======================================================================== Nib Noise * Volume 13 Number 5 * August 2014 ======================================================================== 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 DO NOT use the links in the footer of this email. Instead, visit the Free Email Newsletter page on our site: http://www.richardspens.com/?info=nibnoise ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** READYFILL ON CLOSEOUT *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Gate City READYFILL, based on a century-old patent, fills with a simple squeeze with your thumb. It's light, it's distinctive, and we're blowing it out. We've reduced the price to $100.00, below our cost for these unusual pens. If you've been holding back because you were worried that the barrel sleeve would get in the way, you'll be surprised once you get a READYFILL in your hand and discover that it fits like a glove. Your READYFILL is waiting for you! http://www.richardspens.com/?pens=gct+readyfill ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** 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 7, and running through Friday, the Big Show will be open to the public on Saturday and Sunday, August 9 and 10. 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 wine and beer 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Getting to the SuperShow *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ In case you think it's a pain in the tail to get way out there to the Sheraton Premiere in Tysons Corner -- why couldn't they have held the show close to a nice convenient Metro stop? -- maybe you weren't aware of the new Metro stop just a block or so away from the hotel...? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Black Pen Society Annual Meeting *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Black Pen Society will hold its annual meeting at the SuperShow. If you are not already aware of the BPS, check out the Society's page on Facebook. Search for Black Pen Society Page. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Our Schedule for August *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Because we're going to the DC SuperShow, we'll be closed for business beginning Thursday, August 7, until we reopen on Thursday, August 14. Our site will not accept purchases during the time that we're away. We will try to answer email in a timely manner while we're gone. We appreciate your understanding and your patience. Our shipping schedule for August looks like this: Saturday, August 2 Wednesday, August 6 Saturday, August 16 Wednesday, August 20 Saturday, August 23 Wednesday, August 27 Saturday, August 30 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** New Stuff in Barbara's Attic! *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ As things have come and gone in the Attic, Barbara continues to dig up more things we should let go of. This month we have an all-new Attic tray, and we also have three new-in-the-box pens that used to be found among our retail pen pages. Check it all out! http://www.richardspens.com/?acc=attic ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Broad Strokes *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ When people send pens away for repair, one of the two most common nib problems is flow — or, actually, the lack of it. Of the five principal causes of flow failure, some you can address, others you can't. Here they are, starting with three that you can do something about... http://www.richardspens.com/?ttp=flow ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Pens That Write Right! *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Unless otherwise requested at the time of sale, I personally tune each new pen or nib at no extra charge before shipment. I fill the pen with Waterman Blue-Black ink and write with it on paper of better than average quality, 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 DO NOT use the links in the footer of this email. Instead, 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.