EFNIR: Robert Oster Graphite

[LizEF]

Extra Fine Nib Ink Review: Robert Oster Graphite

This is review #159 in my series.  Here's the YouTube video:

Post-recording notes: Cleaning was fairly quick and easy - the ink is quite saturated, so it took a little longer, but only plain water was needed. Apparently I should not expect graphite to look like the marks a pencil makes. This is a very dark green, darker and different from all my other greens to the point that I didn't even include a comparison. I included my two darkest greys to show that it's not grey, and Diamine Graphite to show that it's a different green... The green is camera-shy, however, so perhaps that's where the name comes from... In the absorbent / copy paper photo, the absorbent paper shows only a hint of green, and it's too grey. The zoom just doesn't come close. The scan is washed out and wrong. And the screen capture just has no color at all. Therefore, I'm including as good a picture of the swatch as I can manage. It's fairly close to the color my eyes see, which is a dark, muted, slightly yellow (or brown?)-leaning green.

Swatch (closest color reproduction):

And here is a screen of the final result, for those not interested in the video:

Scan of Completed Review:

Zoomed in photo:

Absorbent Paper Closeup (top is puzzle paper like thick newsprint, bottom is old 20lb copy paper):

Images also available on Instagram: @zilxodarap

Previous Review: Rubinato Writing Ink Blue-Black.

Want to influence the inky sequence?  Take the "next ink" poll.

Need to catch up on The Adventures of Quin and Makhabesh?  Find the whole story here.

Hope you enjoy.  Comments appreciated!

[yazeh]

Great job Liz   The green is quite obvious to my eyes/ screen both on scan and photo... maybe it's your screen

So does this fall in your favorite murky/ grey ink category?

 

I had a great chuckle... was "Krishna nacho" ( <=autocorrect) the head honcho goat? Are those cheese burgers plant based? So not to offend the goatsees?

 

 

 

 

[LizEF]

6 minutes ago, yazeh said:

Great job Liz

Thanks!

 

6 minutes ago, yazeh said:

The green is quite obvious to my eyes/ screen both on scan and photo... maybe it's your screen

Oh good.  Yes, perhaps my screen just won't show it well.

 

7 minutes ago, yazeh said:

So does this fall in your favorite murky/ grey ink category?

No, not really.  I think I like more brownish murk than grey - at least with greens.  Rikyu Cha and RO Bronze are much more up my alley - currently my favorites.

 

8 minutes ago, yazeh said:

I had a great chuckle... was "Krishna nacho" ( <=autocorrect)...

8 minutes ago, yazeh said:

... the head honcho goat? Are those cheese burgers plant based? So not to offend the goatsees?

Yes, Kri Nachi is the head goat - the Ancient of Goats.  Hmm.  I hadn't really thought of it, but yeah, I guess those had better be veggie burgers.  Maybe Quin can mollify Makhabesh's anger by pointing this out later - or we can learn what sphinxes think of veggie burgers...

[Sailor Kenshin]

I knew I saw green!  And any adventure that includes cheeseburgers is okay in my book.

 

Of the comparison inks, I have the MV.  I am trying to think of another, maybe Zhivago, that looks dark gray or black but is actually green.  

 

It's an interesting color. Would you say that this is an ink for 'longhairs?'  *scurries off in shame*

 

 

[LizEF]

28 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

I knew I saw green!  And any adventure that includes cheeseburgers is okay in my book.

...Just not green cheeseburgers!

 

29 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

Would you say that this is an ink for 'longhairs?'  *scurries off in shame*

  I'd say it's for people who like dark green pencils...

[mizgeorge]

Thank you @LizEF another really useful review - and one that came as quite a surprise.

 

I've nearly bought this ink on so many occasions, and have then opted for something else, and I'm really glad about it now.

 

It's definitely off the list, so I'm grateful for having been spared what would clearly have been a mistake! 

[yazeh]

34 minutes ago, LizEF said:

...Just not green cheeseburgers!

