Oscar's Copper - Organics Studio

[visvamitra]

Thanks to fantastic Lgsoltek and Amberlea thread I'll have a pretext to re-review 52 inks this year. I'll write for a week with an ink before adding some thoughts.

 

Week 2 theme was about choosing random ink. I've chosen (or rathoer random number generator has chosen for me) Organic's Studio Oscar's Copper ink. I used to like this ink but, truth be told, I haven't used it for more than a year. After trying it the first day I was enthusiastic, but after two days of use I started to feel tired of it and I guess I now know why I don't use it so often.

 

First things first though.

 

Organics Studio is a boutique fountain pen ink company started by a University of Maryland biochemistry student. The company was present on the market few years ago and I guess some of their inks were quite popular. I remember I really enjoyed Walt Whitman, Blue Merle or Boron. In 2014 company's creator decided to take a break in creating inks and I have impression he did it in a way that discouraged many ink afficionados. Some of OS inks developped some sediment, some lost their colors or deteriorated. In June 2016 OS came back to market but as I see their inks aren't widely available. I bel;ieve regainiong trust in our small world won't be that easy. On the other hand I would gladly try their new inks and if sych a possibility arises I'll do it.

 

 

Oscar's Copper was part of Vintage Writing Fluids series that was quite remarkable - the colors were unusual and vintage looking as the name suggested. After three years the ink hasn't changed or deteriorated in any way. It's still perfectly usable and has the same writing properties as in the day I unboxed it.

 

 

Oscar’s Copper doesn't look like copper at all. I would say that my batch (it was reintroduced on the market in june 2016 so the color may be a little different. I haven't tried new one) falls somewhere between smoked salmon, brick red and something strange with pinkish accents. There's not a lot of brown component to it but in some nibs and some papers you can have impresiion it's brownish (especially on absorbent cream papers).

Oscar’s Copper produces strong shading, some greenish sheen. The flow is consistent and very smooth in wet nibs however in dry pens I would say the ink is averagely saturated and it may lack lubrication. Overall behavior is good - no bleethrough, no feathering, reasonable dry times, some water resistance.

The thing is that in my case it's cool ink to use for a day. After a week I was tired of this color and feeling bored. Sure, I like to change inks but I use some of them almost everyday and never feel tired of them (J. Herbin Lie de The, Lamy Dark Lilac). This one is nice choice for occasional writing, especially in wet and broad stub nibs. In such nibs it does look impressive.

Drops of ink on kitchen towel

Color ID

Color range

Tomoe River, Lamy 2000, medium nib

Tomoe River, Hero 5028, stub 1,5

Leuchtturm 1917, Kaweco AL Sport, broad nib

Semicolon, Hero 5028, stub 1,5

Rhodia, TWSBI 580, stub 1,1 (this scan is old - from 2013 or 2014, I don't remember precisely)

Water resistance

 

[lapis]

Thanks for this "new" review. Actually, I think there is more than enough brown in it but that is even topped off with the green sheen you mention (but which I don't see). "Real" copper furbishings (in nature, not on paper) usually have at least in part a green sheen made up mostly of the mineral malachite = basic copper carbonate patina from the atmosphere.

I am more than tickled pink to hear you say "After three years the ink hasn't changed or deteriorated in any way" and sure wish that that had held true for Blue Merle. Maybe this might incite them to cough out a Blue Merle II.

 

Whee! (as Sandy would say....)

[white_lotus]

Thanks for the great re-review and I look forward to many others.

 

I really enjoyed many OS inks a few years back and they made some unique inks. Anderson Pens and Vanness both seem to be carrying them. So there's hope.

[mehandiratta]

Nice... thank you for the review...

[PenPaper52]

 

Would like to try this one. Thank you for the review.

[MKeith]

Not a color for me, however your reviews are so interesting to read and look at. I am looking forward to the coming year of your review plans as well as Amberlea, Chrissy, and Lgsoltek's. You all are great reviewers.