EFNIR: Akkerman #05 Shocking Blue

[LizEF]

Extra Fine Nib Ink Review: Akkerman #05 Shocking Blue

This is review #307 in my series. Here's the YouTube video:

Post-recording notes: This ink was gifted to me by a generous FPGeek.  I'm not sure what's so shocking about it.  My sample is not as vibrant as some online images. The ones at Gourmet Pens seem closest to the color I see in person.

The color is hard to describe. It's a little desaturated. Alone, it seems to lean very, very slightly green. In comparison, it's more often slightly to the purple side. My scan needed me to adjust to the purple side and desaturate before the screen looked like the swatch...  It's blue, but not shocking.

Sorry for the worse than usual handwriting.  Klaw's incessant yowling and trying to use the doorknob had me breaking up at times. Smoke, birdies, and a thunderstorm added more excitement to our soundtrack...

Cleaning only needed plain water, but expect to need lots of extra flushes.  Dry time was difficult because if you rub hard enough after it's "dry", it will smear (if there's enough sheen). The 1:30 line was the last to smear. In different tests before recording, even the greater than 2m mark smeared, so just expect this ink to smear...  The microscope slide was dullsville.

Zoomed in photo (Close.)

Screenshot (Text is too dark.)

Scan of Completed Review (Close, but the absence of sheen makes it look different from what my eyes see.)

Absorbent Paper Close-up (top is puzzle paper like thick newsprint, bottom is old 20lb copy paper) (Close.)

Line width (The "I" in "Ink Review". Magnification is 100x. The grid is 100x100µm. The scale is 330µm, with eleven divisions of 30µm each. The line width for this ink is roughly 250µm. With 307 inks measured, the average line width is 297µm.) (Used a different line because the pen had dried a little before I wrote the other line, making it unrealistically thin.)

Sheen

Previous Review: Pilot Mixable Colour Red.

Images also available on Instagram: @zilxodarap.

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View a list of my inks, complete with review results in a google sheet.

Need to catch up on The Adventures of Quin and Makhabesh? Find the whole story here.

Hope you enjoy. Comments appreciated!

[yazeh]

Thank you for another excellent review @LizEF  of this iconoc Akkerman ink with the most appropriate soundtrack, Klaw offering the murmur of wands/staffs and the thunderstorm their resolve.

Just for your info Shocking blue was one if not the most popular Dutch in late 60s and 70s. 

You've probably heard their hit Venus:

Thanks.for making this Tuesday so shockingly fun and mysterious 🙏🙏🙏

 

[LizEF]

23 minutes ago, yazeh said:

Thank you for another excellent review @LizEF ...

You're most welcome!

 

24 minutes ago, yazeh said:

...of this iconoc Akkerman ink with the most appropriate soundtrack, Klaw offering the murmur of wands/staffs and the thunderstorm their resolve.

Just for your info Shocking blue was one if not the most popular Dutch in late 60s and 70s. 

I didn't know the origin of the name, but someone on r/fountainpens just informed me.

 

25 minutes ago, yazeh said:

You've probably heard their hit Venus:

Ah, yes, I do know the song (and by the band - just had no memory of the band's name).  (Meanwhile, ah, the good old days, when folks knew how to make a proper music video. )

 

26 minutes ago, yazeh said:

Thanks.for making this Tuesday so shockingly fun and mysterious 🙏🙏🙏

Gladly!

 

For the record, I prefer Midnight Blue:

[yazeh]

@LizEF in general I dont like music videos. We listen to music we don't  watch it, do we. A bit purist, I know.😅

Thanks for posting the Foreigner clip. Back down memory lane of Jukebox hero and Cold as Ice 😅

[LizEF]

8 minutes ago, yazeh said:

@LizEF in general I dont like music videos. We listen to music we don't  watch it, do we. A bit purist, I know.😅

Most music videos aren't worth watching anyway, but I have no idea how one links to audio-only in a forum...

 

9 minutes ago, yazeh said:

Thanks for posting the Foreigner clip. Back down memory lane of Jukebox hero and Cold as Ice 😅

You're most welcome!

[Mercian]

2 hours ago, yazeh said:

Just for your info Shocking blue was one if not the most popular Dutch in late 60s and 70s. 

You've probably heard their hit Venus:

 

Being an English male of a certain age, I first encountered that song (and still always think of it) in the version that was recorded by 1980s 'girl band' Bananarama...

 

 

...and the certain age that I was at when I first encountered the band meant that, despite the rather recherché nature of my prevailing musical tastes, I was pretty much always willing to watch their videos, and listen to their output

[And, me being me, the one by whom I was completely bewitched was of course the unhinged one. Who would probably deliberately burn down your house, and yet then still be able to charm me you in to forgiving her ]

 

Also, 'mad props' to the Evil Genius who made the promotional film for Shocking Blue, and decided to include 'blipverts' in it 😁

 

Slàinte,
M.

