Misfill - Sunday, November 20th

Each week in Refill, the Pen Addict Members newsletter, I publish Ink Links as part of the additional content you receive for being a member. And each week, after 10 to 15 links, plus my added commentary on each, I'm left with many great items I want to share. Enter Misfill. Here are this weeks links:

-- The Sketchbook Diary of a WWII Soldier from 1944 (Doodlers Anonymous)

-- SUBMISSION: 10-year chopstick paper collection... (Things Organized Neatly)

-- The Hobo Ethical Code of 1889: 15 Rules for Living a Self-Reliant, Honest & Compassionate Life (Open Culture)

-- Nothing Is Off-Limits in Hirokage’s Humorous Ukiyo-e Prints (Hyperallergic)

-- Pens of the People: Wahl-Eversharp Skyline (Nibspotter)

-- Pelikan M600; El Dimorfismo de un Clásico. (El Pajarete Orquidiado)

-- The ultimate Wes Anderson music playlist (Kottke)

-- Doodles On The Amtrak (Doodlers Anonymous)

Want to catch the rest, plus extra articles, reviews, commentary, discounts, and more? Try out a Pen Addict Membership for only $5 per month!

Vanness Pens

Vanness Pens is the perfect place to start checking off those holiday shopping list items for your friends and family. And even for yourself!

The Mini Fountain K from Karas Kustoms makes a great gift for new or experienced fountain pen users, and with their bright barrels you are sure to find the perfect color to impress. Don’t forget to use the code “penaddict” at checkout for 10% off your Karas order.

Fill up your new pen with a bottle of ink from Papier Plume, who offers a beautiful selection of colors from Cherry Red to Midnight Blue.

My thanks to Vanness Pens for sponsoring The Pen Addict this week.

Robert Oster Signature Ink Astorquiza Rot: A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

Astorquiza Rot is named after Claudia Astorquiza who introduced Robert Oster inks internationally. “Rot” is German for red (I feel really dumb that I didn’t know that). The ink is a deep red that looks almost exactly like blood droplets.

In my Conid Minimalistica fountain pen with a flexible titanium nib, the ink comes out dark and nicely shaded.

Ink testing shows that the ink has a good amount of pink in it, especially when lightly swabbed once with a Q-Tip. But when you put down more ink with a swab, the color becomes a deep, glossy red. It’s a very wet ink and it is not waterproof.

The chromatography test shows that the ink is mostly reddish-pink with a hint of blue.

The ink writes beautifully and exhibits excellent shading. I did not detect any sheen on the Maruman paper I used for my ink tests, nor did I see any with my Tomoe paper. But in my ink splats, I found that the ink has a black, glossy sheen. It’s really pretty cool!

Now that the holidays are drawing near, you might want a rich red ink for letters and cards. Astorquiza Rot is a terrific choice. You can find this and other Robert Oster inks at Vanness Pens, $16.00 for 50ml.

(This ink was purchased with my own funds from Vanness Pens.)

---

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, which I am very grateful for.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!