Search the Community

Lennon Tool Bar - Shi Shi Zi Ink Review # 202 --- 🧾 Description Shi Shi Zi is a pale, high-shading, green-grey ink, named after the protective lions in front of Chinese temples. It’s part of the 2024 Summer Guardian Beasts limited edition, which includes Bixi, Komainu, and Feng Shi Ye. Flow and lubrication are lacking, water resistance is dubious, and you’ll have bleed-through and show-through on thin copy paper. If you want it to be legible, you’ll need a wet pen. According to ChatGPT: “Founded in 2014 in Tamsui, Taiwan, Lennon Tool Bar (藍濃道具屋) takes its name from ‘lán nóng’—meaning rich indigo—and ‘dào jù wū’—meaning workshop or tool shop—echoing its roots in traditional indigo-dyeing and its identity as a creative atelier for color.” I hope one of our Mandarin-speaking members can clarify or confirm these claims. --- 🧪 Chroma --- ✍️ Writing Samples (scan) The scan of Midori and Tomoe River was off, so I didn’t post it. Rhodia / Iroful Hammermill 20lb I had a little adventure with this ink. When I filled my Jinhao, I realized that I hadn’t cleaned the pen. So, I had to use creative techniques to make the image seamless. The photo didn’t work as well. 📸 Photo Rhodia/ Iroful Midori / Tomoe River 68 gsm Hammermill Closeup - Iroful 🔍 Comparison --- 💧 Water Test --- 🎨 Artwork Lost in Savannah Talens Mixed Media paper Mouse lost Cat on a Safari trip, so he climbed up on a “hill” to look for him. --- - Pens Used: Pilot F3A EF/Semi-flex, Lamy (EF/F/M/B), Jinhao 450 - What I Liked: Mysterious colour. Learning about Chinese temple lions. - What I Did Not Like: Writing with it. - Writing Experience: So, som decent with M/B. - Pros: High shading - Cons: Low lubrication, dryish flow, pale colour. 🧷 Ink Characteristics - Shading: Extreme, especially on Iroful - Ghosting: On copy paper, with most nibs. - Bleed-Through: Same as above. - Flow Rate: On the dry side. - Lubrication: Below average. - Nib Dry-out: Did not notice. - Start-up: Ok. - Saturation: You must be kidding me. - Sheen: No. - Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Did not notice. - Nib Creep / Crud: Did not notice. - Staining (Pen): No. - Clogging: No. - Cleaning: Very easy. - Water Resistance: Futile. --- 🛒 Availability - Available in 30 ml bottles worldwide. --- 💬 Closing This is a pale grey-green ink for writing ephemeral poems on good Japanese paper (for extreme shading) or thick absorbent notebooks like Peter Pauper, for legibility. It’s mostly an artistic/niche ink. No fountain pens were hurt in preparing this review. Please don’t hesitate to share your experience, writing samples, or any other comments — the more the merrier.

I rarely have had so much frustration and cursing at an ink and I’m very tolerant of naughty inks. But then again, if any members like a challenge, with waterproof, pigment, unsaturated ink, go for it! (you know who you are ) I would say it could be used for sketching or writing passive aggressive letters in an EF/F nib to someone you don't like 😆 I have no ink even close to it: Writing samples I used a Pilot Kakuna Medium as a replacement for a European Fine nib and used the reverse to recreate the EF. Rhodia Midori TR 68 gr Maruman It does like cheap paper very much from Front: And not so much from behind: