6======================================================================= = Nib Noise * Volume 12 Number 5 * August 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 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The new Edison Pearlette is here, and it's delightful. But please note that it takes a No. 5 nib, not the usual No. 6. We don't yet have No. 5 nibs on our site, but we'll get them there ASAP, so keep watching. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** It's SuperShowTime! *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ August is here! And what does that mean? It means the Washington, DC, SuperShow. It also means kissing farewell to the carefree days of summer (at least for those of you headed for school), but let's not get ahead of ourselves. First, it's time for the Greatest Pen Show on Earth! Washington is one of the world's great tourist cities, so if you have family members who aren't insane about pens -- you are, of course, or you wouldn't be reading this -- you can turn them loose at the Falls Church Metro stop and forget them while they see the sights in town. You don't even have to take them there. That's what hotel shuttles are for! With the pre-show crankin' up on Thursday, August 8, and running through Friday, the Big Show will be open to the public on Saturday and Sunday, August 10 and 11. If you want to attend on Friday or think you might want to attend on more than one day, you really need a weekend pass, which admits you to all of the pre-show events, including the Friday pizza party. It also gains you early admission on the public days. You can purchase a weekend pass at the show's registration desk. This show is so-o-o big, and so-o-o good, that you may face a legitimate worry about having a panic attack when you walk in the front door of the hotel. Yes, the pen show fills the lobby, too. 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 Also, please read our "Table Talk" FAQ to learn how we operate at shows: http://www.richardspens.com/?info=shows+faq For more information about the show and the Sheraton Premiere hotel, please visit the show's Web site: http://www.pencentral.com/ Once you get there, you'll definitely want to visit the world's biggest and best ink testing table, in the hotel lobby! This great feature is open 24 hours a day while the show is on, so for you insomniacs there's something to while away the wee hours. Barbara and I will be there for the whole show, from the Overture on Thursday afternoon to the final curtain on Sunday. We'll have a good selection of new pens from Bexley, Edison, Gate City Pen, Namiki/Pilot, Onoto, Pelikan, and our newest label, Torelli. Most will have special low show prices. We can accept your MasterCard, VISA, American Express, or Discover card -- but many of the vintage dealers are hobbyists who can handle only cash, so be sure to note the location of the ATM in the hotel lobby. We look forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones. We hope to see you there. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Nib Smoothing Workshop at DC *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ I'll be teaching my famous (infamous?) hands-on nib smoothing workshop at the Washington DC show, beginning at 8:30 on Sunday morning. Why 8:30? Because I've found that if I start at 9, there isn't enough time to give a thorough exposition of some of the finer points. I want to be sure you get your money's worth. Seating is limited, and we've already sold out the seating for hands-on participants. But I welcome observers, and the only differences between being a participant and being an observer are the hands-on guidance and the registration fee. If you didn't make it onto the list, or if you just want to brush up a little without the hands-on bit, observers are welcome. We'll provide extra copies of the handouts for you. If you DID make it onto the list, remember to bring a good UNLIGHTED loupe. 10X is a good magnification -- and the better the optics you have, the better you'll be able to see the nibs you'll be working on. If you don't have a loupe, stop by our table on Friday or Saturday and pick up a 10X BelOMO loupe -- these are EXCELLENT loupes. http://www.richardspens.com/?acc=loupes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** If You Didn't Make It on the Workshop List *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ You'll have another chance at it if you're going to be in the Boston area on Saturday, September 21. On that day, I will be giving my worksop at the regular bimonthly meeting of the Boston Pen People. You can learn more about the Boston Pen People at their Web site: http://www.bostonpenpeople.org/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Speaking of Schedules... *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ We're going to the DC SuperShow, of course. We'll be closed for business beginning Thursday, August 8 until we reopen on Tuesday, August 13. We will try to answer email in a timely manner while we're gone. Our shipping schedule for August looks like this: Saturday, August 3 Wednesday, August 7 Saturday, August 17 Wednesday, August 21 Saturday, August 24 Wednesday, August 28 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Torelli Is Here! *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ last month, I announced that we will be offering pens made by Brad Torelli. We now have a small selection for you to choose from, and of course we will be happy to order your personal fantasy pen from Brad. Check out what we have right now, and see if maybe one of these pens needs to be yours. http://www.richardspens.com/?pens=tor ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Gang of Five Tray News *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Last month, I announced that the Gang of Five Tray is history. We still have a few delectable pens from the extraordinary collection that birthed the Gang of Five. We are serious about moving these pens out of our house into yours, and we've dug down until we hit bedrock on the prices. If these pens don't sell at these prices, the next step is the auction at the Ohio Pen Show in November. There will be reserves on them there, so you really shouldn't expect a "Sumgai" bargain at the auction. It'll be along time until pens like these come on the market, if they ever do again. http://www.richardspens.com/?pens=spl ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** New Old Pens, Trays Galore, and NIBS! *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The monthly Pen Show tray has another flock of pretty Parkers on it, along with a bunch of real serious nib-alert pens. Among the less common pens you'll find there -- if you're fast enough -- is a Bicks Ink Tablet pen. http://www.richardspens.com/?pens=tray And Barbara has reloaded her Attic tray with a nice assortment of users and easy restorations. http://www.richardspens.com/?acc=attic Also in the Attic this month are a few Esterbrook Renew-Point nib units. These are all types of which we have only a single example each, so rather than list them on our Renew-Point page Barbara has made me put them into the Attic. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Broad Strokes *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Is your pen flight safe? Better check! And check out my article explaining what flight safety means for pens. http://www.richardspens.com/?design=flight+safe And speaking of broad strokes, I've learned that -- contrary to the widely accepted notion -- Parker did not invent the trench pen. The concept of an ink tablet pen that keeps a supply of tablets in the back of the barrel was patented in 1914 by Edward K. Bixby. And we have one of Bixby's trench pens on the Tray this month! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** 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.