Fpn Inks, Continued ....

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Dearest Members and Visitors of the little Fountain Pen Nut house on the digital prairie,

 

As already announced in an earlier topic, we would start providing our inks again, and it is getting extremely close now.

 

Change

There will be one very important change however. Where before we tried to compete with resellers of pens, inks and paraphernalia, while not trying to undercut them, we will approach it in a different way this time.

The answer to the why is quite simple: the pricing we used, did not weigh up against the amount of work required in order to do the work for accounting, processing and shipping orders - all done by our volunteers, and in different countries. Actually, with the hiccups encountered, we found we were running very close to making a loss on the inks, purely because of the out-of-pocket costs involved.

 

However, we do not want to deny these lovely inks to our community, even more so as they are totally unique to the Fountain Pen Network, and not available anywhere else. Actually, we like them a lot ourselves too . Personally, I have a bottle of each on my desk right now, in front of me .

 

Considering all the above, we will run the provision of inks in a completely different way, at a price which will help with the continuation of FPN - we will not compete with commercial pen and ink resellers. You can see buying our inks as a donation if you like, with a bottle of ink as a token of our thanks to you for choosing to do so. In case you'd already support us in another way, we will extend the thanks to lowering the price of the ink, effectively giving you a discount, depending on the option you have selected to support us with . See our news topic on FPN Donors and Supporters...

 

Increasing awareness of FPN

We also want to increase awareness of FPN and what it stands for, namely the promotion of the use of (fountain) pens, inks, paper, and paraphernalia, so we will start presenting ourselves more prominently in the world of fountain pens, starting at the LA Pen Show on February 12 to 15.

We currently have available a small number of ink bottles of Van Gogh Starry Night Blue, Galileo Manuscript Brown, and Dumas Tulipe Noire, and we will run a pilot with these ink bottles with our new approach now and up to and including the LA Pen Show, where Amberlea, our ink moderator, will represent us and if all goes well, have at least some our inks with her.

In addition, we were offered to provide a new ink, and since this really is something of this past week, we could not run our normal label design competition yet. As a result, for now we have created a temporary label, to be redone as part of a community design competition.

That ink will be "Voltaire Carmine Red", and here is the temporary label:

 

 

For those with sharp eyes: yes, it is a 4.5 oz. bottle, and it will also come with a free "Charlie" pen. The ink has been produced, all within this past week, and is ready packed for shipping to us, from the North-East of the US, to the South-West, and that is unfortunately where we are now encountering a little snag. Many places in the North-East are not reachable, due to the snow and ice, and it doesn't look very good for the upcoming week either. Postal and Courier services currently do not collect or deliver in many parts of the North-East, and we are affected as well. This is true not only for the Voltaire Carmine Red, but also for the manufacture of the next batch of our other inks.

 

Order/Pre-order

Noodler's will try to do their utmost to get this new ink to us in time, but we can't make any promises. However, those who'd want a bottle, if they do arrive in time, can get them, or else can pre-order from Amberlea at the LA Pen Show.

 

Just as a reminder, here follow the labels of our other inks once more .

 

 

 

 

And next....

Finally, we are also in the process of designing another new ink, which will follow the normal procedure of label design here on FPN .

 

I am really looking forward to all of these exciting happenings, and I hope you are too!

 

Warm regards, Wim

On behalf of the FPN Moderator and Admin Team

Edited February 9, 2015 by wimg
Fixed donation wording

[Sandy1]

Bravo!

[Cyber6]

OH WOW !!!!!!!!!... AWESOME!!!!!! http://www.sherv.net/cm/emo/dancing/super-happy-dance-smiley-emoticon.gif

 

That ink will be "Voltaire Carmine Red", and here is the temporary label:

 

 

[Davros]

This is exciting.

 

How much more are we talking about? Can we pre-order online anywhere?

[janelle]

Can't wait for Voltaire Carmine Red and the other new ink that's in the works. Best news to wake up to on a Sunday morning!

[Limner]

Blood-red Voltaire ink with Charlie Hebdo pen?!

 

This is relevant to my interests.

 

Are scans/writing samples of the actual ink posted anywhere?

[wimg]

Blood-red Voltaire ink with Charlie Hebdo pen?!

 

This is relevant to my interests.

 

Are scans/writing samples of the actual ink posted anywhere?

 

Note, it is a "Charlie" pen, that's all .

 

No writing samples, as this was a rather sudden inspirational challenge posed by Noodler's.

 

Thinking about Voltaire, we just imagined the colour red, and asked if that was an option, and if so, could we please have an ink which looked a lot like Omas Amerigo Vespucci red . If you have ever seen it, I think you would agree . And ink dedicated to Voltaire is fitting within our range of inks, so we went with it and for it .

 

How it turns out in real life, we don't know yet, and neither do we have any writing samples.

As mentioned this was all done in less than a week, and it was produced on Friday, a day and a half ago, now waiting for a courier to pick it up and deliver it to Nevada or to California. Just a shame of the non-navigable thick pack of ice and snow in Massachusetts.

 

Warm regards, Wim

[wimg]

Bravo!

 

 

OH WOW !!!!!!!!!... AWESOME!!!!!! http://www.sherv.net/cm/emo/dancing/super-happy-dance-smiley-emoticon.gif

 

 

 

This is exciting.

 

How much more are we talking about? Can we pre-order online anywhere?

 

 

Can't wait for Voltaire Carmine Red and the other new ink that's in the works. Best news to wake up to on a Sunday morning!

 

Thank you all, much appreciated!

 

This went all so quickly that pre-ordering is not possible yet. There still are a few things to prepare for the LA Pen Show, thereafter we will go ahead and set up something as quickly as we can.

