Skrip Washable Emerald Green

[ToasterPastry]

Ink Color: Skrip Washable Emerald Green

 

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn130/ToasterPastryphoto/Skrip_Emerald_Green_5.jpg

 

 

Introduction: After acquiring four different samples of Skrip Washable Emerald Green vintage circa 1955, I wanted to write a quick review praising this wonderful ink. I came across The Noble Savage’s review written 5 years ago, and was sadly disappointed to see he had come across a bad bottle whose ink color had faded considerably. As a counterpoint, I’m here to offer that this ink has incredible properties and a rich green color—depending upon which bottle you have.

 

Cost: Varies. This is a discontinued vintage ink. It originally sold for 25¢, depending upon which year and which country you bought it in.

 

Size: 2 ounces (59 cc)

 

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn130/ToasterPastryphoto/Skrip_Emerald_Green_6.jpg

 

 

 

Characteristics: Water based. This ink was designed to be removed with soap and water. This ink, like all of Sheaffer’s ink products from that time, contains RC-35, a fluorescing agent similar to brighteners used in laundry detergent. Supposedly RC-35 bound to the paper and could not be removed. Under a black (ultraviolet) light, RC-35 could make visible any writing that had been tampered or removed. Visit here for more information on RC-35. Nearly all inks of this vintage contained one to three or more dyes, while the "permanent" inks (including blue-black) were likely to contain iron gallotannate complex in addition. All inks contain constituents as preservatives, or for the control of wetting, spreading or drying qualities of ink.

 

Pen: Well fountain pen with gold fine-flexible nib (seen below), and Sheaffer flat-top pen.

 

Paper: Journalbooks, ASI 91340, 15% recycled content

 

 

Background: Sheaffer introduced washable writing fluid in the 1920s. However, their washable product line that included Emerald Green was produced in the early 1950s. In addition to Emerald Green, Skrip Washable inks also came in Blue, Purple, Brown, Black, Peacock Blue (turquoise), and Melon Red. According to Sheaffer’s marketing, ink that accidentally spilled on clothing could easily be removed using soap and water. This claim has been personally tested on several occasions with satisfactory results. The washable inks were contained in a 2-ounce jar that featured a small glass well near the top of the bottle. The bottle could be easily manipulated to fill ink into the top of the bottle, thus accommodating the nib and filling the pen easily when the ink bottle was nearly empty. The numbering system refers both to the color and bottle-size codes. So, Washable Emerald Green is designated with the #7, such that this ink contained in a 2-ounce bottle is coded #72, and in a 32-ounce bottle, #732. Look here for the complete coding information.

 

Lubricity: Adequate. The pen glides across the paper.

 

Drying time: Very fast for a vintage ink: 5 seconds.

 

Flow: Excellent flow. Very little nib-creep. Does not dry or clog pens.

 

Figure. The four different colors of the four samples of the same Skrip Emerald Green ink. Sample No. 1 was reconstitued from powder in the bottom of the bottle. It's color is a rich pine green. Sample No. 2 was acquired from John at vintageinks.com. Its color is a yellow-green or an avocado green, losing some of it's blue-component. Samples No. 3 and 4 were acquired recently. Both inks have a more blue-green tone, with Sample No. 4 being slightly darker. These ink swatches were photographed in the morning sun with strobe flash.

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn130/ToasterPastryphoto/Skrip_Emerald_Green_Ink_1.jpg

 

 

 

Shading: Some. It’s a relative homogeneous and saturated ink for a vintage product.

 

Figure. Dip-testing the various inks with both the Well and Sheaffer fountain pen.

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn130/ToasterPastryphoto/Skrip_Emerald_Green_3.jpg

 

 

 

Bleedthough: On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the worst, I would rate this as a 1 to 2. It will bleed through some papers. Though, in general, I have seen modern inks bleed more heavily, and vintage iron gallic inks barely bleed at all.

 

Feathering: 1/5; it dries quickly.

 

Figure. Writing with Sample No. 3 in a Sheaffer flat-top pen. Of course, you have to use Skrip ink in a Sheaffer pen. I rewrote The Nobel Savage's negative review.

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn130/ToasterPastryphoto/Skrip_Emerald_Green_2.jpg

 

 

Color: The color is the most fascinating thing about this ink. Most inks in storage, and especially vintage inks, will degrade or change color when exposed to light. I was initially acquainted with Skrip Washable Emerald Green after buying a bottle that was empty, except for some dried ink powder in the bottom of the bottle. When I reconstituted it with water, the ink had a deep green color in the bottle, much like sparkling emeralds. I became just as mesmerized with the ink when I wrote with it, watching the sparkling emerald color glisten on the page for a few seconds before it dried. Unfortunately, the quantity available was barely enough to fill three pens. I went to John at vintageinks.com, who sold me a sample that had changed to a deep avocado green. When I went to fill my existing jar with John’s sample, I immediately realized that the color was much more yellow than the original contents; it had lost much of it’s blue component. The color was much too pastel for my use in medical documentation. I then searched eBay until I found two more bottles. The color swatches show that this ink has lost some of its yellow component. But it’s bright green color is satisfactory for my needs. Much like the infamous Skrip Persian Rose, no two bottles of Emerald Green are exactly alike. I suspect that my ink reconstituted from powder is probably close to the original color. All four bottles were produced in the early to mid 1950s. They all show advertisements for the new Sheaffer Snorkel pen that was released around that time.

