Robert Oster - Sago at Black Gulaman
R. Oster - Black Gulaman & Sago at Black Gulaman
Robert Oster Black Gulaman grabbed me immediately! I’ve been repeatedly refilling a pen for the past 6 weeks! The shimmer version (Sago at Black Gulaman) is eye-catching, but the non-shimmer version is addictively good! Both inks are Robert Oster collaborations with @michafinds made for the 2024 Manila Pen Show (Sago is sold out, but you can still find Black Gulaman at Endless Pens).
R. Oster - Black Gulaman & Sago at Black Gulaman
The swatch variation from paper to paper is fascinating, but each is consistently captivating in use. On most papers, it’s a cool, peachy, caramel brown. It really reminds me of the unique off-orange color of a Thai milk tea. On some, you’ll find icy grey influences that add a deliciously frosty, wintery feel to the base color, and I haven’t seen this combination in any previous inks. I really enjoy this ink! Both the gold-shimmer Sago at Black Gulaman and the non-shimmer Black Gulaman use the same base ink, but it’s the non-shimmer version that I couldn’t recommend more highly.
R. Oster - Black Gulaman & Sago at Black Gulaman
In writing, Black Gulaman is fairly wet in flow (especially for a Robert Oster ink), and the writing experience is smooth and pleasurable. Performance has been consistently good across papers with two exceptions that you can see in my images. On both Oasis and Iroful, I found some feathering. With Iroful, I think the ink is just sensitive to fingerprints, as it only feathers in certain spots. On Oasis, the feathering seemed far more a general disagreement between ink and paper. I’ve used the ink extensively on office copy paper, and haven’t had any problems at all, so this is a great work ink! Drying on all papers has always been within twenty seconds, too.
R. Oster - Black Gulaman on Iroful and Takasago Bank
Michafinds is a prolific collaborator (including several pens, and at least eleven inks are their creations, as well, through Hatch Create), and they have a good eye for color combinations. I have a couple nice ones from the Robert Oster Cozy Comfort series to review, so you’ll see those here soon.
Grab a bottle of Black Gulaman before they sell out! If you don’t think a brown ink can excite you, this is the ink to change your mind!
Writing sample on Cosmo Air Snow paper
R. Oster - Black Gulaman ink writing samples
R. Oster - Black Gulaman & Sago at Black Gulaman - Swatch Cards
R. Oster - Black Gulaman - Comparisons
Robert Oster Black Gulaman 50 ml bottle