======================================================================== Nib Noise * Volume 11 Number 2 * May 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 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Special Cigar Box Accessory Chests This Month *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Right on the heels of the CAO Criollo chests last month that sold out minutes after appearing on Richardspens.com, we have four more! Except these CAOs are a little short for pens, so Don made accessory chests for pen collectors to store refills, spare parts, leads, or anything else that needs an amazing new home. It's Mother's Day month, too -- so maybe your significant other needs a new jewelry storage chest! These would work well for earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and other jewelry. Of course, for those who need pen storage, we've got a great lineup of the usual pen chests -- and great deals on three-box stacks -- to give your fine writing instruments the custom storage they deserve. Hurry on the CAOs; this is the last of our cache, and these boxes have long been out of production so it's unlikely we'll ever get more. http://www.richardspens.com/?acc=boxes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Go South, Young Man/Woman, to North Carolina *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ In only 29 days we'll be taking off for the Ninth Annual Triangle Pen Show in Cary, North Carolina (within spittin' distance of Raleigh). We're looking forward to getting in the car to head south. North Carolina is a pretty nice place any time, but with a pen show in the offing, it's even more attractive. The show begins Thursday, may 31, at the truly deluxe Embassy Suites, and it runs through Sunday, June 3rd. Public days are Friday afternoon (starting at 1 p.m), and Saturday, and Sunday. Jim Rouse will ramrod this year's show, and we're eagerly waiting to see what he's got in store. One thing he's got is the usual Triangle Pen Show auction, and with some really luscious properties being offered this is one not to miss. 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.raleighpenshow.com/ As always, Barbara and I will also have a selection of new pens from Bexley, Gate City Pen, Namiki and Pilot, Onoto, and Pelikan. I'll be bent over my Dremel, regrinding and tweaking nibs. Bring a pen or two, and share some chatter at my table while I jazz up your writing experience. REMINDER: We bring most of our normal pen stock to shows, but we can't bring everything. If there's one special pen you've just gotta have, please feel free to send us an email to ask us to be sure we bring it for you. And if you want to use a credit card, we'll provide a way for you to make your purchase online before the show. That way you won't have to hold out that extra bit of cash while you're strolling the aisles drooling over the juicy delights on other tables! We look forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones. We hope to see you there. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** 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 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** The Nashua Pen Spa Has Nibs *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ In case you hadn't noticed, we stock replacement nib units for most of the pens we sell. I tune these nibs just like pens, and of course I can customize them, too. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Alfred Hitchcock, Pelikan Wants to Talk to You *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Birds have landed! We have not only the Special Edition M600 White Tortoise, but also the Special Edition M605s, both Black and Blue/Black. These are all limited-production pens; we have only a few, and we don't know when -- or if -- we'll be able to get more. They're up on our site, but we have not yet done the RSS and Twitter and Facebook thing -- as a Nib Noise subscriber, you're getting first crack. http://www.richardspens.com/?pens=pel+m600 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Pilot Custom 74: More Colorful than Ever *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Pilot's Custom 74 line now comes in more colors! In addition to Clear, Black Smoke, and Purple, we now have the Custom 74 in Orange and Blue! These are good rich colors, nothing wimpy about 'em. And all U.S. Custom 74s use the same Black Smoke section, so you can swap nibs around among your herd! http://www.richardspens.com/?pens=nam+custom74 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Short Rations *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ For those who like the Pelikan M300, we have only one each left of the M320 Ruby and the M320 Pearl. These were Special Editions, and we don't expect ever to be able to get mor. Jump on these while you still can! http://www.richardspens.com/?pens=pel+m300 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Repairers, We Have Your Sac Size Chart! *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ We've received dozens (if not hundreds) of emails asking us, "What size sac do I need for thus-and-so pen?" This month we added a sac size chart to our site. You can get to it from my reference pages on how to replace sacs or from our sac listing in the Accessories section. http://www.richardspens.com/?rep=sacs ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Repairers, We Have Your Tool Kit! *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Some time ago, we began offering a pen tool starter kit. It's received a great response, and that has moved us to offer a new kit. We're calling this one our Intermediate Pen Tool Kit -- leaving room for a seriously heavy-duty advanced kit later -- and it's available now. Help us prove to ourselves that we did a good thing: buy your Intermediate kit today! http://www.richardspens.com/?acc=int_kit ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Barbara's Attic Has Yielded a New Treasure Trove *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Barbara has dug some wicked good stuff out of the attic for you this month. Display cases, leather pen cases, books, desk stands, even a few interesting pens. Don't miss out on the attic sale! http://www.richardspens.com/?acc=attic ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** "Broad Strokes" by Richard Binder *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Part of knowing about pens is knowing when a given pen was made. Being able to tell when a pen was made can help you to identify its maker and what it’s made of — and gives you a better chance of knowing what it's worth: http://www.richardspens.com/?det_gde=3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** "Extra Fine Points" by Don Fluckinger *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The future of handwriting: Don relays some impressions that arose out of a discussion with a representative of a company that makes digitally augmented pens. http://www.richardspens.com/?xf=1205 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** It's a Golden Day in Trayland *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This month our Pen Show Tray features the priciest pen it's ever seen. And some other distinctly cool pens. Go for 'em! 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! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** 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.