I turned the corner on shimmer inks a long time ago. They are easy to use and fun, plus, who could turn down a color as awesome as Robert Oster Fizzy Lime? This is everything I want a shimmer ink to be, and I have one bottle to give away this week. Read the rules below and enter away!
Lennon Tool Bar Indigo Tiegan Fountain Pen Ink Review
As a practitioner of the “Matchy Matchy” lifestyle, I am proud to say I have come up with a real winner here. It’s almost like the beautiful blue black of Lennon Tool Bar Indigo Tiegan was waiting to fulfill it’s destiny of flowing through the nib of the TWSBI 580 AL in Prussian Blue.
I like to have fun with product reviews, especially when the target is something as traditional as a blue black fountain pen ink. What Lennon Tool Bar is, and what they have made with this ink, is something special. Not in a drop everything and buy it kind of way, but more of a pure enjoyment when the color hits the page feeling. Especially when you are as big of a fan of this shade as me.
Based in Taiwan, Lennon Tool Bar began life as an indigo dyeing shop, which is a traditional, respected craft. When they decided to launch an in-house fountain pen ink lineup, their initial colors were based on the colors found in the indigo dyeing process they were familiar with.
Indio Tiegan represents when the dyeing process is freshly completed, and before it is first washed. It has some dark components, but shows a lightness in the shading that comes through on the page. It is a good middle ground compared to many of my favorites. For example, it’s darker than Pilot Iroshizuku Shin-Kai, but lighter than Sailor Blue Black.
The ink flows wet from my 1.1 mm stub TWSBI Nib. I need to try it in finer nibs to get a great feel for it, but I think the wetness will show up anywhere. Given that, I’ve found it takes a bit longer to dry on the Clairefontaine Triomphe paper I used for the written review. Comparable to Rhodia, Indigo Tiegan is on the longer side of dry times, but not enough to cause any problems.
I’ll be the first to admit I am swayed by brand and product stories, especially ones coming out of the Asian market that I am so fond of. So it comes as no surprise that I love this ink. At $20 for a 30 ml bottle it’s not cheap, but I think it is a fair price considering the fact that this is a small company, and has to be imported.
The challenge now is to decide which Lennon Tool Bar ink will be next for me, and how it will compare to Indigo Tiegan, which has quickly become a favorite.
(The Pen Addict purchased this ink at full price from Shigure Inks.)
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Misfill, Every Second Counted Edition
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:
— Artists Quarantine With Their Art Collections (Hyperallergic)
— Personal Pens: Leonardo Messenger (SBREBrown)
— Limited Edition Maki-e and Abalone Raden Collier! (Edison Pen Co)
— Joy Division: all of their songs, ranked! (The Guardian)
— 2020 Mid-Year Recap: Five Favorite Products from the Year So Far (The Gentleman Stationer)
— These Daily Drawings Of A Young Artist And Her Little Brother Are A Bright Spot During Some Dark Days (Design you Trust)
— DJ Shadow on the Music That Made Him (Pitchfork)
— Blackwing Volume 3 Ravi Shankar (Wonder Pens)
— Black Creativity Matters: How agencies can push for real change in the creative industries (Creative Boom)
— Schon DSGN keeps the good stuff coming (UK fountain pens)
— 18111 Gold Dancing Feathers in Cosmic Storm (dapprman)
— DIY: Make Your Own Pen Flush (The Well-Appointed Desk)
— Taking a (Slim) Chance with the Artisan Fountain Pens Classic Slim (Penquisition)
— This Woman Inspired One of the First Hit Video Games by Mapping the World’s Longest Cave (OneZero)
— Ink Review #238: J. Herbin Emerald of Chivor (Fountain Pen Pharmacist)
— Star Control 2 Was Designed And Built Entirely On Hand-Drawn Flowcharts (Kotaku)
— Fountain Pen Quest Trail Log – July 19, 2020 (Fountain Pen Quest)
— Early thoughts on the Pilot Capless, matt black. (Fountain pen blog)
— review: kaweco smokey grey (ink between the teeth)
Want to catch the rest, plus extra articles, reviews, commentary, discounts, and more? Try out a Pen Addict Membership for only $5 per month!