 

  I'd say it's for people who like dark green pencils...

I would say they are for people who like dark green pencil, hang out with goats, love vegan cheese burgers, are novice magicians and like FPs.

 

[LizEF]

1 hour ago, mizgeorge said:

Thank you @LizEF another really useful review - and one that came as quite a surprise.

You're very welcome!  Glad to give you a bit of the unexpected.

 

1 hour ago, mizgeorge said:

I've nearly bought this ink on so many occasions, and have then opted for something else, and I'm really glad about it now.

 

It's definitely off the list, so I'm grateful for having been spared what would clearly have been a mistake! 

Yeah, I really expected a color like pencil marks on the page.

[namrehsnoom]

Thanks for the review. I also see the green tones in this one. Colourwise it looks nice enough, but bad technical qualities are a deterrent. There is a small sample of it in my ink-stash, just enough to fill a pen, so I will definitely give it try. Just to see how it goes. 

[inkstainedruth]

I'm surprised by the color.  From the name I was expecting a grey -- not a green.  On my screen the first screen (not the scan) of the review, made me expect something very similar to Noodler's El Lawrence (which is similar but less green leaning).

Thanks as usual for the review.  I think I can pass on this one.  Although suspect that cyber6 would probably love it because I think she has never seen a murky-color ink that she didn't have to just HAVE.... 

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

[lapis]

Thanks for the review incl the option to steer clear (so to say). I love greys and graphites usually have at least a hint of green in them (I think), like Diamine's (which is more than okay), but this one is toooooo  green.

[LizEF]

21 minutes ago, namrehsnoom said:

Thanks for the review.

You're very welcome.

 

22 minutes ago, namrehsnoom said:

Colourwise it looks nice enough, but bad technical qualities are a deterrent. There is a small sample of it in my ink-stash, just enough to fill a pen, so I will definitely give it try. Just to see how it goes. 

I was going to suggest sampling, and then you said you have a sample...  In a larger, smooth nib, lubrication might be good enough, but in my Japanese EF, it wasn't terribly nice - except on TR paper, where nearly everything is smooth.

 

I'm curious what you think of it in person.  I didn't do chromatography, so who knows, but there's potential for something interesting...

[LizEF]

21 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

I'm surprised by the color.  From the name I was expecting a grey -- not a green.  

I even googled to see if graphite ever comes out of the ground green, but as far as I can tell, that doesn't happen.  No idea what RO or Diamine were thinking...

 

22 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

Thanks as usual for the review.  I think I can pass on this one.

You're most welcome!   Yeah, I won't be getting this one either.

[LizEF]

2 minutes ago, lapis said:

Thanks for the review incl the option to steer clear (so to say). I love greys and graphites usually have at least a hint of green in them (I think), like Diamine's (which is more than okay), but this one is toooooo  green.

You're very welcome!  Well, steer clear for your Japanese EF and finer nibs.  Or if you can't stand green graphite...   Strange that graphites should have green in them, but you're right, this one is a bit more green than the Diamine.

[AmandaW]

So not really a grey... but I do enjoy vegan cheeseburgers and am so allergic to goats that my next encounter will likely be my last. Safest to keep them in the story.  And being strictly vegan does reduce the chance of accidental feta. I hope.

 

[LizEF]

20 minutes ago, AmandaW said:

So not really a grey...

Misery - or at least color-disappointment - loves company, and you've got plenty of it in this thread...

 

20 minutes ago, AmandaW said:

but I do enjoy vegan cheeseburgers and am so allergic to goats that my next encounter will likely be my last. Safest to keep them in the story.  And being strictly vegan does reduce the chance of accidental feta. I hope.

  My goats are strictly hypoallergenic - part of their magic, I guess.  (And yes, no feta cheese on their cheeseburgers. )

[LizEF]

Here's the line width measurement. The line is one of those used for dry time.  Magnification is 100x.  The grid is 100x100µm.  The scale is 300µm, with ten divisions of 30µm each.  The line width for this ink is roughly 300µm.