I have been using a very specific ink for the past few years. The ink is Pen BBS #224 Leo Tolstoy which was released a few years ago never to be seen again. It’s a dark yellow-green that has low saturation but a dark enough ink for a fine Japanese nib. It’s not a bright grassy green but more of a brined olive color. I love this ink and keep a pen filled with it, all the time. Which means, there’s not much left.
I have made an effort to find a replacement over the years so that I can continue to write in my signature green color but results have been mixed. There have been a few similar-ish but brighter, or darker, or more yellow-y. So, last weekend while I was in Portland, I decided to make another effort to find a good alternative.
I grabbed a ridiculous amount of ink at the show and ordered a few additional options. So here’s the list:
- Amarillo Stationery Not Too Much
- Sailor Studio Ink #970
- Sailor Studio Ink #370
- Colorverse USA Special Great Plains
- Vinta Inks Leyte 1944 Sea Kelp
- Octopus Inks Goblin (Violet sheener green so I knew it was a long shot, but c’mon, for the name alone!)
- Troublemaker Hanging Rice
The inks I collected range from bright grassy greens (Amarillo No Too Much!) to more moody, murky yellow-greens (like Sailor #970 and Colorverse Great Plains). They are all pretty and have potential in my collection but aren’t necessarily a replacement for Leo Tolstoy.
As expected, Octopus Inks Goblin is nowhere near Pen BBS #224 but I couldn’t resist an ink called Goblin with a green base and violet sheen. Yum! So, as much I like it, it will not replace Leo Tolstoy. But that’s okay.
I have been experimenting with swatching on some different papers and you’ll see that the inks look quite different depending on the paper. Iroful definitely switches ink colors in ways I find extremely unexpected. Colors seem to look a little lighter overall and in some cases, the colors shift a bit. So, beware when you are testing different inks and papers that YMMV.
I did find a few inks that I think might be good options moving forward, even though they are not quite the same hue as my beloved Pen BBS #224 Leo Tolstoy. Sailor Studio #370 is pretty close, a tiny bit lighter. Vinta Inks Leyte and Troublemaker Hanging Rice are darker but I quite like them and I think I might test these out in the next few weeks and see if I like them.
Do you have a favorite ink that might be impossible to replace? What’s your plan? Eat it up like the last slice of birthday cake or hoard it like the last piece of Halloween candy? What’s your plan? I think I’m a “use it up” kind of person but I am getting a little verklempt about using up the last of the Pen BBS #224.
DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review were provided free of charge by Dromgoole’s and Vanness Pen Shop for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.