What Inks Would They Have Used?

[Sailor Kenshin]

What brands of ink would Esterbrook owners have used in a certain time period? Let's say from 1950-1960.

 

I guess Quink and Skrip would have been around. And Waterman's. Sanford? Carter's? If I'm trying to emulate, or even use, inks from that time frame, what's the closest thing today, apart from Quink, Skrip, and Waterman (which I already have?)

 

As you may have guessed, I've fallen down that rabbit-hole. Oh, dear.

 

Need more Esties.

[pajaro]

Probably Sanford's at ten cents per small bottle or Sheaffer's at twenty-five cents per bottle. I can't remember ever seeing those other inks in the fifties and sixties.

[Hobiwan]

Carter's ink was around then.

[welch]

I bought bottled ink from late 1960 onward, after using Sheaffer "school pens" (a cartridge pen) from 4th grade through 6th grade. We bought ink, and other school supplies, at a large drug store. I only remember Sheaffer Skrip and Parker Quink. Skrip bottles had the "topwell", came in blue and yellow boxes, and the boxes probably advertised Sheaffer Snorkel pens. Quink would have had Solv-X.

 

Carters was around until the '70's, but maybe only in pen shops or stationery stores?

 

I don't remember Waterman's ink.

[Barkingpig]

I can remember the little Sanford's cubes from the Dime Store, either Newberrys or Woolworths; I was fascinated by all the colors! I was just stunned to see gold & silver, I think. I used the Sheaffer blues or blue black that were "at home." I do remember some people @ school used what was probably the Peacock Blue, so it must have been made & available with the cartridges for sale @ the Drugstores, where we bought Sheaffer School pens & finally the No Nonsense pens. A small town sure didn't stock any King's Gold, maybe there was a red or green, but I don't remember using them.

 

I loved reading here once when a person posted about her Mother's opinion concerning, "people who used Peacock Blue ink." I felt VERY much reminded of MY life in the world of "acceptable" choices in the 1950's. Perhaps that is why ORANGE is my favorite ink color; I never saw it until I began using pens & bought ink after 50 year's absence.

Edited August 24, 2016 by Barkingpig

[Hobiwan]

 

I loved reading here once when a person posted about her Mother's opinion concerning, "people who used Peacock Blue ink." I felt VERY much reminded of MY life in the world of "acceptable" choices in the 1950's. Perhaps that is why ORANGE is my favorite ink color; I never saw it until I began using pens & bought ink after 50 year's absence.

 

Not only her mother, but nuns at any Catholic school of the period. It was either Blue, Black, Blue-black or "points deducted" in penmanship. I liked Peacock Blue also, and now and then would take the demerits, just to write with a spectacular ink.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Probably Sanford's at ten cents per small bottle or Sheaffer's at twenty-five cents per bottle. I can't remember ever seeing those other inks in the fifties and sixties.

 

Siiighhhh...oh, those prices!

 

Bottle of Sanford's on the 'bay, part-full, ten bucks. Yeah, I'm thinkin' 'bout it....

[pajaro]

Siiighhhh...oh, those prices!

 

Bottle of Sanford's on the 'bay, part-full, ten bucks. Yeah, I'm thinkin' 'bout it....

I remember buying Sanford's and Sheaffer's Skrip at those prices. The difference between then and now is inflation, caused by Vietnam, the arms race, Desert Storm and Iraq et alia. We make expensive munitions and blow them up. You have to do these things if you want to stay alive and free, but there's a price. In case someone will have a smart comeback, thinking I am some kind of Dove, I am glad to have served. Just saying that if you make ICBMs and smart bombs and stealth weapons, the government must print money to cover it. So, the $0.25 ink bottle costs about $10.00 in time.

[pen lady]

Red ink would have been around, book-keepers needed it for debit entries in a ledger.

[pajaro]

Lovers might have used it for their letters.

[estie1948]

In the late 1940's, all through the 1950's, and into the early 1960's I used mainly Sheaffer's Skrip black and Parker's Quink Black because my dad bought it for use at home. I just freeloaded from his supply. Parker's was "our" favorite ink; we used it on about a two-to-one bottle basis with Sheaffer's. I once won a bet in the neighborhood and got half a bottle of Sheaffer's Skrip Washable Peacock Blue #112. My dad was not impressed. He poured it out, rinsed the bottle, and filled it half full with Sheaffer's Skrip black. "There," he said, "is some ink you can use." I still have never used Peacock Blue.

 

Carter's Ink was around, but I have the impression it was more expensive. I don't really know.

 

All the ink I used during this time period was used in my Esterbrooks. I had three by the early 1960's. I also had one Arnold (still have it). My dad did not trust the Arnold. He told me I could use it if I wanted to but, "If it leaks on your shirt, the shirt and the pen go in the trash and you will have to pay for the shirt." It never leaked on my shirt, but did have a bad habit of blobbing on my paper when it was running low on ink. Since my dad saw all my papers, I got tired of explaining the blobs and listening to the lecture on the importance of using a pen you can trust (an Esterbrook), so the Arnold stayed at home for drawing, writing letters, and making treasure maps. Later in life, I learned to fill my pens every third day to avoid a pen running out of ink when you can least afford it. That would have put my Arnold back in my rotation, as it were, if I had learned it a few years earlier.

 

My teachers had plenty of red ink and used it very freely on my papers. I never had any red ink.

 

-David (Estie).

