Sheaffer Ink Safety

[Penspaperpaint]

So clearly I posted in the wrong forum earlier....so sorry, newbie mistake.

 

I was gifted what amounts to over 6 gallons of 50s era Sheaffer inks. I'm not particularly a pen enthusiast but I am an art teacher and I do love doing hand lettering and calligraphy units with my older students.

 

Is this Ink safe to se with them? And would this Ink be unsuitable as a dye for natural fabrics? I'd love to try using it for alternative purposes like a monochromatic watercolor-like project or a Pollack like painting (inking) lesson on raw canvas. Thoughts?

 

here's a little video montage I out together of all of the inks. So blessed, but also slightly overwhelmed cause it will take forever to use this, even as I share the wealth.

[jar]

First, it is Parker ink. It should be fine although you may need to add some water. A couple points to remember is that inks from that period often contained some phenol to inhibit mold growth. The concentration is not anything I'd worry about unless you show irritation if you get some on your skin. Assuming you don't drink the ink and do not hav an allergic reaction it should be fine.

 

But it's still Parker not Sheaffer.

[Penspaperpaint]

The image you see is Parker, there is one box of it. There are over 90 boxes of Sheaffer as shown on the video. thanks for the info.

Edited March 18, 2017 by Penspaperpaint

[jar]

The image you see is Parker, there is one box of it. There are over 90 boxes of Sheaffer as shown on the video. thanks for the info.

Many of us won't watch videos.

[dannyboy]

I think some Sheaffer enthusiasts out there would love to have a bottle of two of this! I would be one of those--this ink should be usable with little problem.

[ink-syringe]

Yeah I would kill for a couple bottles of the skrip and also the Quink.

[Ink Stained Wretch]

I was gifted what amounts to over 6 gallons of 50s era Sheaffer inks.

 

Oh! I wish that I were gifted with that much fountain pen ink !!!

 

It's mostly not useful for fabrics, especially if they'll get wet. The Parker Quink especailly will simply go away with the application of water. All of that ink, both the Parker and the Sheaffer, is water based.

 

The various Sheaffer inks, which I see form the bulk of that instant collection you've been given, can stain fabric a bit, but the resulting color will probably not be quite what you see in the bottle.

 

You should put the lot up for sale, and use the revenue from the sale to buy actual art supplies.

 

If you do waste it all on students splashing ink that's older than they are on fabric then at least save the empty bottles and boxes. You could sell those, too.

[mitto]

Good advice.

[Penspaperpaint]

Hey everyone, thanks for all of the kind replies.

 

I had some life stuff happening & lots of my classes wrapping up. Now I have a two week break & ummm...I'm ready to tackle this instant bottle collection consuming my dining room.

 

I'll be honest with ya, I'm not out to jack up the price cause you want them but I also don't want to be screwed I'd like to be able to buy some supplies for my students, keep a few bottles for them to use in a lettering unit & sell the rest to people like you who want it for a fair price.

 

Whats a resonable price for the 2, 4, 16 & 32 oz. bottles. Prices on eBay are all over the place. Just tell me whats fair for us both. I'd have to include shipping so that will add to the price, but ya know...lets move this stuff to people who want it And, I'm assuming you've bought this stuff from people before, whats the best shipping you've seen ~ how has it come packaged to you in a way that you appreciated? The postal service told me to put it in a zip lock so if it broke it wouldn't leak & a box. Any better ways you've seen?

 

Thanks ya'll! To those that private messaged me, thanks. And I'm sorry I didn't get back to you sooner...life....when your a teacher, small business owner & homeschooling Mom to 3 active boys...it happens.

Edited April 10, 2017 by Penspaperpaint

[welch]

My guess at prices:

 

- 2 oz bottles: $10 - $12. That's based on prices for current Sheaffer's Skrip and Parker Quink. Ebay prices are bizarre, perhaps set by a seller's imagination. They seem to think that because an ink is old it must be worth several times he price of a modern ink.

 

- 4 oz bottles: about $15, or $20 at most

 

- 16 oz: ??

 

- 32 oz: $25 or $30 tops.

 

The giant bottles were, I think, called "master bottles". Schools bought them. Up through the mid-50s or maybe 1960, a "helper" would pour the ink into little black plastic inkwells in each student's desk. It's hard to guess a fair price because ink is usually sold in 2-oz bottles today, just as it was in the '60s. No "master bottles", though.

 

Shipping ink can be a bother. A full bottle is heavy, and you will want to protect it from breaking.

[Scorpio731]

Just curious...so what happened? I'd be interested in a couple of the Skrip bottles...and help pay for art supplies.

[inkstainedruth]

Well, if it's of any help in pricing, I've bought a number of bottles of vintage Quink and Sheaffer ink -- and the prices have been, well, all over the map....

I got a 3/4 full pint bottle of vintage Skrip Peacock in an antiques mall in NW Pennsylvania a couple of summers ago -- and paid $12 US. A couple of years before that, I bought what was described as a NOS 8 oz. bottle of Quink Permanent Violet and paid $50.... For two and four oz. bottles I've paid anywhere between $4 and $12, depending on how full it was, the condition of the bottle and contents (I'd check for potentially rusty caps, if I were you), and what color it was. I'd also check to see if there is actually still ink -- I was in an antiques store last year, and the woman had some bottles of Quink from the 1940s (including a bottle of Microfilm Black). Because I was interested in some of them, she pulled out a case box of vintage Quink Blue-Black, which she said she had gotten at an auction, sealed; but it must have been a bad batch -- every bottle in the box was completely empty! (The woman was a little upset because she said the box was completely sealed when she got it.)

Here's an idea for you, for at least some of the ink -- use if for calligraphy classes (get some inexpensive pens like Platinum Preppy highlighter pens, or refillable brush pens). That way, you get to do stuff with your students that is art-related and uses at least some of the ink.

Of course, if there are any bottles of Skrip Peacock or Quink Violet in your stash (I'll admit I haven't watched the video either ) I could maybe be persuaded to take a bottle or two off your hands (you might not want the Peacock around young impressionable minds because they'll want to play with it and that stuff does NOT come off your hands easily...)

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[AL01]

I love modern ans\d vintage Skrip. The properties have been largely unchanged with Skrip. (Props to Bic Sheaffer, who knows if Cross will reformulate Sheaffer inks...) I use modern Skrip in a vintage Skrip bottle, 'cause let's face it; modern Skrip bottles look like they came from Mars or somethin'.

[FarmBoy]

If you want to part with it all in one go, give me a shout.