======================================================================== Nib Noise * Volume 11 Number 11 * February 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 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Future Restorers and Nibmeisters, Where Will You Be This Summer? *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ We would like to offer two hands-on master classes here at the Nashua Pen Spa this summer. Here are brief descriptions of these courses: Nib repair and customizing: 3 days June 17-19, 4 students, student fee $1000. Students will learn nib removal and installation, basic and advanced nib repair and adjustment, and regrinding to italic and very fine shapes. General repair and restoration: 4 days July 15-18, 8 students, student fee $1000. Students will learn basic and advanced restoration tech- niques, repair of lever, Vacumatic, and Snorkel fillers, and nib removal, installation, and adjustment. I will also demonstrate how to repair the seals in a plunger filler and the Conklin Nozac. If you're interested in attending either of these classes, please let us know. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Marching Off to a Couple of Pen Shows in March *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ THis year, the Baltimore Pen Show will run from Friday, March 1, through Sunday, March 3. Last year's show was greet, and we're looking forward to an even better time this year. 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. There are plenty of restaurants offering everything from barbecue to seafood, and everything in between, and many of them are just a few blocks up St. Charles Street. Two weeks later, on Saturday and Sunday, MArch 16 and 17, we'll be at the Long Island Show. 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Getting in Tray-ning *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Spring training is just around the corner. The RichardsPens "Pen Show" Tray has some very interesting pens this month to get you writing your best. For the first time in history, a pen from last month's tray is here again this month. The buyer liked it but found the nib too firm. Everyone who lost out on this pen, and there were many of you, gets one more chance! http://www.richardspens.com/?pens=tray ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** The Gang of Five Tray Is Fresh and Juicy! *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Some of the pens on the Gang of Five Tray are quite rare, and several collectors have asked me to sell them pens in as-found condition instead of restored. Add these two facts together, and we have a tray of unrestored pens for your delectation. But don't despair if you prefer your pens all bright and shiny; I will restore any of these pens on request at no additional charge. Condition grading is based on restored condition. http://www.richardspens.com/?pens=gang Don't wait around; these are magnificent pens, and you may never see some of them offered again. And please, if you haven't already done so, take a moment to "Like" the Gang of Five's page on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/GangOfFivePens ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** New Shipping Rates Are in Effect *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Postal rates have risen yet again. Domestic customers will see only a slight rise, but international rates have jumped quite significantly. The best we can do to save our international clients' money on shipping costs is to switch from EMS to Priority Mail International, and as of this week we have done that. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Bexley News *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Reminder: until March 1, Bexley]s 2013 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 contact Bexley to obtain one. http://www.richardspens.com/?pens=bex Beginning March 1, the remaining stock -- if any -- will be available to other purchasers. This year's pen, made in two ebonite colors that Bexley has never used before, is a delightful pen, small enough to be comfortable in most anyone's hand yet still carrying a good presence. In other Bexley news, Bexley has informed us that we now have the last Imperial in captivity. It's in Denim/Black, and if you've been thinking about an Imperial you probably shouldn't think too much longer. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Pelikan News *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ We are expecting the new Pelikan M800 Tortoise to arrive this month, but as of today we have no official word on this pen. We will of course be offering it when it does arrive. We'll put it up on our site as soon as we know when it will disembark from the ship and what its price will be. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Closeout on Our Pen Brooch *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Our 3-1/4" enameled metal pen brooch is modeled in high relief, and it really does look sharp. It’s not an accurate reproduction of any pen — it actually looks like a Duofold pencil with a nib — but it’s fun, and we think it’s guaranteed to break the ice at parties. CLOSEOUT priced at only $5.00! http://www.richardspens.com/?acc=brooch ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** More Accessories to Enhance Your Enjoyment of your Pens *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Over the past month, I have been busy making new designs for the coffee mugs in our CafePress shop. I've added NINE new "paperless" designs and three new "anatomy" designs (including the Conklin Nozac, about which you will find more under "Broad Strokes" below). I've also begun adding Sigg and Trek water bottles, tote bags, a very nice-looking denim shirt, and more journals and greeting cards. Not all of my designs are available on all of these products yet. If there's a particular pen you're looking for (even if it's not on any existing products), let me know and I'll do that pen ASAP. http://www.cafepress.com/richardspens Also, if you'd like to see other products in our shop, please feel free to contact me with a request for your favorite. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Ebook News *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ I've just released an updated edition of the Glossopedia. I've added dozens of new entries, patent citations, and photographs, updated some entries and corrected some errors, and fixed many typographical oopsies as people have reported them to me. Everyone who has purchased the first edition should be able to download a copy of the revised version. http://www.richardspens.com/?bks=collector+richards It's available for Nook or Kindle, or in an enhanced iBooks version for iPad only. Reader apps for Nook and Kindle books are available for iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, and Android devices. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** "Broad Strokes" *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ In 1929, Pelikan of Germany introduced the world's first piston-filling pen, and in 1931 it was Conklin's turn. The Nozac, whose name meant "no sack," entered the marketplace and did very well. Here's how the Nozac's filling system works. http://www.richardspens.com/?anatomy=nozac ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** 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.