TAKU★'s story as a nibmeister began his journey into the world of nibcrafting at the age of 10 with a broken fountain pen given to him by his grandmother. At the age of fourteen, TAKU★ had a fateful encounter with a teacher who taught him the basics and techniques of fountain pens, and began his activities as a nibmeister hence. In the course of his activities as a nibmeister, he came to know the Japanese language, a language with a great variety of expressions, and the special techniques created by Japanese craftsmen to adapt to it. At the same time, however, he also learns that these techniques and the culture of handwriting are in decline. “I thought it was necessary to preserve these techniques and traditions for future generations, and to disseminate them so that more people would know about them”. TAKU★ believes that in our digital world, the written word still holds a great power. He is convinced that handwriting has a unique expressive power that digital methods cannot match. TAKU★ states that “It is my mission to explore and express the power of the written word”. OMAS stands ready to join TAKU★ on his mission, and is excited to share his prowess with the world.
Ralph has been making nibs since his college days in the early 2010’s. But his fascination with the craft started much earlier than that. Ralph started writing with fountain pens in High School, and soon found himself captivated by an art that had been mostly lost to time. In 2019 Ralph had “the chance of a lifetime” to go and learn some of the secrets of this craft from renowned nibmeister Richard Binder. “Traditional nib grinds have been a secret weakness of mine. Steady hands, persistence, and the willingness to make mistakes could only get me so far” said Ralph when asked about the experience back in 2019. He also added: “Now with new knowledge, after months of fear, I can finally pursue my own art more confidently”. Five years later, Ralph is back in the saddle, using his skills to once again create nibs that baffle and inspire. He officially announced his return to the pen world this year with a release of the vaunted Crossflex nibs and two of his wildest creations, the Crown Sequel. Likewise, some of his creations have already been seen on OMAS pens; namely the newest iteration of the “Flessible” nib. OMAS hopes to continue to put Ralph’s pursuit of the ultimate writing experience into their customers hands, and to deliver an unparalleled experience.