Mr Oster's Amazing Inks

[Uncial]

I first noticed Robert Oster's ink on ebay and wasn't too sure about it. Then I saw someone here had taken the plunge before me and the ink seemed good, so I took the plunge and contacted him. Customer service was truly excellent; he always responded very promptly and politely and was very helpful. I got seven inks in one package by ordering directly from him. I can't give a full picture review here as all my photographs are too big, so I have a picture of a comparison sheet below, after my thoughts.

Moss Green: Very nice green with a slight grey aspect. Quite dark and a genuine 'moss' colour. No shading.

Orange: This one doesn't come out very well in the picture. It is very bright, no shading and is a little bit like a highlighter ink but is deep enough for normal use. It 'pops'.

Lime Green: Really lovely citrus green. Nice and bright with slight yellow hints underneath and a small bit of shading. It gives Kobe's lime a run for its money.

Royal Red: A standard red, but quite a nice one. No shading. Looks a little flat on Tomoe.

Barossa Grape: lovely murky purple. Very dark; perhaps a little like Ink of the Witch? I have nothing quite like it.

Deep Sea: really awesome. Like a slightly more saturated Emerald of Chivor. Nice shading and sheen. It has a tendency to bleed a tiny bit on Tomoe, but I had no problems on Clairefontaine or Rhodia.

Jade Green: Very nice murkey green, a touch lighter than Tanna Japonensis if you know that ink. Has shading and a slight brownish/yellow undertone.

I simply wanted to add that these inks are really great. They all have quite strong saturation and a wetness on the nib, good flow, decent lubrication, no staining issues (some of them wash out really easily) and reasonably fast dry times. Except for the Deep Sea on Tomoe I had no issues with show through, bleed or feathering. It's the deep saturation for me that makes them really attractive. I liked these inks so much that I'm already narrowing down my list for the next seven in a pack.

Highly recommended.

flic.kr/p/HHFYdq

[Uncial]

Sorry, it seems I can't post the picture from my Flckr account as it says it isn't permitted in this community. Is there any other way to post a picture? If I try the image hosting service here it says it's too big and to get it small enough means chopping it down to a tiny square, which is pointless.

[Uncial]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/37369462@N06/27382402296/in/datetaken/

[Uncial]

Ok, that seems to work. If this isn't permissible I'm happy to have it removed

[migo984]

I find Oster inks a mixed bag. Deep Sea is my favourite. It's gorgeous and I'll be getting more before too long. Bondi Blue, Moss & Khaki are very good too. Generally his blues & greens are excellent, his purples are OK, but the 3 reds I have are really quite ordinary and Copper & Burgundy are awful. I was disappointed with them.

[Uncial]

Copper and Burgundy were the two I knew I wouldn't enjoy. The copper looks very pinkish to me in pictures I've seen, but perhaps that's not what it is at all. I think I will get a selection of blue's from him next as they seem very good.

The Royal Red is fine. It's not hugely exciting, but it's certainly not bad.

I suspect that Barossa Grape will be one of those inks you either love or hate.

[Cyber6]

So awesome you are enjoying some Robert Oster Signature Inks... I am actually quite happy with most of them.. I don't have copper (waiting for it)... but I do have Burgundy.. and I love it.

 

Again.. with colors, there is no arguing about taste.

 

Waiting on Moss too... I am sure I am going to love that one. My favorites right now: Deep Sea, Jade, Emerald, Bondi Blue, Denim Blue, Chocolate, Burgundy, Kahki, Green Olive.. lol.. I guess I have too many favorites..

 

 

Check my thread... https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/307974-robert-oster-signature-inks-picture-heavy/

 

 

 

C.

[Cryptos]

Uncial, with regard to pictures: you could download the free to use program paint.net This is what I use. You simply open an image in it and re-size to fit the 1 Mb size limit for FPN. Seems to work pretty, and although my photography skills generally suck, all of them have been reduced this way.

[migo984]

Copper and Burgundy were the two I knew I wouldn't enjoy. The copper looks very pinkish to me in pictures I've seen, but perhaps that's not what it is at all. I think I will get a selection of blue's from him next as they seem very good.

The Royal Red is fine. It's not hugely exciting, but it's certainly not bad.

I suspect that Barossa Grape will be one of those inks you either love or hate.

It's not just the colours I dislike per se, it's the ink characteristics. I actually like the colour of Copper but it is one of the most watery, weak inks in my whole ink collection, and is so lacking in any lubrication on the nib that it makes writing almost unpleasant. Even Photo-flo fails to improve it. Burgundy is a similarly ''weak' ink. They're a real contrast to others, like Deep Sea, which are saturated, shade beautifully & feel silky against the paper.

[Uncial]

Uncial, with regard to pictures: you could download the free to use program paint.net This is what I use. You simply open an image in it and re-size to fit the 1 Mb size limit for FPN. Seems to work pretty, and although my photography skills generally suck, all of them have been reduced this way.

Thanks, I'll try that out

[AndyYNWA]

Sorry, it seems I can't post the picture from my Flckr account as it says it isn't permitted in this community. Is there any other way to post a picture? If I try the image hosting service here it says it's too big and to get it small enough means chopping it down to a tiny square, which is pointless.

I use Photobucket. Free and lots of storage space. I use it exclusively for posting pictures in different forums.

[Runnin_Ute]

I use Photobucket. Free and lots of storage space. I use it exclusively for posting pictures in different forums.

Another Photobucket user.

 

You have to use the IMG or IMG thumbnail links for it to post correctly though. Do you have that option with flickr?

[amberleadavis]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/37369462@N06/27382402296/in/datetaken/

[Uncial]

Thanks Amber, much appreciated

[FLZapped]

I must say, I like Deep Sea.

[amberleadavis]

I must say, I like Deep Sea.

 

I'm going to ink up with it in the next few days. Would you like to share a letter (also known as a CRV). You could then see it in person and write back.

[dcwaites]

My two favourites are Bondi Blue and School Blue, both are now EDC inks for me. The School Blue is a very nice business-appropriate Blue-Black, but it is a bit wetter than Bondi Blue, so may do better in a slightly drier pen.