P.w. Akkerman #6, Binnenhof Blues

[geoduc]

Here's my first review of a P.W. Akkerman ink, complete with bonus comparison to Diamine Sapphire Blue. There has been speculation that the Akkerman inks are made by Diamine and I am increasingly convinced that it is true. More discussion below.

 

Writing Samples:

The following samples were written with pens chosen to show the ink with different nib widths and wetness. Writing excerpts are from the novel, "The Secret of Santa Vittoria" by Robert Crichton, and are written on Rhodia 80 g/m² paper. You get free entertainment with this ink, as it is a lovely purple shade when wet that changes to a nice blue color as it dries (What can I say? I'm easily amused).

 

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5099/5562047195_220f38258a_b.jpg

 

Behavior:

Flow: Moderate, leaning towards the wet side. It holds a nice tight line.

Lubrication: Good. Felt smooth in all the pens I've tried, especially on better paper.

Saturation: A saturated ink, but not at all in the Private Reserve/Noodler's class.

Feathering: Insignificant on Rhodia and HP32 laser paper, moderate on cheap copy paper.

Showthrough: None on Rhodia or HP32, moderate on cheap copy paper.

Bleedthrough: None noted.

Smearing: None once dry.

Cleanup: Not quick. It takes a while to get all of the ink out.

Shading: Slight. You can see a bit of it with a broad nib that isn't too wet.

 

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5095/5562623400_1de5673a7d.jpg

 

Dry time: Relatively slow. Sample below is on Rhodia paper. On copy paper, dry time is approximately three seconds.

 

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5182/5562623222_b3031840a9.jpg

 

Water resistance: Not bad for a Diamine ink (Akkerman...I mean Akkerman). A lot of color bleed but still completely legible after a 15 minute soak in tap water.

 

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5131/5562686718_bcbbef4e13.jpg

 

Comparison with other colors:

Swab samples of several purply-blues are shown below. Scanners have a tough time reproducing this shade, so I'll just tell you that MB royal blue and Aurora blue are slightly more purple than Binnenhof Blues once dry. Visconti blue was included to provide contrast, as it is a true blue with no purple undertone.

 

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5229/5562046987_87a6ac047a.jpg

 

Note the similarity between Binnenhof Blues and Diamine sapphire blue. FPN member saintsimon pointed out this similarity in another thread, so I purchased a sample of sapphire blue to make a direct comparison. As you can see by the sample below, there's really nothing to separate them. They both behave the same, have similar dry times, water resistance, lubrication, etc. They also both show the color change from purple when wet to blue when dry. I'm convinced that they are one and the same. Don't get me wrong; that's not a bad thing. I like Diamine inks and the wonderful Akkerman bottle is a nice bonus. The Akkerman price is competitive considering that you get 150ml of ink.

 

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5030/5562623296_257d26ef78.jpg

 

The bottle:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5013/5562047239_a32b73b500_b.jpg

 

The bottle is roughly 136mm (5 3/8") tall by 80mm (3 1/8") in diameter.The opening of the bottle is 22mm in diameter and the distance from the mouth of the bottle to the top of the marble is about 40mm. You should be able to fill just about any pen from one of these. The cap thas a good seal. It looks like plastic of some sort, but I was unwilling to pry it out to see. In any case, it is not the coated cardstock seen in some other brands.

 

Filling with this bottle is very easy. Tip it down to fill the reservoir, stand it up to seat the marble, take off the top, and insert nib. Once your pen is full, you can tip the bottle on its side to unseat the marble and allow the ink to drain back to main bottle. It's really a nice system.

 

Conclusion:

A very nice ink. Not exactly a unique color, but it is well behaved and easy on the eyes. Diamine or not, it's nice.

 

The Akkerman bottle is really a gem. It holds a lot of ink, is lovely to look at, and has a very functional filling system. The only drawback is that it's expensive to ship to the U.S. That's okay, it's worth it to me. I have several other colors on their way right now.

Edited March 27, 2011 by geoduc

[Trom]

Thanks for the review. Exactly as you write the inks are not unique in color put me off to buy a bottle as I have so many inks already. Maybe I will buy one for the bottle. Still waiting for a review of the ink I like best.

[mrsphotobug]

Geoduc,

 

I really enjoy your review with all the ink comparisons and the photo of the bottles. Very thorough. Keep it up!

[Sandy1]

Hello,

 

Many thanks for the great review!

 

I agree that if these are 'private label' Diamine inks, that is not a bad thing.

 

I would like to think that over time, Akkerman may introduce a bespoke line of inks with colours which are theirs alone.

 

Bye,

Sandy1

[saintsimon]

...

I agree that if these are 'private label' Diamine inks, that is not a bad thing.

 

I would like to think that over time, Akkerman may introduce a bespoke line of inks with colours which are theirs alone.

 

Bye,

Sandy1

Akkerman seems to have a mixed line-up of regular and bespoke Diamine inks. #15 and #16 and possibly others awaiting to be compared differ from regular colours.

[GJMekenkamp]

Is this a safe ink?

 

How does one know/see whether it is iron gall or anything in the risky area?

[inkstainedruth]

Is this a safe ink?

 

How does one know/see whether it is iron gall or anything in the risky area?

 

AFAIK, the only Akkerman IG ink is #10 (Ijzer Galnoten Bliew-zweig. And frankly, other than a bit of extra maintenance, modern FP iron gall inks are perfectly safe. You just need to flush the pen a bit more often, and don't use ammonia solution -- instead use a dilute vinegar solution (same proportions of vinegar and distilled water as for ammonia solution, just substitute white vinegar for the ammonia).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[GJMekenkamp]

 

AFAIK, the only Akkerman IG ink is #10 (Ijzer Galnoten Bliew-zweig. And frankly, other than a bit of extra maintenance, modern FP iron gall inks are perfectly safe. You just need to flush the pen a bit more often, and don't use ammonia solution -- instead use a dilute vinegar solution (same proportions of vinegar and distilled water as for ammonia solution, just substitute white vinegar for the ammonia).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

Thanks!