Akkerman #04 Nassaus Blauw

The first of many Akkerman inks!

I was given this sample a really long time ago by Celeste from our Triangle Pen Club, and I'm only just now getting around to using it. Thanks for the sample, Celeste!

I'm only just getting started with this brand, and I have to say that the three of these inks that I've used so far are pretty great. This one is a color that I shouldn't like as much as I do. It does down on the page a little on the purple side. It dries to a dark blue or blue/black, though, and that's totally my jam.

 This ink is also really smooth. I just enjoy the way that it feels on the nib. It helps that this nib is extremely good, but this is an extra-good feeling ink.

Anywho, this isn't going to be my favorite of the Akkerman blue inks (Shocking Blue is coming up soon...), but it's a darn good one to add to your collection.

Now, a note about the color in these pictures. I could not make it reproduce the color faithfully. I just couldn't. I tried all sorts of settings and lighting set-ups, and it always comes out looking brighter in pictures than it should be. This ink is dark. It's a purple-ish blue/black. It's not a striking blue that you are seeing here. Honestly, this is the first time I can remember having this issue, and it plagued both my camera and my iPhone. It looks closest to real on the video, so check it out there.


Written Review

Close-Ups

Of course, it is weird that this doesn't look b/b, but you're going to have to take my word for it.

Wet/Dry

This one looked cool wet, and this is pretty close to the actual color. I took this one with an iPhone.

You can see some of the sheen in this picture. You won't see a lot of that, though, and the color is still wrong. Check out the video for a more color-correct image.

Compare!

You can tell that it looks more purple than the Visconti Blue beneath it, so take that as a guide for the actual color.

Copy Paper Test

Chromatography

Ah, there's that purple that was hiding in there. It's all at the bottom of the chromatography. 

Video Review and Water Drop Test

This ink is a little expensive, and it can be hard to find. Anderson Pens has it the cheapest in the US, though, so give them a call or send them an email to find out about which ones they have and costs and such.

***I've just gotten links for Akkerman inks at Anderson pens. They're not public, but here's the link to the bottles and samples of this one. Bottles are $29 for 60ml and samples are $2 for 3ml. Check it out!***

It's a darn good ink, and it's in a very cool bottle (that you can only get from one source), so I might have to pick up a couple of bottles at the DC show.