Unopened Bottle Of Skrip V Mail Black - Should I Open It?

[Honeybadgers]

Question states, I found an unopened bottle of skrip V mail permanent black in original box. They also had a full bottle of parker penman black (no box) but it was $40, and I was not about to spend that much on black ink. Looking around, I see that ink go for $75. The bottle is either full or has been used less than twice, but has no box. Should I go back and pick it up?

 

Should I use the skrip? I'm curious as to how it writes. Or should I keep it sealed for display. I can't see any writing samples with the ink, so if I opened it and did a writing sample, I could be preserving it for history.

 

Also picked up a full box of pristine esterbrook dip nibs for $20 and I bought my mom a physics textbook from 1873, which I'm reading right now. Today was an "old stuff" kinda day.

Edited December 12, 2018 by Honeybadgers

[XYZZY]

I have absolutely no clue. But with the way you phrased that, did you find a cool local shop?

 

Old textbooks are awesome. One of my favorite books is math book passed down from my grandfather. Lots of old tricks for calculations from before we had mechanical aids, and knowledge of the tricks sometimes helped me write more efficient software, too.

[Honeybadgers]

The physics book predates einstein's birth by a few years, the largest ship in the world was the Great Eastern, and the bicycle had only been invented a few years prior and instead, a horse was used as an example of something that leans inward when traveling in a small circle.

 

I also got my dad a book on power plants and transmission systems from 1909 - it has on the inside cover a "recent" picture of Edison, in his 40's. And I got my mom (they're both electrical engineers) a book on electrical engineering from 1946 - predating the transistor. I got myself a medical encyclopedia from 1919 in like-new condition, it shows a method of checking a patient's blood for acidosis/alkalosis using a separatory funnel - super cool.

 

The shop is in Anacortes, and I bought almost everything pen related she had. If you're in the market for an esterbrook lever desk pen, I just picked up one in nice shape with a nice base for $30 that I'm going to re-sac and resell for $40. She had a mother of pearl clad eyedropper desk pen with a huge mother of pearl base and a waterman ideal semiflex nib - it was from the 1890's. But it had snapped off tipping - if the tip was okay I'd have bought it in an instant.

Edited December 12, 2018 by Honeybadgers

[tamiya]

Did you own any Penman when it was new/current?

 

Bear in mind after its discontinuation, subsequently Parker did sell some fancy pens in boxset with a bottle of "Penman". Whether those later bottles contain the same formulation as original Ebony or Sapphire I've yet to see confirmation (or otherwise).

[Bo Bo Olson]

I read a 1890's Doctor's book, by a couple of the 'best/better Doctor's' in the world. It was believed (....and sometimes today, the power of the mind, is sometimes re-found in modern medicine,) that if a pregnant woman saw someone shot, the baby would have that wound mark....if a woman heard that as a truth she could believe it, and who knows....could well be ...belief will move mountains.

 

A lot was herbal, the last 1/3 was surgery....in horse and buggy days.

 

Not mentioned in that book was the 1890's fever therapy for curing cancer. A NY City Dr, would go around town, find folks with Cholera, diphtheria or any other high fever sickness and infect his patients. Cured them too. His daughter fought her whole life to keep that current as knowledge......

But the cost of quarantine, was too high for hospital use......and medical workers didn't want to catch a cancer cure.

 

 

That Football player Alex Smith, has an infection, that is common, in Dr.s and nurses don't take the time to wash their hands all the time. The only hospital system in the world where that crippling infection don't take place is Netherlands, where they are major on hand washing etc. And have a quarantine section of the hospital if someone does get that 'common' infection.

They are mealy mouthing.... HAI....is not so frightening as that eaten alive infection or Staphylococcus.....from lack of proper sanitation.

 

The Romans didn't have that problem, having essentiality out door operating halls. Modern hospitals refuse to properly sanitize their operating rooms. ... costs money.

 

As shocking as it is Puerperal fever, has made a comeback in the US. Lack of sanitation, Ignaz Semmelweiss must be spinning in his grave.

[ISW_Kaputnik]

I'm not really familiar with how those bottles were sealed. I assume that it's something visible which would be obvious when broken, and affect resale value; is that correct? It's not clear to me that anything else important is being preserved by not opening it. If you try it and don't like it, would it really bother you to display the bottle with a broken seal?

 

But of course, there is no "should", just your own preference.

[Bo Bo Olson]

I see it as just a black ink....so don't interest me. Had it been one of the many other colors, I could see enjoying it.

I voted to keep it closed.

[torstar]

Penman is nice to have in the collection from decades past, I wouldn't pay the prices demanded these days.

 

It was kind of overrated....

[eharriett]

I have both Parker and Waterman V-Mail ink. But so far the Sheaffer Skrip has eluded me.

 

From what I can see from both Parker and Waterman V-mail black (or in Parker's case: "microfilm black,") it is just their standard blacks with different packaging. It's how they marketed their black ink during WWII for v-mail letters. So the packaging is nice, but it is just regular Skrip vintage black ink, assuming they kept the same way their competitors did.

[inkstainedruth]

I have a couple of bottles of Skrip V-Black. Tried one of them and wasn't all that impressed (wondering if it got reconstituted somewhere along the way -- it's sort of a grayish black). As opposed to one of the bottles I have of Quink Microfilm Black, which is black with blue undertones. Trying to remember if both were water resistant (the Quink certainly was).

