P.W. Akkerman - Royal Akkerman Blue/Royal Akkermanblauw

[Ray-Vigo]

Thoughts on Royal Akkerman Blue/Royal Akkermanblauw - staining ink windows, safety in vintage pens, etc?

 

Is Akkerman considered a "boutique" or "saturated" ink? I love my Waterman and Pelikan blues and blue-blacks, but I have this bottle of Akkerman my wife bought for me and was going to use it in my various new and old pens.

Edited July 15, 2019 by lapis

[eharriett]

I have not tried that particular Akkerman ink yet so I cannot answer the first part of the question.

 

As far as the second, I assume you are concerned about the "warnings" regarding not using inks by either Noodlers or Private Reserve. Keeping my own opinions from that discussion for this thread to myself, I think it is safe to say Akkerman is a tried and proven ink that has been around for decades, although not in the U.S. It is a stable brand in Europe and the inks I have used of Akkerman's I am comfortable using in all my pens, new and old, cheap and pricey. I would warn you about #10 Akkerman's for the SOLE reason it is an iron gall ink. I won't say do not use it, but do not leave it in a pen for an extended period of time and wash it out when you want to change inks. That is the only one I'll give any warning about, and it isn't really that strong a warning.

 

Use and enjoy

[silverlifter]

I've used Shocking Blue in my vintage MB 12 & 14, with no staining of the ink windows. Both pens are ridiculously easy to clean, though. And I have never left the ink in them unused for any significant amount of time. So, with normal pen hygiene, no issues.

[Noihvo]

[Ray-Vigo]

I remember reading on one of the pen blogs that the author there also thought that Diamine was making Akkerman's inks. It should be pretty reliable ink if it's Diamine. Ever since I had problems with Levenger's Cobalt Blue (feathered on everything, in some notebooks took upwards of a week+ to dry), I have tried to find out who makes the inks I use. With something like Waterman or Pelikan it's relatively straightforward, but with some of the "shop" or catalog brands, it's not always clear. the Royal Akkerman Blue (#00) does have a nice medium blue tone to it.

Edited July 22, 2019 by Ray-Vigo

[eharriett]

I’ve read that Diamine rumor too. I’d love to know if it is legit. Something about it does not seem right. An entire ink line to compete with another ink line mixed by the competitor? This is, of course, assuming Akkerman is not owned by Diamine and I do not think it is. I know that competitors occasionally sell steps of manufacturing to one another, especially if one can make money off every unit sold from the other, but it does not seem to make sense if Diamine is making an entire ink and letting Akkerman slap its name on a much better bottle.

 

Or am I incorrect? I’ve never found anything official from either Diamine or Akkerman one way or another. And Akkerman certainly does not look like a relabeled Diamine.

[lapis]

One assumption is that Akkerman inks are made by Diamine and/or for Akkerman by the same manufacturer but with any slight addition/improvement such as more or better surfactants like lubrols, emulgens, tritons etc. Two good examples are Akkerman's Nos. 10 and 5.

[welch]

I think Akkerman inks are made by Diamine. That's what several said when the inks were introduced, and it seems true. I have used up a bottle of Binenhof Blue, and another bottle of Nassau Blue. One seems to be Sapphire Blue and the other Imperial Blue, but I can't remember which. Shocking Blue seems to be Diamine Majestic.

[alexander_k]

Whoever makes Akkerman inks is doing a good job. I've used several of them without any trouble, the only exception being Diep-duinwaterblauw: being heavily saturated, it clogged a couple of pens (one was a Pilot Capless) but worked perfectly in others. There were no lasting problems: a good flush was enough. To their credit, Akkerman warned me about it when I bought the ink.

[Noihvo]

[KevinS]

I have long pondered this Akkerman ink made by Diamine thing.

 

I think it quite possibly is the case.

 

However, it occurs to me that given that it is so easy to mix any permutation of aniline dyes one wishes why would Akkerman simply get a Diamine ink off the shelf?

 

It seems far more likely that they have them made to an agreed specification, if it is indeed true. 

 

Akkerman is a pen shop, not a manufacturer. They introduced their ink range to celebrate their centenary. It would be weird if they set up a whole ink plant just for that. Or, do they blend dies in their basement late at night while the unsuspecting public sleeps? That would be a lot of work and unlikely given the number of companies who could wholesale to them. Though I can quite imagine that they buy the ink in in large containers and decant it into their own bottles themselves. After all Diamine hand fills even those small bottles. There is a You Tube showing a little of their facility where they do this. 

 

There are too many Akkerman inks which have no direct equivalent in Diamine's range. 

 

And if we pop over to Austria I think there is a magical ink well doing much the same there for a few companies... But, who knows.

 

I have no evidence, bu thought to share a possible scenario for the little its worth.

 

I would add that someone above said that Akkerman is a staple ink in Europe. I think this is not the case. I don't know of even one European pen shop selling their ink. Certainly no shop in the U.K. sells them.