed about how we operate at shows. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** News from Bexley *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Last month, we brought home a few black prototypes of Bexley's new pen, the Jitterbug! Those are long gone, but the REAL Jitterbug! is here now, in four brandy-new colors, and it's getting a seriously enthusiastic re- ception. Bexley is already on its third production run! So what IS Jitterbug! anyway? It's a long/short pen, only 4" long capped and 5-3/8" posted. It was designed to fit under a cool 1930s clip that Bexley stumbled across -- yes, it's a real 70-year-old clip, and you'll find it only on Jitterbug! This is a cartridge-filling pen that doubles as an eyedropper filler, and at $75.00 it's priced right. You will love this pen! http://www.richardspens.com/?pens=bex+jitterbug For you Bexley owners who have not yet ordered your 2012 Owners Club pens, this is a reminder that March is the last month during which the Club pens will be available exclusively for you. Next month, any that Bexley has remaining will go on sale for everyone else. Don't miss out on this excellent new M800-sized piston filler! To purchase your Club pens, please contact us by email, including your filled-out certificate as a scan, PDF, or Word File. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** The Tattler Has a Tale *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Gate City Pen Company's New Dunn Tattler is coming down. In price, that is. As of now, its new price is $200.00, a saving of more than 10%. This pen is a limited-production version, remember, and when it's gone there will be no more Tattlers. http://www.richardspens.com/?pens=gct+tattler ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Your Pens Need a Cosy Place to Sleep *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ring in spring with an attractive "upcycled" former Spanish Cedar cigar box outfitted to house your fine writing instruments. They're a longtime favorite of RichardsPens.com clients, you'll want to get one or more of these inexpensive wooden pen chests for yourself -- guaranteed to make the grass greener and the birds chirpier. Well, maybe not the thing about the grass and birds...but your pens will sleep a lot more comfortably! http://www.richardspens.com/?acc=boxes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** "Broad Strokes" by Richard Binder *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Although not terribly difficult, replacing an Ink-Vue sac is not so straightforward as replacing an ordinary sac. The catch comes in when the pen is one of the later Type 2; these pens are significantly more difficult to do reliably, starting with the problem of obtaining the special sac required. (You can't.) I've developed a new method for restoring these cool pens. I've tested it on several pens, and I'm ready to unleash it on the world. It's still not easy, but it works. http://www.richardspens.com/?rep=ink_vue_2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** "Extra Fine Points" by Don Fluckinger *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This month, Don discusses, in theory, how that Montblanc bespoke nib service could work -- with the nibmeister himself. http://www.richardspens.com/?xf=1203 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Getting in Tray-ning *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Spring arrives this month. We know it won't be for three weeks, but we're not waiting. Our March "Pen SHow Tray" has some exciting pens on it, including nine, count 'em NINE, "nib alert" pens. 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 Bexley, Edison, Gate City Pen, Namiki and Pilot, Onoto, 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! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** We're Still Building a List of Pen Clubs! *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Pen collecting is a lot more fun when you share your passion with others. We have a new page listing pen clubs that we know. There's probably a club near you. If there is, and it's not listed on our page, please let us know about it. If not, maybe you should start one! http://www.richardspens.com/?info=clubs ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Follow Us on the Internet with RSS, Facebook, and Twitter *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Follow us on the Internet by subscribing to our RSS feed. Click the orange RSS button at the top of our site -- or plug the following URI into your browser or RSS reader: http://www.richardspens.com/richardspens.rss We'd like to be liked on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NashuaPenSpa And you're invited to follow us on Twitter: @RichardsPens ======================================================================== 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.