Vintage Sheaffer's Skrip Washable Melon Red

[eharriett]

I've been wanting this ink for a long time and I finally snagged a jar at this year's Ohio Pen Show. I've been fascinated with the look of this ink, as it does not look very much like other inks around at the time. this ink would have been around in the 50's-60's (judging by the advertising on the box top for a Snorkel), and most Reds at the time did not look like this. Nothing, really looks like this. I can best describe it as an accurate representation of watermelon meat.

 

There's absolutely no waterproofing. Although even though it is advertised as "washable" (for clothes, people!), it is quite permanent on skin. It SHADES! Shades very nicely, in fact. I'm going to see what this does in a flex pen later on.

 

It is also a dry ink. The pen I used was a Bexley Gemstone and it is a fairly dry writer. As is the case with most vintage ink, it was well behaved and started every time, but a dry ink in a dry pen really didn't lay a whole lot down on the page without a bit of pressure. I'll probably add a drop of Cuddles to see if I can moisten it up in the future. Behaved really well on paper. No bleedthrough or feathering, even with multiple passes. The feathering that you see on the review is residue from when I rubbed water on the page for a water test. It does not feather on dry paper.

 

I compared this "red" with some of the other period appropriate reds out there. Back then, as you can see, there really was nothing like this. It must have been an amazing find back then for people to discover this color if they were looking for an ink that would make their lettering or their writing stand out. My scanner does not really show off the purple hues in the other reds, but both the vintage Skrip Red (not the modern) and the vintage Waterman has a fair amount of purple in it. The look of the Melon red and the Quink Red is accurate, though.

 

Enjoy!! I will.

 

 

 

Edited November 18, 2018 by eharriett

[Mr.Rene]

[Michael R.]

[amberleadavis]

Do you have a UV light? I think this one leaves some UV marks when you wash it out. I would be interested in finding out. Thank you for sharing this!!!

[eharriett]

Do you have a UV light? I think this one leaves some UV marks when you wash it out. I would be interested in finding out. Thank you for sharing this!!!

I do. And I date an entomologist, who has a much more powerful one than I for photographing. I shall make arrangements and post results

[bass1193]

Awesome find! I have a ton of Sheaffer's in these boxes, but not this one! That is spot-on watermelon for sure. When you do the UV test, be sure to specify whether the light you use is long- or shortwave 😄

[eharriett]

Awesome find! I have a ton of Sheaffer's in these boxes, but not this one! That is spot-on watermelon for sure. When you do the UV test, be sure to specify whether the light you use is long- or shortwave

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

 

[amberleadavis]

Oh, and please tell the lovely entomologist that my son wants to grow up and be an arachnologist.

[bass1193]

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

 

For science! The UV lights you get at Spencer's to make posters glow are long-wave UV, but many scientists use short-wave. We use both in geology though, because some minerals will fluoresce for either or both.

[amberleadavis]

AH and that's what makes Noodler's Luxury Blue so different from Noodler's Upper Ganges - they fluoresce differently.