Ink Flight #37 Reveal and Giveaway, February 2020

This month, we make a return trip back to Hauge, the Netherlands to sample a fresh set of P.W. Akkerman inks. We last featured these retailer-exclusive inks back in June 2017 (Ink Flight #5). Since then, Akkerman released several new colors, including two inks made in honor of prominent members of the fountain pen community.

Call them the original pen influencers. The husband and wife duo of Stephen "SBRE" Brown and Azizah "Gourmet Pens" are forever enshrined in Akkerman ink. Their enthusiasm and honest impressions help support the pen community and I'm glad to help support their cause by sharing their writing fluid with the Ink Flight crew.

Here is a rundown of February 2020's Ink Flight lineup. 

Dou's Emerald Groen #2
This saturated dark green with black sheen is named after 17th Century Dutch portrait painter Gerrit Dou. Part of the Dutch Masters series. Ink this one up if you like a dark emerald or green-black.

Bezuidenwoudgroen #27
A bright, energetic green that exhibits shading and a darkening halo of sheen. Part of the standard, everyday collection of Akkerman ink colors.

Scharlaken van Jan Steen #12
Dutch genre painter Jan Steen is known for the abundance of color in his work.  This rich scarlet red is evident in many of his paintings. Included in the Dutch Masters collection.

Lievens Kardinaal Paars #6
A close contemporary with Rembrandt, Jan Lievens painted in an impasto style with high contrast. This cardinal purple has warmth and a unique character. Part of the Dutch Masters series.

Delfts Blauw
Inspired by Dutch earthenware, Delfts Blauw is a medium-toned, shading, washable blue ink. Limited Edition.

SBRE Brown
Like the eccentric YouTube pen reviewer that lends his name, this shading brown ink is anything but conventional. Beautifully shades in a flex or stub nib.

Gourmet Pens Pink
Inspired by the YouTube and Instagram celebrity Azizah from Gourmet Pens, this perky pink will keep your writing cheery.

Tasting notes: With Valentine's Day this month, I had fun switching over to the Gourmet Pens Pink. I think this color matches exceptionally well with Azizah's bubbly personality. Now, I can see why SBRE Brown tends to sell out quickly. The shading brown ink is lovely to look at on paper. 

I know many of you have inquired as to when we will sell the Akkerman Ink Bottles. I hate to disappoint, but the full ink bottles were all used in making the samples this month. However, we are selling the empty Akkerman bottles in the 60ml and 120ml sizes. The Akkerman bottles are ingeniously designed to help fill your fountain pen with ease. A glass ball acts like a valve to separate the top filling area with the flask-like reservoir below. If you have an ink that is hard to use because it's stored in a cumbersome bottle, the Akkerman bottle is a lifesaver.

Platinum Prefounte Fountain Pen + Eyedropper Conversion Kit

Introduced in 2019 as a step up from the Preppy, the Japanese-made Prefounte design adds more style, professionalism, and panache to the writing experience. The body and cap consist of translucent resin. Pulling off the pen cap reveals a transparent section with a stainless steel nib. The nib is kept fresh with ink thanks to the Platinum "Slip and Seal" mechanism inside of the cap.

The Prefounte includes one Platinum proprietary ink cartridge to start. One could refill the ink cartridge with a blunt needle syringe, opt to purchase a Platinum-proprietary converter or convert their pen into an eyedropper to fill with bottled ink.

Included with this month's box extra is a group of items to convert the Prefounte pen to an eyedropper. A transfer pipette, a small dab of silicone grease (in the sample vial) and 2 o-rings. See a step-by-step video on how to convert the pen to an eyedropper.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY (USA shipping addresses only)

Leave a comment below to let us know what you think about February 2020's Ink Flight, Akkerman Inks, or the box extras.  We will pick one random commenter to win an upcoming March 2020's Flight Box on Tuesday, February 25th at 9:00 pm. My sincere apologies to our international friends, we will only ship this giveaway to USA addresses.

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Previous Ink Flights (Ink Flight #1 - Noodler's, Ink Flight #2 - Robert Oster Signature, Ink Flight #3 - KWZ, Ink Flight #4 - J. Herbin, Ink Flight #5 - P.W. Akkerman, Ink Flight #6 - Papier Plume, Ink Flight #7 - Platinum Mix-Free, Ink Flight #8 - Franklin-Christoph, Ink Flight #9 - Organics Studio, Ink Flight #10 - Monteverde, Ink Flight #11 - Krishna, Ink Flight #12 - Caran d'Ache, Ink Flight #13 - Rohrer & Klingner, Ink Flight #14 - Blackstone, Ink Flight #15 - Colorverse, Ink Flight #16 - De Atramentis, Ink Flight #17 - Aurora & Montegrappa, Ink Flight #18 - Krishna, KWZ, Papier Plume, Ink Flight #19 - Diamine, Ink Flight #20 - J. Herbin, Ink Flight #21 - Robert Oster Signature 80's Collection, Ink Flight #22 - 3 Oysters, Ink Flight #23 - InkJournal Holiday Blend, Ink Flight #24 - Taccia, Ink Flight #25 - Kyoto TAG, Ink Flight #26 - Kaweco, Ink Flight #27 - April Fool's Surprise, Ink Flight #28 - Pelikan, Ink Flight #29 - Sailor, Ink Flight #30 - Straits Pen Honest Inks, Ink Flight #31 - Colorverse, Season 5, Ink Flight #32 - Inks by Vinta, Ink Flight #33 - Troublemaker, Ink Flight #34 - Monteverde Sweet Life, Ink Flight #35 - Taccia Inks Pt. 2, Ink Flight #36 - Sailor Manyo)