2023 DC Pen Show Haul- Robert Oster Signature Inks & Vanness Special Edition Ink

I can’t recall when I first saw Hickory Aflame. It might have been at a previous pen show where I saw a swatch of this ink. I was so happy to find a bottle at the Vanness table at this year’s pen show.

Hickory Aflame is a beautiful brown shimmering wet ink. This brown ink leans towards red and the shimmering particles appear to be coppery sparkles.

My swatch card shows lots of shimmering particles.

Just look at how much shimmering sparkles appear at the bottom of my bottle!

It wasn’t too hard to find other swatches for comparison. For me, Hickory Aflame sits somewhere in between Aussie Brown and Charred Hickory.

There’s a tiny bit of sheen that can be seen at an angle, but the oodles of copper shimmering particles tends to overwhelm this ink a bit. Charred Hickory looks like a close match and appears to have a bit more red than Hickory Aflame.

I originally had my new Franklin-Christoph/Galen Leather exclusive pen filled with Hickory Aflame. I used this pen and ink combination to write in my Lochby journal about my pen show experiences. While I enjoyed writing with this beautiful ink, I was having a few issues with my new pen.

Before I left the pen show, I had stopped by the Franklin-Christoph table to show them the issues I was having with this beautiful pen. I filled out a form and gave them my new pen to fix. Yes, I was a bit heart broken to part with my pen for a week or two.

Hickory Aflame is a beautiful brown ink. Depending on the lighting, the ink leans a bit towards red-orange. I’m sure the coppery particles have some influence on the way the color shows up on paper. It’s a wet ink with lovely shading. I’m glad I trusted my gut instinct to purchase this ink.