Jim P.

Father, geek, serial hobbyist.

Here is one of my first PW Akkerman inks: Out of the Blue. Akkerman bottles are fun and useful with their inkwell/marble neck, only downside is size as they are quite tall.

Just when you think you have enough “blue with red sheen” inks, along comes an even better shade of blurple. On Iroful the blue is particularly pleasant. On col-o-ring it’s appears much more purple, and Midori is a nice balance.

The sheen doesn’t come out much in writing except on Iroful.

Scans

The swatch card scans don’t show much of the sheen, but they do show subtle differences in color on different paper.

Scan of an ink swatch card made from Col-o-ring paper Scan of an ink swatch card made from Iroful paper Scan of an ink swatch card made from MD paper
Out of the Blue Swatch Card Scans. Click to enlarge.

Photos

The sheen covers large portions of the big swatches.

Swatch Card Photos. Click to enlarge.

Sheen shows in the writing on all three samples. On the Col-o-ring sample it isn’t as intense but covers most of the writing, making it appear more purple. It looks the best to me on Iroful.

Microscope

Col-o-ring looks much more purple overall but the sheen still shows in some areas, though more evenly and not as pronounced as on Iroful.

Photo of writing under magnification. The ink appears purple in the center with red/purple and some shininess toward the rough edges. Photo of ink swatch under magnification, the whole area appears purple but looking closer some areas between paper fibers are almost cyan, while others are more purple. There is some sheen in certain areas but it looks more purple, less red than others. Photo of an ink swatch under magnification. The lower left is black from a stamp on the paper. Next to that is a line of cyan, then a wider strip of purple, then an area that is more red and reflective.
Out of the Blue on Col-o-ring under Magnification. Click to enlarge.

Iroful seems to concentrate the sheen in smaller areas and it becomes more pronounced and this also shows off the blue of the ink more. Still not sure what they do to that paper that makes it work that way.

Photo of a writing sample under magnification. The center of the strokes are very blue, the edges are shiny red. Photo of an ink swatch under magnification. Paper fibers are visible. The entire field of view is blue with a few small flecks of red. Photo of an ink swatch under magnification. There is an outline on the paper visible. The left part is mostly blue, the edge is shiny red with some purple between paper fibers. There is a line of almost gold going through the blue, which is where the ink went over the line stamped on the card.
Out of the Blue on Iroful under Magnification. Click to enlarge.

Midori seems to be in between the extremes of Iroful and Col-o-ring. You do see sheen in regular writing with enough light at just the right angle, but it isn’t as prominent.

Photo of writing under magnification. The center is blurple and the edges are red, only slightly reflective. Photo of ink swatch under magnification, the whole field appears evenly blurple. Between the fibers in some areas is lighter, some fibers are darker. Photo of an ink swatch under magnification. The lower right is blank ink stamped on the paper. After that is a wide line of blurple. Then an area that is red and reflective, and finally a little area of purple in the upper left.
Out of the Blue on MD under Magnification. Click to enlarge.

Chromatography

It separates out into purple and blue, with the blue sticking mostly to the edges.

Photo of chromatography paper under UV light.
Chromatography strip photo under UV light

Nothing too noteworthy under UV light.

Other Photos

Here is a writing sample alongside the ink bottle and an Asvine C80.

Photo of a fountain pen, ink bottle, and note paper with a writing sample all on a wooden table. The fountain pen is an Asvine C80 in Cobalt Blue, which is generally blue but has swirls of black, light blue, and shimmer all through the body and cap. The ink bottle is octagonal at the base, then rises up to a narrow "waist" then changes to a cylinder at the top which extends up several cm to the cap. The writing sample reads "Asvine C80 - Cobalt Blue w/Stub / Akkerman Out of the Blue" followed by several "X" characters and curlicues -- The ink is a shade of blue which is close to the pen.

Verdict

I highly enjoy the Akkerman bottles, and the color of this ink is especially nice.

That said, the ink seems to be a bit too dry for some pens. In particular, it did not get along with a Pilot Vanishing Point EF nib. Even so, this aspect can make it a great fit for pens or nibs that tend to run too wet, or if you are going for an especially thin line with a nib that can still cope with the ink.

Based on a Mastodon Post

Updated:

Questions or comments? Contact me on Mastodon

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