EFNIR: Sheaffer Skrip Blue

[LizEF]

Extra Fine Nib Ink Review: Sheaffer Skrip Blue

This is review #313 in my series. Here's the YouTube video:

Post-recording notes: Didn't need to add water.  The microscope smear was dullsville.  The video makes the swatch card look neon-like (sort of like BSB), but it's not, it's actually rather muted as far as color saturation, so don't trust the swatch card! Cleaning was easy with plain water, but might need some extra flushes - it's pretty concentrated.

I didn't even try to keep the extra ink for use in some other pen - the complete lack of lubrication combined with the yawn-inducing royal blue earned it a quick trip down the drain.

NOTES: The large scribble-out in the writing sample was the author recognizing a logic error at the last minute. Also, sorry for being unclear; Quin was outside, unconscious, while the rest of his family went in the house. Not mentioned: It was Vika's idea for him to stay outside, on the ground, as the Earth is the source of her power.

Rain and crying kitties added to today's audio track.

Much to my embarrassment, today I realized that the app I use for making the video and one still image does *not* remember the exposure setting from session to session.  I swear it used to.  This means that my videos are unnecessarily underexposed!  My apologies!  Next time, I will make exposure adjustments after doing some testing to see how far I can push it.  (Still images have always been corrected for this, but perhaps that will be easier and color better in the future - we'll see.)

Zoomed in photo (Color is very close.)

Screenshot (Close, but a little dark.)

Scan of Completed Review (Text is a little pale.)

Absorbent Paper Close-up (top is puzzle paper like thick newsprint, bottom is old 20lb copy paper) (Color is pretty accurate.)

Line width (The "I" in "Ink:". Magnification is 100x. The grid is 100x100µm. The scale is 330µm, with eleven divisions of 30µm each. The line width for this ink is roughly 270µm. With 313 inks measured, the average line width is 297µm.) (I could see pink sheen, but the camera barely picked up any.)

Previous Review: Platinum Violet.

Images also available on Instagram: @zilxodarap.

Want to influence the inky sequence? Take the "next ink" poll.

View a list of my inks, complete with review results in a google sheet.

Need to catch up on The Adventures of Quin and Makhabesh? Find the whole story here.

Hope you enjoy. Comments appreciated!

[Sailor Kenshin]

Meeee-Yow!  Yes, it's blue all right.  Yes, I'm the only one in the universe who likes Ballpoint Blue.  There are many many many of the Skrip Blue carts in my hoard.  There are also many Sheaffer school pens, so there must be a balance somewhere.

 

Is there a silvery sparkle in the line width?  And am I given to understand you had this ink in liquid form?  Sample or bottle?  (Answers will go on your permanent record. 😸)

 

It is raining here, too.  Did Klaw and Smoke arrange this?

 

Breathing huge sigh of relief that everyone seems to be all right now.  I've missed Etthri Thpeech!

 

@LizEF, you make Tuesdays magically teriffic!  Thanks so much. I always look forward to the review and story.   (And I remembered what day it is too….) 

[LizEF]

31 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

Meeee-Yow!  Yes, it's blue all right.  Yes, I'm the only one in the universe who likes Ballpoint Blue.  There are many many many of the Skrip Blue carts in my hoard.  There are also many Sheaffer school pens, so there must be a balance somewhere.

 

32 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

Is there a silvery sparkle in the line width?  And am I given to understand you had this ink in liquid form?  Sample or bottle?  (Answers will go on your permanent record. 😸)

No, those are gaps in the ink, where the paper shows through.  There's a red sheen barely visible in the lower left and upper right.  I was using a cartridge.  (Answers are already in the database. )

 

34 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

It is raining here, too.  Did Klaw and Smoke arrange this?

I doubt it - they prefer sunshine!  (Of course, the video was recorded 4 weeks ago...)

 

35 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

Breathing huge sigh of relief that everyone seems to be all right now.  I've missed Etthri Thpeech!

 

35 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

@LizEF, you make Tuesdays magically teriffic! Thanks so much. I always look forward to the review and story.

Thanks!  And you're most welcome!

 

35 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

(And I remembered what day it is too….) 

Congratulations!