Oh, and for the record, I voted "use it"....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Honeybadgers]

well since it doesn't have a seal I figured I'd crack it open and test it - it's amazingly dark gray brown, not much of a black. Maybe the dyes just haven't aged well over the past 70 years.

 

That being said... I'd pay good money for this color of ink. Like, I'd buy ten bottles if someone made this color.

 

The nibs I picked up was a very pretty little red original box of 59 esterbrook 968 radio's in fantastic condition. lovely little writers, firm but flexible, with a turned-up architect point.

[ParkerDuofold]

Hi HB, et al,

 

Glad to hear you opted to use it... ...sorry to hear its a disgusting color, ... ...but at least you saved me some money for future reference.

 

 

With ink, I usually have zero qualms about using it,... but NOS pens are always a big dilemma for me... a fifty/sixty year-old pen is only new once... once you use it... the purity is lost forever.

 

 

- Anthony

[yubaprof]

I think it's good that the ink has been opened and evaluated. It won't last forever - eventually it will evaporate, or the bottle will be dropped, or it will be destroyed in a fire or earthquake, or as occurred in this case, it degraded. The manufacturers have samples tucked away to guard against such eventualities and a few museums do as well. So what's the point of not using ink or pens? I like acquiring a pen that has been used, knowing that there is some history behind it and someone else also enjoyed it (or hated it). A pen put away in a drawer, unused for thirty plus years, really doesn't have a history. There is no story to tell. So to heck with "purity" Anthony, I'll take the used pen - assuming it's in good condition - anytime. And I won't save the ink - I'll use it!

[XYZZY]

If you're in the market for an esterbrook lever desk pen, I just picked up one in nice shape with a nice base for $30 that I'm going to re-sac and resell for $40.

 

Definitely maybe Got a link to a picture so I can see what you're talking about? Doesn't even need to be the one you've got--anything online. I trust the one you've picked up is in decent shape.

[miwishi63]

I think it's good that the ink has been opened and evaluated. It won't last forever - eventually it will evaporate, or the bottle will be dropped, or it will be destroyed in a fire or earthquake, or as occurred in this case, it degraded. The manufacturers have samples tucked away to guard against such eventualities and a few museums do as well. So what's the point of not using ink or pens? I like acquiring a pen that has been used, knowing that there is some history behind it and someone else also enjoyed it (or hated it). A pen put away in a drawer, unused for thirty plus years, really doesn't have a history. There is no story to tell. So to heck with "purity" Anthony, I'll take the used pen - assuming it's in good condition - anytime. And I won't save the ink - I'll use it!

+1

[inkstainedruth]

With ink, I usually have zero qualms about using it,... but NOS pens are always a big dilemma for me... a fifty/sixty year-old pen is only new once... once you use it... the purity is lost forever.

I got a still stickered (apparently NOS) Sheaffer Snorkel a couple of Christmases ago at an antiques fair. Once I had it restored? I used it. Still has the nib sticker on it, because I haven't bothered to take it off. It's just there (the same way a few of my vintage pens have engraving on them). I haven't bothered to take the nib sticker off the (new) Pilot Decimo I got from a Japanese seller on eBay last month either... (shrug).

I have no pens that would just get put into a display case. The only pens I don't use are ones I haven't gotten repaired yet. OTOH, I don't tend to spend huge amounts of money on LE pens -- especially ones that are designed to be "statement pieces" instead "writing instruments". Pens like that are, IMO, overpriced tchotchkes....

YMMV....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[ParkerDuofold]

Hi Ruth, Miwishi, Yubaprof, et al,

 

Don't get me wrong...

 

https://youtu.be/xitx9VD_dnc

 

 

I never said I never... I do,... but for me, there is always a sting to it because something is only new once... something is only original, once... and for something to retain that "originality"/"purity" for 50-60-70 years... that can't be taken away from it without a bit of a sting... for me, anyways... but like our Ruth says,... YMMV.

 

 

I dunno... maybe its an Italian thing... ...maybe it's a Catholic thing... ...maybe I'm a hopeless romantic... ...maybe I'm just nuts...

 

Be well all and enjoy life... and your NOS pens.

 

 

- Anthony

[mitto]

Open it, use it and show us the writing sample.

[Tweel]

well since it doesn't have a seal I figured I'd crack it open and test it - it's amazingly dark gray brown, not much of a black. Maybe the dyes just haven't aged well over the past 70 years.

 

I seem to recall reading that Sheaffer's v-mail ink had a strong red component in the dye mix, supposedly so that it would be "blacker" in the spectrum of the v-mail microfilming lamps.

[torstar]

Hi Ruth, Miwishi, Yubaprof, et al,

 

Don't get me wrong...

 

https://youtu.be/xitx9VD_dnc

 

 

I never said I never... I do,... but for me, there is always a sting to it because something is only new once... something is only original, once... and for something to retain that "originality"/"purity" for 50-60-70 years... that can't be taken away from it without a bit of a sting... for me, anyways... but like our Ruth says,... YMMV.

 

 

I dunno... maybe its an Italian thing... ...maybe it's a Catholic thing... ...maybe I'm a hopeless romantic... ...maybe I'm just nuts...

 

Be well all and enjoy life... and your NOS pens.

 

 

- Anthony