Sunday, July 2, 2017

Robert Oster "Fire & Ice" fountain pen ink review

A few weeks ago, I received a bottle of Robert Oster Signature ink in the "Fire & Ice" shade, courtesy of the Nikaido gift shop, to try out...
I was intrigued because I knew that this Australian ink was fast becoming a favourite among fountain pen aficionados. I had just received my Bexley Poseidon fountain pen (with stub nib) a few days beforehand, so I thought I'd try my new ink in it...(all photos taken in natural light with no photo editing used)
(~click on photos to enlarge~)
I loved the dark turquoise colour and the high degree of shading it provided. I'd heard of its red sheen (thus the "Fire & Ice" name) but couldn't really see it on the paper I'd used
("sheen" refers to the ink colour that you see on top of the primary ink colour, as the ink dries)...
What I didn't realize is how the ink could look so different, depending on the pen & paper used!
You can see it in these photos of Alejandra's test drive of the "Fire & Ice" ink during our June VPC meeting:
Apparently, the red sheen really shows well when the ink pools on higher-quality paper... but even on cheaper paper, it's a lovely turquoise ink.

Many thanks to Joe & Sara of Nikaido gift shop in Steveston (Richmond) for this cool new ink!

Saturday, July 1, 2017

July meeting details!

~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ HAPPY CANADA DAY! ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~

July meeting details:

Date: Thursday July 20, 2017
Time: 6:00pm to 9:00pm
Place: The amenities room of the condominium building located at 350 East 2nd Avenue in Vancouver, BC (on the south side of East 2nd Avenue, between Scotia & Brunswick...two & a half blocks east of Main Street). Please note: this is the same venue we used for our May meeting. Just knock on the window to be let in, if we don't spot you first! There is free street parking in the area, but it's first come, first served, of course. The meeting goes 'til 9:00pm but if you have to leave early or arrive late, please don't worry. Many thanks to Richard for booking the room for us again!

Topic: DEMONSTRATOR FOUNTAIN PENS! (these are see-through/clear fountain pens...and they can be clear white or coloured...as long as they are see-through).
Please limit the # of pens you bring to 2-3 per person, due to time constraints.

Our secondary theme is always Newest Acquisitions, so if you have any new pens, ink or pen-related accessories (pen cases, etc), please bring them to the meeting for us to see. Don't worry if you don't have anything for either topic---just come to the meeting and see what others brought! No need to RSVP for any meeting, except for our Summer Dinner.

VPC Summer Dinner --- Our Summer Dinner will be held on Thursday August 17 this year... Restaurant---to be determined.

5th Annual Northwest Pen Round-Up!: Just a reminder about this mini pen show being held on Saturday July 15, 2017 in Portland, Oregon. It's free to attend and open to everyone. Full details here on our website: http://www.vancouverpenclub.com/2017/04/5th-annual-northwest-pen-round-up-july.html