R&k Verdigris - Akkerman Diep-Duinwaterblauw

[alexander_k]

One if the inks I used to like a few years ago was Diamine Teal. It was a nice alternative to my usual blue inks, especially for informal notes. When I got my bottle of Akkerman Diep-duinwaterblauw I decided to abandon Teal. The difference was not big enough to justify having both. Diep-duinwaterblauw was more on the blue side (my preferences are obvious) and it was moreover waterproof (not that I care much about this but it's good to have at least an ink that's waterproof, e.g. for writing on envelopes). For a green ink I already had and kept Diamine Green-Black, a nice enough colour in a medium nib (I have little use for fine ones with my clumsy writing).

 

So I had a stable collection of inks, until one day in Tilburg, in a well-known specialist shop, I decided to get not just the bottle of Diamine Salamander I'd come for but also one of Rohrer & Klingner Verdigris just because I remembered I'd liked the colour in online reviews. I wasn't disappointed. It's a nice ink with decent behaviour. In the following pictures you can see a hastily written note (apologies for the poor handwriting) in Verdigris and Diep-duinwaterblauw, as well as Green-Black and Salamander for comparison purposes, a pairwise scribble comparison and the ubiquitous cotton bud traces on paper.

 

Any conclusions? Firstly, that Salamander may seem a bit odd in the wrong company. It's one of those colours that depend on context. Secondly, that Verdigris is slightly lighter than Diep-duinwaterblauw but otherwise quite similar (except for water resistance). Am I going to keep Verdigris in addition to Diep-duinwaterblauw? I don't know yet but even if I stick with the Akkerman ink (it's a local product, just a tram trip away, after all), I can certainly recommend Verdigris as a first-rate ink.

 

PS In addition to the apologies for the poor, hasty handwriting, I should add that in reality all inks seem slightly darker than the scans as I see them on my screen.

Edited October 23, 2015 by alexander_k

[bobje]

Extremely valuable comparison, Alexander. The second chart, with the head-to-head comparisons, is especially helpful. Thank you.

[FayeV]

Thank you for the comparison. I have both these blues and never thought to compare the two. I agree the 2nd photo is very helpful.