Edited August 27, 2016 by estie1948

[Sailor Kenshin]

Thanks, Estie. Fascinating info! *weeps softly about the Skrip Peacock*

 

We have one Arnold that needs a re-sac, awaiting time and confidence.

[Tom Heath]

Question

 

In my early student years the Nuns had me writing with the steel dip pen.

 

As they were sold in 1 gross lots, can anyone guess in general how long a Steel nib might last, I know depending of toxicity of the ink , how many words your wrote, did you clean it and wipe it

 

Would one change a nib under normal usage one a day, week or month

 

Seems to me with the volumes were are talking about above, the frequency must have been often

Your thoughts appreciated.

[Hobiwan]

Depending on the paper and frequency of use, I'd say, "whenever the nib wore to where it didn't perform as new". And at the price of "a dime a dozen", one could change out points every day and still be ahead.

 

That said, I'd bet that the ones the nuns made us use NEVER wore out or down. The paper we were forced to practice on with dip pens (porous newsprint pulp tablet) acted more like a blotter than paper.

 

Sister Mary would come around with her quart bottle of ink, fill the well built into the desk, and present an open box of nibs and a holder. I'd have about 5 seconds to choose a point to mount into the holder. I quickly learned to test the points on the paper for scratchiness and pick the best of what I tested. Even then, it was torturous. I tore many holes through many sheets before figuring out how to do it with a VERY light hand. Pausing for a half second to think produced a blob in the middle of the letter being worked on. The ruling was at least 2 inches, and my hand wasn't very steady, so my large capital "O" looked like a drunk snake trying to eat itself. It wasn't until second (or maybe third) grade when they allowed us to practice on standard rule paper. Then things got better.

 

I noticed that Sister Mary wrote with what I later learned was a Sheaffer Tuckaway with that magnificent aerodynamic wraparound nib. It was then I understood what the sin of envy was all about ....

 

 

[pajaro]

Sister M came around with ink for the inkwell, and gave us a pen with nib installed. Sheaffer ink, black. Inkwell in the top right corner for this left handed pariah.

[jmccarty3]

I loved reading here once when a person posted about her Mother's opinion concerning, "people who used Peacock Blue ink." I felt VERY much reminded of MY life in the world of "acceptable" choices in the 1950's. Perhaps that is why ORANGE is my favorite ink color; I never saw it until I began using pens & bought ink after 50 year's absence.

 

I know exactly what you mean about "acceptable choices in the 1950s," especially in West Texas.

 

Forgive me if you have heard this story from me before. In elementary school, we all used Sheaffer cartridge student pens, with the transparent (not colored) barrel, and we all used Skrip Washable Blue cartridges. I don't believe there was any rule about this, it's just what "everybody" did. I can't imagine what sort of ignominy and disgrace would have befallen any boy who dared to write with Peacock Blue ink, but there was a girl in my class who did. She was, unfortunately, rather homely. No one ever said anything about her choice of ink color, but she had the odd habit of removing the cartridge from her pen and sucking on it, resulting in Peacock Blue lips and tongue. I've often wondered what happened to her. We had a choice of high schools after 7th grade, and I never saw her or heard anything of her since. No classmates seem to remember anything either.

[Barkingpig]

 

I know exactly what you mean about "acceptable choices in the 1950s," especially in West Texas.

 

Forgive me if you have heard this story from me before. In elementary school, we all used Sheaffer cartridge student pens, with the transparent (not colored) barrel, and we all used Skrip Washable Blue cartridges. I don't believe there was any rule about this, it's just what "everybody" did. I can't imagine what sort of ignominy and disgrace would have befallen any boy who dared to write with Peacock Blue ink, but there was a girl in my class who did. She was, unfortunately, rather homely. No one ever said anything about her choice of ink color, but she had the odd habit of removing the cartridge from her pen and sucking on it, resulting in Peacock Blue lips and tongue. I've often wondered what happened to her. We had a choice of high schools after 7th grade, and I never saw her or heard anything of her since. No classmates seem to remember anything either.

I have not heard this story from you before & even if I had I would relish hearing it again!

 

I am the only child of a Father who after dinner among a group of my friends who were visiting would preface a favored tale with," I may have told you about this before, BUT it is a GOOD story, AND I enjoy telling it!"

 

He was always forgiven for what might be a repeat, because he was correct, "it was a good story," & in the audience's opinion bore a command performance! Your's is very emblematic of what comprises our memories of maturation & thus could be basis of a good short story, novel or screenplay. I would say Monsieur Proust "got nuthin on you!"

 

Thank you for sharing a great memory.

[creeder14]

Baystate Blue?

[tadas]

Red ink would have been around, book-keepers needed it for debit entries in a ledger.

James Farley, who was Postmaster General in FDR's first two terms, always used green ink - I'm a docent at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum, and have had opportunities to see a lot of things he signed. I can spot presentation pieces he signed across the room.

 

Can't think of anyone else who chose such an outre color.

[ac12]

 

 

Red ink would have been around, book-keepers needed it for debit entries in a ledger.

 

Black = Debit entries.

Red = CREDIT entries.

 

This was in the days before photocopiers.

 

I was told the funny story about the auditors making a photo copy of the ledger page, then having to come back to look at the original ledger page. This was because they could not tell debit from credit, everything on the photocopy was the same color.

 

After that, the credit entry was changed from RED ink to < bracket > notation for credit, example < 725.99 >