 

Figure. This ink is not water resistant. After curing for 12-hours, this ink comes off fairly easily with water. Of course, a washable ink is supposed to be easily removed with water. Apparently an invisible fluorescing ink is bonded to the paper, and not easily removed.

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn130/ToasterPastryphoto/Skrip_Emerald_Green_4.jpg

 

 

Conclusion: Filling a vintage pen with 60-year-old ink is part of my connection to the past, and certainly half the fun of using an old fountain pen. Inks that contain mold or undissolved sediment should be absolutely avoided. I gather that modern inks feature many superior properties over vintage ones. But I have found that vintage inks bleed through paper far less than modern ones, and seem to work best in vintage pens. Furthermore, washable inks have become my mainstay, as I have stained nice clothing too many times with leaky or drippy pens. Skrip Washable Emerald Green provides a nice rich green color that dries quickly, and doesn’t bleed through paper. Ink spills are easily removed from clothing with soap and water. But it’s certainly best to get to the spill as soon as possible. When it comes to color, buying a bottle of Emerald Green can be somewhat unpredictable. Bottles stored in their original cardboard box will fare much better than bottles that have been stored without. I have found on several occasions that buying an empty bottle with unconstituted powder has the best chance for obtaining the richest color ink.

Edited August 7, 2022 by amberleadavis
add images back in from broken link

[Alice L]

Great review ... and a delightful walk down memory lane. In those days I had a silver/gray Parker vac and Script in all the colors you mentioned including Persian Rose. The pen got stolen. Wonder what happened to the ink :hmm1:

 

Thanks!

[AndrewW]

Wonderful review - thank you. I had been waiting for a review of this ink, so was very pleased to see it.

[Ed Ronax]

Excellent review, thanks.

[johnboz]

Great review. I'd have to agree that Sample 1 is the closest to the original color. It's also the closest match to the more modern Emerald Green that was made in the 1990s. Out of all of the bottles I've tried, that dark, vibrant color has been the most consistent (and also my favorite!).

[MumblingFumbler]

I have a ton of unopened cartridges and ink bottles with these old colors (Emerald Green, Peacock Blue, etc.), but, in spite of being unused, the cartridges appear to have only a fraction of the original volume--evaporation through cartridge walls? Can I resurrect them by injecting water into them before use, or should I just throw them out. Same loss of volume with ink bottles. Can I just mix in additional water?

 

Thanks for your help,

Mumbling

[ManofKent]

Thank you. I like sample 2, but 3 and 4 are definitely not my taste.

[Orpilorp]

I have a ton of unopened cartridges and ink bottles with these old colors (Emerald Green, Peacock Blue, etc.), but, in spite of being unused, the cartridges appear to have only a fraction of the original volume--evaporation through cartridge walls? Can I resurrect them by injecting water into them before use, or should I just throw them out. Same loss of volume with ink bottles. Can I just mix in additional water?

 

Thanks for your help,

Mumbling

 

You can used distilled water, although the color will not be 100% accurate. Still, it is better than throwing out a rare color such as peacock blue.

 

I recently reconstituted several cartridges of Sheaffer orange and Sheaffer brown which were about 50% evaporated. (But I actually preferred the saturated color of the partially evaporated cartridges.)

[chromantic]

I have a ton of unopened cartridges and ink bottles with these old colors (Emerald Green, Peacock Blue, etc.), but, in spite of being unused, the cartridges appear to have only a fraction of the original volume--evaporation through cartridge walls? Can I resurrect them by injecting water into them before use, or should I just throw them out. Same loss of volume with ink bottles. Can I just mix in additional water?

 

Thanks for your help,

Mumbling

 

Yes, you can add some distilled water to reconstitute. You might have to experiment to get the amount right, start with a little then add a bit more 'til you get the strength you like. I had some long Pelikan carts that were down to about 1/3 full; I pushed the cart onto the feed to open it, then removed it and used a syringe to add the water. I had new, full carts to compare so I added enough water to make a little less than the new cart held. Seemed to work okay, don't use that pen much and am still on the same cart.

[amberleadavis]

I've salvaged the pictures from the broken links.

 

I've never seen a bottle of this ink, mine is just green - I think. Now I have to go look. This is beautiful.