======================================================================== Nib Noise * Volume 11 Number 10 * January 2013 ======================================================================== 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 ************************************************************************ *** THIS ISSUE OF NIB NOISE IS A BIG ONE. BE SURE TO READ EVERYTHING *** ************************************************************************ First of all, I want to extend a heartfelt thank-you to Don Fluckinger for the nearly 11 years during which he wrote his monthly "Extra Fine Points" column for Nib Noise. Don started his column early in 2002 as a way to give RichardsPens.com a boost as we set out to make our way as full-time pen people. His "real life" finally brought to an end his stint as our resident op-ed writer, and we're already missing his thoughtful pieces. Every issue of "Extra Fine Points" is available on our Web site for your reading pleasure. Some things might be dated, but there's still a whole lot of really good reading there. Spend some time with Don, and do let him know you've enjoyed it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** It's January. Must Be Time for the Philadelphia Pen Show! *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Yay! The first pen show of the year is coming up this month, and it's a goodie. From January 11 to 13 (a week earlier than usual), things will be hopping at the Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown Hotel in the heart of the City of Brotherly Love. The Philadelphia Pen Show is famous for some of the weirdest weather around, and it's also famous for being a show that Goldilocks would love: not too big, not too small, but just right. Make it a destination, and start the new year right! 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.philadelphiapenshow.com/ We'll have a broad selection of new pens from Bexley, Edison, Gate City Pen, Namiki/Pilot, Onoto, and Pelikan. THESE CAN HAVE THEIR NIBS CUSTOMIZED WHILE YOU WAIT. As always, I'll be regrinding and tweaking nibs while their owners wait. Bring a pen, and share some chatter at my table while I jazz up your writing experience. PLEASE READ OUR "TABLE TALK" FAQ TO LEARN HOW WE OPERATE AT A SHOW: http://www.richardspens.com/?info=shows+faq If you have pens that need repairs other than nib work, you can hand them to Ron Zorn of Main Street Pens, one of the best repair guys I know, and have them fixed right there. To find Ron, just look for the traffic light! We look forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones. We hope to see you there. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** New Year, New Tray! *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ As always, there's some exciting stuff on the RichardsPens "Pen Show" Tray. We've got some things we'll bet you've never seen before as well as the usual gang of old standbys. http://www.richardspens.com/?pens=tray ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** The Gang of Five Tray Is Here! *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ If you were at the Ohio Pen Show in November, you may have noticed the huddle on the back wall, where a longstanding and very well known collector was selling his collection to the Gang of Five. I'm a member of the Gang of Five, and this month, in addition to the regular "Pen Show" Tray, we've put up what Barbara is calling a Mega- Tray (not because of the number of pens, but for the excitement we expect it to cause). Don't wait around; these are magnificent pens, and you may never see some of them offered again. http://www.richardspens.com/?pens=gang And please take a moment to "Like" the Gang of Five's page on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/GangOfFivePens (Yes, the Chinese characters do actually say Gang of Five. If you don't recognize the reference, ask Mister Google about the Gang of Four.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Speaking of January, There Will Be Eleven More Months in 2013 *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Our 2013 fountain pen wall calendar is still available for purchase at our CafePress shop. At only $16.49, it's little bit classic, a little bit nostalgic, a little bit patriotic, and a lot of just right for your den or cubicle wall. Don't leave your office or den with no pix of pens for you to ogle, snag your calendar now! http://www.cafepress.com/richardspens.745968998 We also offer a nice selection of pen-themed coffee mugs and other accessories. If you see something in our CafePress shop that you'd like if only it had a different pen on it, please feel free to contact me with a request for your favorite. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** New Year, New Shipping Costs *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The U.S. Postal Service will be raising postage rates effective Sunday, January 27. We've looked at the numbers, and we're sorry, but we can't hold the like with our current shipping costs. We will be raising our rates beginning with orders we receive after 9.a.m. Eastern time Friday, January 25. In the U.S., most rates will rise by only $1.00 or $2.00, but international rates are going up significantly more. Save yourself some cold hard cash by ordering before the 25th. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Bexley *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bexley’s Twentieth Anniversary and 2013 Owners Club pens are available now! These two new models share their size and overall look, but they are completely different from there. The PISTON-FILLING Twentieth Anniversary comes in five coördinated warm resin colors, while the 2013 Owners Club is a traditional cartridge/converter filler built out of gleaming ebonite. http://www.richardspens.com/?pens=bex Until March 1, the Owners Club pens are available only to registered Bexley owners. If you have filed registration cards for Bexley pens but have not received a certificate by email, please send email to Bexley to obtain one. bexlevy@aol.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Pelikan *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Arriving last month was Pelikan's incredible new Special Edition M101N in Black Lizard. We have a good supply of these pens, but they are going fast, and there will almost certainly not be a second production run. You need one. Get it now, while you can. http://www.richardspens.com/?pens=pel+m101n ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Ebook News *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ NOW: The RichardsPens Guide to Fountain Pens, Volume 1: Glossopedia is finally available at Barnes & Noble for your Nook! The enhanced iPad version is on Apple's iBookstore, and the Kindle version is on Amazon. You can read the Kindle or Nook versions on your Android device, your iPhone, or your iPad with the appropriate free app. http://www.richardspens.com/?bks=collector+richards COMING SOON: I've been preparing a new edition of the Glossopedia. I've added dozens of new entries, patent citations, and photographs; and I've updated and corrected several entries and made many typographical fixes as people have reported errors to me. When the new edition comes out, everyone who has purchased the first edition should be able to download a fresh copy. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** All-New Attic Stuff This Month *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Barbara's swept out her Attic page again this month to make room for a fresh lot of stuff from the shelves and drawers and boxes lying around in that other attic upstairs. It's good stuff, too! Among the items you'll find is a potful of miscellaneous specialty nibs that have hung around too long, and the last remainders of Don Fluckinger's cigar box pen chests are also here for you. http://www.richardspens.com/?acc=attic ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Onoto the Pen -- for Yourself or ...? *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ If you've been dreaming of owning the Onoto Horatio Nelson or Emma Hamilton pens, or maybe the sterling Excel or the sterling or vermeil Magna, but have been unwilling to order and wait, now is the time. We have one of each of these pens actually in stock. They are GREAT! We also have the Royal Ballet Contemporary and Aspirations LEs and the Cambridge University 800th Anniversary. (I haven't unlimbered the camera to shoot them yet, but you can see them on Onoto's site and then come to us to get them -- with Binderizing and at our usual discounted prices). We have a good assortment of nibs, and we can provide any of these pens with any standard Onoto nib -- or, if you prefer, a custom italic or other specialty nib. http://www.richardspens.com/?pens=ono ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** "Broad Strokes" by Richard Binder *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ For all of you who ordered repair tools and supplies last month, I've written a new article on restoring the Touchdown filling system. Unlike its younger sibling, the Snorkel, the Touchdown is almost as simple and easy to restore as a lever-filler -- it might be the perfect pen to cut your teeth on. http://www.richardspens.com/?rep=touchdown And by the way, there's a group of three Sheaffer pens (two Touchdown TMs and a Snorkel) in the Attic in case you want some pens to try out your new tools on. http://www.richardspens.com/?acc=attic ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** 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.