[Mercian]

3 hours ago, LizEF said:

The color is hard to describe. It's a little desaturated. Alone, it seems to lean very, very slightly green. In comparison, it's more often slightly to the purple side. My scan needed me to adjust to the purple side and desaturate before the screen looked like the swatch...  It's blue, but not shocking.

 

✂ snip ✂

 

Cleaning only needed plain water, but expect to need lots of extra flushes.  Dry time was difficult because if you rub hard enough after it's "dry", it will smear (if there's enough sheen). The 1:30 line was the last to smear. In different tests before recording, even the greater than 2m mark smeared, so just expect this ink to smear... 

 

So, am I correct to sum it up as being a kinda darkish blue with enough dye-load to generate a reddish/pinkish sheen?

 

It's tempting, but I already have another ink that is rather similar (Pure Pens 'Saltire' 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿).

[LizEF]

24 minutes ago, Mercian said:

Being an English male of a certain age, I first encountered that song (and still always think of it) in the version that was recorded by 1980s 'girl band' Bananarama...

Yep, I remember them (and their version of the song), too.  (And their name. )

 

10 minutes ago, Mercian said:

So, am I correct to sum it up as being a kinda darkish blue with enough dye-load to generate a reddish/pinkish sheen?

Yep.  Not so dark it would be midnight blue or anything like that, but definitely not a light blue either.  And the sheen darkens it.

 

11 minutes ago, Mercian said:

It's tempting, but I already have another ink that is rather similar (Pure Pens 'Saltire' 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿).

Assuming that's like the images I found in a web search, it's a much brighter blue.  Let's see if this works (if it does, this is one of the images from Gourmet Pens at the link I provided):

Yep.  See how in the paler part there's just the barest hint of green, and it's also "muted" a little (not as saturated or blue-blue as Saltire).

 

FWIW.

[Mercian]

27 minutes ago, LizEF said:

Assuming that's like the images I found in a web search, it's a much brighter blue.  Let's see if this works (if it does, this is one of the images from Gourmet Pens at the link I provided):

Yep.  See how in the paler part there's just the barest hint of green, and it's also "muted" a little (not as saturated or blue-blue as Saltire).

 

Yes!
So, it seems that 'Shocking Blue' is much more of a 'trickster' ink than 'Saltire' is, being able to 'lean green' and to 'lean violet'

 

As such, it would seem to me to be a good candidate for anyone who is looking for an ink from which they can tease-out lots of different final 'looks', and also for anyone who is seeking an ink that they will always be able to identify as 'their own ink' - e.g. for signatures on business documents/contracts.

😊

 

I like 'Saltire', but have only ever managed to squeeze different hues of blue out of it; no hints of green or of violet.

[LizEF]

1 hour ago, Mercian said:

Yes!
So, it seems that 'Shocking Blue' is much more of a 'trickster' ink than 'Saltire' is, being able to 'lean green' and to 'lean violet'

Yes, from a dry pen, the slightest hint of green might show through (especially on yellow-leaning paper).  But from a wet pen, with lots of sheen, the combo would look purplish.

 

Note my note that my cameras and software didn't want to depict this ink correctly - hence my hunt for someone with more accurate images, like Gourmet Pens...

[Sailor Kenshin]

I see sparkles in the tree.  Or is that someone's staff, up close?

 

Holy squeaky thundery review!  Pretty sure I had a sample of Shocking Blue, and it worked well in a Cross pen (dual nib units, made by Sailor).  I refilled it time after time.  But I had to pass that pen along; it didn't post and made my fingers hurt.

 

The Staffs have had a committee meeting, so I hope all goes well!  Thanks for keeping me sane with your magical ink reviews,  which are great whether I've used the ink or not.

 

Many kudos!  Even if this tablet won't let me put your name in the right place.

@LizEF

[inkstainedruth]

I remember really kinda liking Shocking Blue, partly because of the red sheen.  I dug up the relevant ink testing journal and saw that I noted it drying fairly quickly on the super absorbent paper (about 10 seconds) and that while not waterproof it did have some water resistance.

Apparently I did the testing in a Parker Vector with an F nib.

@yazeh Now I'm going to be earworming that song until I go to choir rehearsal this evening -- completely pushed a song I was singing along to on the car radio earlier today (the old Stealers Wheel song "Stuck in the Middle With You"...).  You're welcome.... 

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[LizEF]

1 hour ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

I see sparkles in the tree.  Or is that someone's staff, up close?

