Hello hello! Summer is sadly fading into fall, but at least it's taking with it that terrible humidity we had a few weeks back. Thankfully, in the pen world the end of summer each year heralds the arrival of a very special and always anticipated pen limited edition, the famed Montblanc Writers Series. This year the renowned German luxury pen maker has chosen to honor Virginia Wolf with a modern yet classy take on the traditional all-black pen. This piece is laced with an intricate black ribbing pattern, and as all Writers Series pens is guaranteed to become a treasured collectible. I should have them in stock by the end of the month, and as always, they fly off our shelves.

Switching gears for a second, I know I keep talking about the new and unique Michael's Fat Boy fountain pen, but with the tremendous success of this pen Michael has released a matching rollerball. If you have the fountain pen, the rollerball makes for a great set. If you don't have the fountain pen, I'm telling you, give one a try. People love its size, its striking, modern design, and its durability as an everyday user. Come by and take a look!

And while you're here playing with Michael's newest creation, make sure to drop by my close out section, as I found extra stock buried in the chaos of our back room. For example, I discovered a few more pieces of the best-selling honey-white m-400 with Pelikan's exceptionally smooth and resilient 14K gold nib. I'm letting the last 20 of these fantastic pens go for $99.95, which is nearly 60% off the original price of $235.00! Can't stop by? You can find this great deal on our website here.

Also, for the month of September I'm having a special on my own Delta Don Quixote limited edition ballpoint in the special green resin. I had 88 pens made and I only have about 20 left. I'm letting them go for $200.00, down from 295. They're sure to go fast!

In closing, I want to be sure to emphasize that, even though it's only September, we have been as busy as ever getting things ready for our annual Philadelphia Pen Show for 2007. Same great location this year, though the hotel is now owned by Sheraton. So anyway, mark your calendar now so you don't miss anything. I'm planning on having the free calligraphy class again along with other workshops for pen collecting and simple repair. It's bound to be a great time for all!

Bert

Pen lovers just can't get enough of the Namiki Vanishing Point. This pen is so popular and is such a great pen that we had to suggest it one more time! The retractable nib is smooth and the pen fits nicely in the pocket. The Vanishing Point now comes in a wide variety of colors.

Through September 30, 2006 receive a free pack of black ink cartridges when you order a Vanishing Point!

An Interview with Michael Hochstetler about the new Fat Boy Fountain Pen.

At this year’s Miami Pen & Watch Show in July, Michael Hochstetler, of Michael’s Fat Boy was excitedly showing off prototypes of his Limited Edition Black Comet Fountain Pen. We talked with Michael about this exciting new addition to the Fat Boy line.

Q. You’ve got good reason to be excited about the introduction of your first fountain pen. What makes it so special?

Michael: First of all, as you can see, it’s a Fat Boy, through and through. I’ve tried to make it as user-friendly and as ergonomic as all the pens in my line. It’s got the heft, comfortable grip, and balance that have made Fat Boy ballpoints popular with so many people. Plus it has the distinctive smoothness you can only get from a fine fountain pen. This new pen has a top quality Schmidt stainless steel nib with an iridium point and a really good feeder. It’s a super smooth writer with excellent ink flow. So far feedback has excellent.

Q. How does it fill?

Michael: Again, we’ve gone for convenience and ease of use. The pen comes with both a standard International cartridge and a high quality piston-fill converter. It will take either short or long cartridges. Getting the ink you want should never be a problem.

Q. Your ballpoints have become very popular. Why introduce a fountain pen now?

Michael: People wanted it. It was the logical extension of the Fat Boy line. Since we first introduced the original in February 2004, we’ve been introducing variations of the Fat Boy gel roller ball. But I’m always asking customers for feedback. I try to be responsive to the market and make the pens the way people want them. It’s been that way since the beginning.

Q. Can you tell us a bit about how you got started?

Michael: I graduated from Notre Dame University with a degree in Business Marketing. I had been working in plant management, manufacturing and product management for several different companies, but I’ve always wanted to be an entrepreneur. I was looking for a way to put my training into something I liked. Machining is a hobby of mine, and I just started making pens. After a few uneven experiences with other people making and marketing my designs, I decided to try it myself.

Q. Didn’t Bertram’s play a part?

Michael: Bertram’s was there right from the start. In fact they were my first distributor. In 2004 I brought my first 100 Fat Boy pens to the Los Angeles Pen Show. I showed them to a number of retailers, but it was Bert Oser and Ken Jones who decided to take a chance and become my first distributor. Bertram’s Inkwell got me started. They still have the lead when it comes to selling my products.

Q. The Black Comet Fountain Pen is a limited edition. How exclusive is it?

Michael: The 500-piece black aluminum edition will be accompanied by an even more exclusive 88-piece Vermeil Edition with 24k gold plated solid Sterling silver barrels. There will be matching rollerball pens, as well. It’s the first of what I hope will be a full line of Fat Boy Fountain Pens in the future.

Q. And where can people find them?

Michael: I assume that’s a rhetorical question. Just click on the link to visit the Bertram’s Website. If you have any questions, call Bertram’s Inkwell!

Bert,

Thank you, thank you, thank you. If I seem a bit enthusiastic, I am! In a recent issue of Nibbles, you offered to send a sample of some paper I had never heard of, "Alvin". What a name. Well, as it turns out, I was looking for new paper. I had been using Levengers, but I wasn't satisfied with it–too much bleed through when writing with my fountain pen. Rhodia is good, but expensive.

Well, amazingly, one day after I called you I received the sample pad of Alvin paper. I wrote on it with my roller ball and loved it. I then tried my fountain pen, and it was great. I asked my wife to try it, and she loved it.

So, last week I stopped by the Baltimore store and bought several pads in different sizes. The price is unbelievably good. Now, my wife has a pad on her night stand and I have one of my own on my side of the bed. I also have several others handy, including a small pad on my desk at the office for quick notes.

Thank you for the recommendation. I appreciate your helpfulness and the professionalism of your staff. I must tell you that after 20 years of doing business with you and watching the business grow, I have never been disappointed with your level of service. Thank you for demonstrating time and again how much you value me as a customer whether I spend two dollars or several hundred.

Sincerely,

Joseph Murray

Jim is our resident pen guru. Jim is a "fountain" of knowledge when it comes to all things pens!

Question: I read your articles with great interest here in Melbourne, Australia and I agree that you are the guru when it comes to pens. I am a mad fan of good pens and recently I purchased a Visconti Honey Almond Opera Rollerball but I was wondering if there are any ballpoint pen refills that can be used in this pen?

Answer:You have two ways to go,Fisher makes a refill called the Space Ball, it comes in Black and Blue and converts most rollers to ballpoint's.It comes with a bold point and has several adapter rings to make it work with a variety of styles of Rollerballs.It's not a bad refill but some customers don't care for the broad line.Your second option is to convert it to a Parker style Ballpen, there is a conversion kit made by Bexley to do this job. A spring for the front end to keep the refill from falling threw and a spacer for the back end to make the Parker refill long enough to reach the front end of the pen.If you can get hold of some cheap Ballpoint springs and something to make a spacer for the back of the pen ,you can do this yourself.Hint a pencil eraser or certain springs will work as a spacer for the back, also note the spring for the front often has to be cut down in length,it only there to keep the refill from falling threw. Use the old roller as a guide for the correct length.

We sell the Fisher refills for $7.65 and the Bexley conversion units $8.00.


Jim