PenBBS - 512 Great Heat

PenBBS - 512 Great Heat - Ink drop

Today’s ink is No. 512 from PenBBS. The name Great Heat might seem strange for a brilliant blue, but this ink is part of a 24-ink series named after the 24 traditional lunar calendar seasons of the year historically thought of in parts of North Asia (China, Korea, and others). Great Heat refers to the period at the peak of summer’s heat.

PenBBS - 512 Great Heat - Dark edging

Visually, this is a gorgeous, blue sky, blue water, summer blue. When I hear the word blue, this is the kind of blue that pops into my head. It reminds me of Iroshizuku Kon-peki in many ways. I find this kind of highly saturated, pure blue very appealing. It’s upbeat, and optimistic, very positive in spirit. This is a good shader, and nice light areas accent the base color beautifully. The splatter shows a dark edging, and a pink-red sheen, and both can be seen in writing on premiums. The sheen is modest, but the dark halo is fairly prominent.

PenBBS - 512 Great Heat - Shades of blue

As a writing ink, 512 Great Heat is predictably good. It’s a nice, wet ink, and it flows very comfortably. Strokes are clean and sharp on everything. Drying was also quicker than expected, given its wetness. Premiums dried in 5-15 seconds, and office copy was under 5 seconds.

PenBBS - 512 Great Heat - Ink swatch card

This is a gorgeous, potent blue, and a great writing ink. Its bright personality is infectious, too! It’s very similar to KWZ No. 5, and Monteverde Capri Blue, and that’s a high compliment in my opinion. I love those two blues, and this is equally good.