Hmm. A blue staff.  I suppose that's possible.  Perhaps Professor Eeeness (@InesF)would like a blue staff with sheeny bits throughout...

 

1 hour ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

Holy squeaky thundery review!

 

1 hour ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

Pretty sure I had a sample of Shocking Blue, and it worked well in a Cross pen (dual nib units, made by Sailor).  I refilled it time after time.  But I had to pass that pen along; it didn't post and made my fingers hurt.

Some Cross pens are quite wet, so I would think it would do well there.  Bummer that it made your fingers hurt.

 

1 hour ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

The Staffs have had a committee meeting, so I hope all goes well!  

Who woulda thunk it!?  The secret lives of magical staffs / staves?

 

1 hour ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

Thanks for keeping me sane with your magical ink reviews,  which are great whether I've used the ink or not.

You're most welcome!   And thank you!

 

1 hour ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

Many kudos!  Even if this tablet won't let me put your name in the right place.

@LizEF

Thanks!

[LizEF]

16 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

I remember really kinda liking Shocking Blue, partly because of the red sheen.  I dug up the relevant ink testing journal and saw that I noted it drying fairly quickly on the super absorbent paper (about 10 seconds) and that while not waterproof it did have some water resistance.

Apparently I did the testing in a Parker Vector with an F nib.

It's a very popular ink.  Absorbent paper would likely remedy most of its bad behaviors!

 

16 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

@yazeh Now I'm going to be earworming that song until I go to choir rehearsal this evening

16 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

completely pushed a song I was singing along to on the car radio earlier today (the old Stealers Wheel song "Stuck in the Middle With You"...).

 

16 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

You're welcome.... 

[Mercian]

1 hour ago, inkstainedruth said:

completely pushed a song I was singing along to on the car radio earlier today (the old Stealers Wheel song "Stuck in the Middle With You"...).  You're welcome.... 

 

Oh great, now I am repeatedly experiencing a mental image of a dapperly-dressed Michael Madsen dancing around to that song while holding a straight razor...

😉

[yazeh]

@MercianI too discovered this song with the same bad hairdo and clothes. I discovered the original song, while becoming an ink nerd. Though I shied away from the "bad" girls. Life was enough complicated, to play with disaster. For me to paraphrase your quote, Foul in clear conditions, and scary in the fog

[Mercian]

32 minutes ago, yazeh said:

@MercianI too discovered this song with the same bad hairdo and clothes. I discovered the original song, while becoming an ink nerd. Though I shied away from the "bad" girls. Life was enough complicated, to play with disaster. For me to paraphrase your quote, Foul in clear conditions, and scary in the fog

 

😁

Surely having 'bad hairdo and clothes' were both compulsory in the 1980s, no? 😉

 

I wasn't particularly attracted to 'bad' girls - just to ones who looked like they might be 'fun' (by which I mean women who look like they are very 'alive', not that they look 'adventurous', or 'saucy', etc).
Have you ever seen Fight Club, in which the character 'Marla Singer' is described as being "a predator disguised as a house-pet"?
Basically, I have a regrettable tendency to be a complete sucker for women like that

 

Temet nosce, eh?
At least 'forewarned is forearmed' 😉

 

 

[yazeh]

4 hours ago, Mercian said:

 

😁

Surely having 'bad hairdo and clothes' were both compulsory in the 1980s, no? 😉

4 hours ago, Mercian said:

I wasn't particularly attracted to 'bad' girls - just to ones who looked like they might be 'fun' (by which I mean women who look like they are very 'alive', not that they look 'adventurous', or 'saucy', etc).
Have you ever seen Fight Club, in which the character 'Marla Singer' is described as being "a predator disguised as a house-pet"?
Basically, I have a regrettable tendency to be a complete sucker for women like that

Well, I can say, that our cat has the same tendencies. She could be a fiend in the morning, or if out side for too long, and then can be cooing and cute in the evening. And a basket case, in the middle of night throwing kiwis from the fruit bowl. Sometimes, I have a feeling she has been inviting similar minded friends over partying. @LizEFknows what I'm talking about. She's got two teenagers  

4 hours ago, Mercian said:

 

Temet nosce, eh?
At least 'forewarned is forearmed' 😉

Indeed. The path to enlightenment is awareness  The ink that generates more conversation about the past, present and future  

[LizEF]

23 minutes ago, yazeh said:

. @LizEFknows what I'm talking about. She's got two teenagers  

My boys are introverts, like me.  Although there's that new cat that's be hanging around the yard....  (Second one in as many months.... )

[yazeh]

1 minute ago, LizEF said:

My boys are introverts, like me.  Although there's that new cat that's be hanging around the yard....  (Second one in as many months.... )

Judging from the soundtrack, that's a new definition of introvert