Robert Oster Inks are the latest and greatest arrival at Vanness Pens. These inks are bold and vibrant, and come in 49 different shades, so you are sure to find one to fit your writing needs.
At just $16 for a 50 ml bottle they are a great deal. Order three or more bottles and make the deal even better with free shipping in the US!
My thanks to Vanness Pens for sponsoring The Pen Addict this week.
(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)
Robert Oster inks are made in Australia and inspired by the colors of that continent. Oster became interested in fountain pens in 1989, and from that he developed a desire to produce inks that reflect the rich culture and colors of the wine region of Coonawarra (Robert Oster Home Page). Nature friendly and beautiful, these inks claim to have a little "certain something" that will inspire your creative endeavors (from the label on the bottle).
I finally had the opportunity to order some Robert Oster Signature inks from Vanness Pens. There were two colors I knew I wanted full bottles of: Torquay and Tranquility. I got samples of several others, and I'll be reviewing them over the next few months.
Torquay is a lovely, bright turquoise ink with excellent shading properties. Even with a medium Sailor nib (which is actually like a fine) and the medium Franklin-Christoph SIG nib, you can see shading. It really is something when you get shading even with finer nibs. It's even better with wider or flex nibs.
Unlike the KWZ ink I reviewed a few weeks ago, the Robert Oster ink has no noticeable odor. It comes in a 50ml plastic bottle that is tall enough to accommodate larger pens.
This is a very wet ink, and dry times (at least in my testing on Maruman white paper) were long. The ink is not waterproof, nevertheless, it is wonderfully saturated even though it is a light shade.
Sometimes lighter colors absorb into the paper. Not this ink. It stands out nicely on white paper and on Tomoe River Paper.
Chromatography indicates that the ink has more blue than green, even though the ink appears turquoise.
With a flex nib, the shading is even more obvious and the ink is darker (because the flex nib puts out a thicker line of ink).
Written with a Brause Blue Pumpkin Calligraphy Nib
Torquay also exhibits beautiful red and gold sheen as shown in these ink splatters:
If you're looking for a rich turquoise ink with great shading and sheening properties, Torquay is a great choice. It really does have that little "certain something" that makes it stand out from other inks. Robert Oster inks are available at Vanness Pens and are reasonably priced at $16.00 for a 50ml bottle or $2.00 for a 4ml sample. I chose several blue samples from the Robert Oster line. They are all gorgeous, but the one that really stands out is Bondi Blue. Oh my! That one is next on my list for review.
I purchased these Robert Oster Inks with my own funds from Vanness Pens.
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(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter.)
I'd heard legends of the Kum Masterpiece long before it landed in my mailbox. When it arrived, I was anxious to see if it would live up to its reputation--and the layers of packaging only served to heighten the anticipation. The handmade magnesium block sharpener sits inside a clear plastic box that slips into a neoprene sheath with a snap closure. Overkill? Maybe. Or maybe it's there to keep this precision device from sharpening the very air you breathe into stabby spears of oxygen death.
You see, this doesn't just sharpen pencils--it weaponizes them. It does this with a two-step process. Step one uses hole #1, the wider of the two. This blade strips the wood from around the graphite core. When the tip of your exposed lead touches the blue barrier at the end, you're ready for step #2. The second blade sharpens the exposed graphite to a needle point. It took a little practice to hold the pencil at just the right angle to engage the blade, but when you've got it lined up, you'll see a little pile of lead shavings appear.
Step 1
Everyone has one of those pinprick pencil lead tattoos from where they accidentally stabbed themselves with a pencil, right? Well, you're about to get a few more. In fact, you might not want to give this sharpener to your kids, or junior's third-grade class might end up looking like the stone men from Game of Thrones.
Step 2
I tried the sharpener on several brands of pencils of varying hardness. All the pencils I tried--from a very soft Blackwing, to a very hard pencil of indeterminate brand, to a Prismacolor Verithin colored pencil--sharpened beautifully. Each had a very small piece of the tip break off when I started to write, but the remaining tip was, in each case, still what I would consider an ultra-fine line. How long that fineness was maintained was more due to the lead hardness than anything, but the long narrow point that the Masterpiece creates definitely prolongs the writing session between sharpenings.
Things I will definitely use this for:
Sketching charts and diagrams for my knitting and crochet projects
Helping my son with his math homework
Sharpening all of my colored pencils into an arsenal of fine-tip fun
I'll also do my best to keep this powerful tool out of the hands of those who would use it for evil. Namely, the aforementioned third-grader.
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, which I am very grateful for.
Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!