 

[yazeh]

Great review @LizEF for a meh ballpoint-y ink. 👍

in my experience with Japanese Ef nibs, sometimes it's the nib that's problematic. I have several Japanese Ef nibs and they are not all created equally.  The worse are the Kakuno Ef nibs, though the M nibs are excellent. A Pilot Gold Ef nib is a dream to write with. 

It is ironic that while royal blues are "boring" for writing they are quite enjoyable for doing washes 😊

 

And for what is worth, I don't mind if there problems with the camera, creative soundtracks or other "imperfections". To me that's what makes any review endearing, humane and a pleasure to experience. 

Otherwise > would be checking g Borg reviews 😅, fascinating 🖖

 

Thanks for making Tuesdays so beautifully imperfect 🙏🙏🙏

 

 

[LizEF]

20 minutes ago, yazeh said:

Great review @LizEF for a meh ballpoint-y ink. 👍

Thanks!

 

21 minutes ago, yazeh said:

in my experience with Japanese Ef nibs, sometimes it's the nib that's problematic. I have several Japanese Ef nibs and they are not all created equally.  The worse are the Kakuno Ef nibs, though the M nibs are excellent. A Pilot Gold Ef nib is a dream to write with. 

In this case, the nib is only problematic when the ink fails to lubricate well enough.

 

21 minutes ago, yazeh said:

It is ironic that while royal blues are "boring" for writing they are quite enjoyable for doing washes 😊

This one's awful lubrication might be good for nothing but washes...

 

22 minutes ago, yazeh said:

And for what is worth, I don't mind if there problems with the camera, creative soundtracks or other "imperfections". To me that's what makes any review endearing, humane and a pleasure to experience. 

Thanks!  The soundtracks don't bother me, but it would be nice if the exposure were closer to reality for those who prefer the video.

 

23 minutes ago, yazeh said:

Otherwise > would be checking g Borg reviews 😅, fascinating 🖖

 

23 minutes ago, yazeh said:

Thanks for making Tuesdays so beautifully imperfect 🙏🙏🙏

You're most welcome!

[InesF]

Oh, it's a blue!  

Thank you, @LizEF, for relentlessly reviewing all your cartridge inks! 

 

Having a strange ambivalent relation to black and blue inks (both are like cancer in the colourful world of fountain pen inks), some of them appeal. Surprise! 😊

This Sheaffer Blue looks almost equal to Akkerman Vermeer's Kobaltblauw, which I bought recently and which I like a lot. Both these are a somewhat cool blue, close to the edge between love and hate but on the "love side". Since the Akkeman bottle is huge, no need for me to buy Sheaffer cartridges - lucky me!  

 

Story wise, I can hear you breathing in, @LizEF.  Looking forward to the inevitable surprise/turn that must follow now! 🫣

[LizEF]

8 hours ago, InesF said:

Oh, it's a blue!

  Indeed.

 

8 hours ago, InesF said:

Thank you, @LizEF, for relentlessly reviewing all your cartridge inks! 

You are most welcome!  (Fair warning: Jinhao cartridges are really hard to open outside a pen.  I'm pondering making some sort of device that will use a screw to slowly apply pressure to push the ball free from the opening...)

 

8 hours ago, InesF said:

Having a strange ambivalent relation to black and blue inks (both are like cancer in the colourful world of fountain pen inks), some of them appeal. Surprise! 😊

Cancer.

 

8 hours ago, InesF said:

This Sheaffer Blue looks almost equal to Akkerman Vermeer's Kobaltblauw, which I bought recently and which I like a lot. Both these are a somewhat cool blue, close to the edge between love and hate but on the "love side". Since the Akkeman bottle is huge, no need for me to buy Sheaffer cartridges - lucky me!  

Very lucky you - these days, heaven knows whether the Sheaffer Blue you buy will match any previous rendition of Sheaffer Blue...  (Their new Green is nothing like the not-green Green I reviewed. )

 

8 hours ago, InesF said:

Story wise, I can hear you breathing in, @LizEF.  Looking forward to the inevitable surprise/turn that must follow now! 🫣

  We must have a moment or two of rest before our next adventure.  (I'm having a hard time figuring out the name of the next adventure!  It must have a name before I can publish the review that starts it - which is next week's ink.)

[TSherbs]

Not a fan of this ink color.

[LizEF]

10 minutes ago, TSherbs said:

Not a fan of this ink color.