8 replies to this topic

[John Danza]

I've been dabbling with using vintage inks for a few years now, so I thought I would share my experiences and solicit others to do the same.

The vintage inks I've used are:



1. Parker Quink Microfilm Black from 1940s.
2. Parker Quink Permanent Royal Blue from 1940s.
3. Parker Quink Permanent Blue Black from 1940s.
4. Parker Quink Permanent Green from 1940s.

I've been fortunate that every bottle I've tried has still been in good shape, without any slime or bacteria having developed in the bottles. I should note that I only start with bottles that appear to have never been opened, with fill levels that are at the top of the bottle.

My overall experience has been that the inks of this age lose some of their pigmentation. In every case, the colors look dull and lifeless. The Black has lightened up and taken on some gray tones. The Royal Blue and Blue Black look almost identical and are both dull, having lost the "sheen" you see in modern inks. The Green has lightened quite a bit as well.

Something I've noticed quite by accident was that the Blues can be mixed with a little modern Blue Black and that brings back their pigmentation pretty well. I haven't tried doing that in the bottle, but accidentally did it in a couple of pens by refilling them from the wrong bottle. The results were very noticeable. I'll try it in a bottle next.

What have been your experiences with vintage inks?

[Kelly]

John - I too have some experience with vintage inks - primarily the top three on your list. The bottles I have are 2oz., 4oz., and a 32oz. (Quink Royal Blue). I've used the Quink Blue Black more than the others.

I would agree that these vintage inks have less pigmentation than many modern inks. My question would be; have the inks lost pigmentation or were they always less saturated? I realize it is a difficult question to answer as we don't have any 50 year old inks that aren't 50 years old! But we probably have some folks around who used fp's in that era who would remember something about the qualities of the inks.

I have always assumed that the inks started out less saturated than the modern versions but that is open to debate.

[philm]

John, Kelly...

What a good topic, which doesn't get a lot of "press". I too, try and use the vintage inks that I run across. I have run into similar situations with vintage Quink Blues, though they are still saturated enough for my tastes. I have had good successes with Carter's Permanent Blue and Blue / Black and less so with Skrips, though I have been using Skrip Vintage Brown and Emerald Green. As with all of these, I have no reference points.

Thanks for bringing this up and I look forward to further comments.

Phil

[Ron Z]

In almost all cases, the ink in large bottles has gone gray. But I've bought (and used) CASES of blue/black, and also royal blue that were just fine, the later with a nice vibrant blue. I suspect that the change happens because the ink has been exposed to air, so degraded in the bottle.

[djohannsen]

What have been your experiences with vintage inks?

My favorite vintage inks are the Waterman's of the thirties to fifties. In particular, I use a lot of "Tropic Green" and "Carnation Red." The bottles of these that I've located seem to have really retained their vibrancy. The "Tropic Green" is (to my eyes) kind of a mix of kelly and avocado green, and the "Carnation Red" is a nice purple'ish tinted red. If you want to try vintage inks and can locate one of these, I think that they would be a good "entry point."

I also have a couple of those small Sanford Penit ink bottles (Green and Cardinal Red). As with the Waterman's inks, these two inls are both quite vibrant. These Sanford Penit inks are still easily found and quite inexpensive, so are another good avenue.

Finally, though I feel some loyalty to Quink (it's a Parker product and Parker is almost Century), I've not been overly impressed with the vintage Quink that I've used. I do have some nice'ish Quink ephemera, though.


dave

[brettttt]

I happen to have picked up my first bottle of old Permanent Green Quink last week and I was surprised at how *dark* it is. I have no idea whether it had ever been opened or how it had been stored, of course. I just mention it as a possibly worthwhile data point, suggesting that it isn't inevitable that ink in such bottles is washed-out.

[John Danza]

I happen to have picked up my first bottle of old Permanent Green Quink last week and I was surprised at how *dark* it is. I have no idea whether it had ever been opened or how it had been stored, of course. I just mention it as a possibly worthwhile data point, suggesting that it isn't inevitable that ink in such bottles is washed-out.

That's great that your bottle has a good color. My Permanent Green is definitely lighter than modern green, but it's still a good color.

[Roger W.]

John;

I only use vintage Skrip, probably from the 40's or 50's. Mostly blue black, some blue. I've got a lot of red!

Roger W.

[John Danza]

I've got a lot of red!

I know what you mean Roger. I've got plenty of Quink Microfilm Black.