thINKthursday
Robert Oster Red Orange

Shading lovers delight in the bold colors of Robert Oster Red Orange.

thINKthursday – Robert Oster Red Orange

I’ve been a big fan of Robert Oster inks since we first started carrying them and Red Orange delivers again. Red Orange is a bright tangerine color that offers a lot of shading. Oster inks come in a 50ml plastic bottle that has a wide enough opening to accommodate any fountain pen. Robert Oster inks are also available as a 3ml sample. This review was done with a Pilot Custom 74 F, Lamy AL-Star B, and on Rhodia No. 18 blank paper.

Robert Oster Red Orange is a pretty good match for its namesake. In a fine nib the shading is not as pronounced but one still gets a range of colors from tangerine to apricot to carrot. Using a broad nib really takes the shading up to the next level. Lighter marigold colors shade into a rich tangerine and finally to a near red rust. The ink definitely falls into the orange category rather than the red.

Red Orange is a very well behaved ink. It has good flow and no feathering or bleedthrough on Rhodia paper. It has no water resistance but that made for easy clean up. For an ink that shaded so well, it has good dry times at 15-25 seconds.

Red Orange is a great ink, and a fun color. I think I enjoyed it so much because it is a close match for two of my favorite oranges, Kaweco Sunrise Orange and Diamine Autumn Oak. Red Orange differentiates itself by being a little more subdued than Sunrise Orange and has more of a rusty orange appearance than Autumn Oak.

As with any ink review, the pen, paper, and person doing the writing will influence the way the ink looks. If you’re not sure about a color, try a sample to see if it’s the one for you.

Ink it Up!
Chris

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