 

It wasn't sure yet whether the ink would be ready in time, we only got the confirmation last night, just that there currently is no way to deliver it anywhere because of the weather in Massachusetts.

 

We'll have to wait and see, and keep our fingers crossed .

 

Warm regards, Wim

[migo984]

What about members in UK/EU/rest of the world? Does this mean the only way we can get them is to donate? I have donated several times in the past but don't want to in future.

[Limner]

 

Note, it is a "Charlie" pen, that's all .

 

 

Ah, of course!

 

The Omas Vespucci is a gorgeous color.

[wimg]

What about members in UK/EU/rest of the world? Does this mean the only way we can get them is to donate? I have donated several times in the past but don't want to in future.

 

Everybody will be able to get them, once we are set up properly, and have received more stock.

 

HTH, warm regards, Wim

[wimg]

 

Ah, of course!

 

The Omas Vespucci is a gorgeous color.

 

Yes, it is, one of few really gorgeous reds . With excellent shading .

Warm regards, Wim

[Cyber6]

 

Thinking about Voltaire, we just imagined the colour red, and asked if that was an option, and if so, could we please have an ink which looked a lot like Omas Amerigo Vespucci red . If you have ever seen it, I think you would agree .

 

 

OMG Wim... you just made my decade!!!!

 

I missed the chance to own the LE Omas Amerigo Vespucci Red ink when it came out.. and I have been searching/tracking it for years now. Last year I was SOO close .. but miss winning it on eBay..

 

SOOOO EXCITED!!!!!!!!... :lol: :lol:

[wimg]

 

I have asked for a scan of a writing sample now - may take a while, Nathan tends to be over-busy .

Warm regards, Wim

[inkstainedruth]

Wow. Sounds as if the people getting to go to the LA show are going to be super lucky.... I'm completely jealous.

As for the new ink, I'm not much for reds, but if it comes with a Charlie pen that is another story entirely!
Between seeing the posts about the Charlie pen and seeing last week's Goulet Communique, Heart of Darkness (with the Charlie pens in the boxes) sold out on their website....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[NinthSphere]

 

I'm still waiting for a rather large bill to hit me before I can do anything. Hoping to get things running smoothly again in a few weeks, so I can add a few more years to the ink reserve.

 

Maybe I'm being overly dense today, but Voltaire will be available as a donation ink also, correct? Just with a label change.

[white_lotus]

Well I must wait! Let me know when we can get these wonderful inks.

 

btw I'm all for paying for ink. No one should lose money on ink. And it's important to keep FPN alive. I know there must be a number of people that have donated in the past, and gotten nothing except the existence of FPN as their reward. Hopefully our purchases of ink from FPN will allow some free ink to flow to those who have been so dedicated to support this forum while the rest of us were just moochers.

 

Thank you brave supporters and donors to FPN!

Edited February 9, 2015 by white_lotus

[wimg]

 

I'm still waiting for a rather large bill to hit me before I can do anything. Hoping to get things running smoothly again in a few weeks, so I can add a few more years to the ink reserve.

 

Maybe I'm being overly dense today, but Voltaire will be available as a donation ink also, correct? Just with a label change.

 

Maybe I have been a bit imprecise in describing it.

All inks will be "donation" inks from now on, just that there will be a discount for FPN Supporters for 1 or 2 bottles a year.

In addition, we haven't been able to set up everything yet to start providing the inks, we just have a small supply of GMB, DTN and VGSNB, and hopefully some Voltaire Carmine Red (VCR) if all goes well, at the LA Pen Show. And we would like people to become FPN Supporters at the pen show, and also donate for some ink. We will entice people for an extra little discount on the inks when visiting as or becoming an FPN Supporter at the LA Pen Show . Provided the inks are still available, of course, but then, the Voltaire certainly should be available, as, weather permitting, it will be shipped straight to the pen show .

That is the thought behind starting with the LA Pen Show, and taking it from there. Plans may still change, however, depending on how things develop, like the weather and all that.

 

And yes, the label will likely change, as we would like to start a design competition, once we have the ink in our hands and can play with it .

 

HTH, warm regards, Wim

[wimg]

Wow. Sounds as if the people getting to go to the LA show are going to be super lucky.... I'm completely jealous.

As for the new ink, I'm not much for reds, but if it comes with a Charlie pen that is another story entirely!

Between seeing the posts about the Charlie pen and seeing last week's Goulet Communique, Heart of Darkness (with the Charlie pens in the boxes) sold out on their website....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

We'll have to se ehow things go. If people like the 4.5 oz. bottles with pen, maybe we can get more. And they may not sell out, IF we get them there in time. Currently, no courier or postal service does any deliveries or collections in large parts of MA.

 

I ma afraid we will have to wait and see.

 

BTW, if you don't have it, and haven't seen it, if it is anything like Vespucci red, I am sure you'd want it .

Warm regards, Wim

[wimg]

Well I must wait! Let me know when we can get these wonderful inks.

 

btw I'm all for paying for ink. No one should lose money on ink. And it's important to keep FPN alive. I know there must be a number of people that have donated in the past, and gotten nothing except the existence of FPN as their reward. Hopefully our purchases of ink from FPN will allow some free ink to flow to those who have been so dedicated to support this forum while the rest of us were just moochers.

 

Thank you brave supporters and donors to FPN!

 

You count on it that there will be more announcements regarding the ink(s) .

 

And thank you for your kind words to those who have supported us in the past. We know who they are, and I am sure none of us here are moochers, whatever that word means exactly .

 

Warm regards, Wim