'Antique' Ink Bottles...

[Skip]

Saw a 1940's era Skrip bottle (and box) on eBay and it instantly brought back such pleasant childhood memories that I had to get it. It arrived with it's original box slightly torn but with the bottle's label ("Permanent Blue Black Ink") in great shape. ~However it's insides were encrusted with dried and crystalized ink... But after I soaked the interior in isopropyl alcohol for about 6 hours the dried ink poured right out of the bottle! ~A good rinsing and drying and I now have a sparkling clean 'antique' Skrip bottle with a good label, a nice black cap with white writing all over it, and a built-in upper interior inkwell.
~Which I'm soon going to fill with Iroshizuku's Syo-Ro (turquoise) ink. The Syo-Ro's bottle is (as usual with Iroshizuku) a smoothly curved attractive piece of art. However it's a bit awkward to work with, and it doesn't hold as much ink as it first appears to because of it's very large 'false bottom'! Also I think the turquoise Syo-Ro should look really cool in the old Skrip bottle? -And then who knows, there's also a lot of other 'antique' ink bottles out there just waiting to be rescued, right?

[Chrissy]

The problem with those old Sheaffer Skrip bottles is that their metal caps don't seal as well as current plastic caps and they evaporate ink quicker. I don't know if there was any card in the cap of the bottle but it would need replacing and even if you do it won't stop your Syo-ro from some evaporation and even change of colour. If it doesn't have any card in the cap then it will evaporate your nice ink quicker. Maybe you could have used some nice coloured water in there?

[Skip]

Has the card up inside the cap and was able to salvage that ok...
Problem is, arrrrrrgh!! ~The bottle has a hidden hairline crack (probably at the inkwell seam) and it leaked turquoise Syo-ro all over the damn place! ~What a $&#*#% mess! Yuck!! ~Y'know, this was a bit too much like the "old days," when everything to do with writing ink (pens, inkwells, etc) LEAKED!
Oh well, lesson learned I guess... ~Syo-ro bottle got refilled, and old Skrip Bottle went into recycle bin.

[carlos.q]

That is a sad ending...

[Chrissy]

Has the card up inside the cap and was able to salvage that ok...
Problem is, arrrrrrgh!! ~The bottle has a hidden hairline crack (probably at the inkwell seam) and it leaked turquoise Syo-ro all over the damn place! ~What a $&#*#% mess! Yuck!! ~Y'know, this was a bit too much like the "old days," when everything to do with writing ink (pens, inkwells, etc) LEAKED!
Oh well, lesson learned I guess... ~Syo-ro bottle got refilled, and old Skrip Bottle went into recycle bin.

That's a shame. I'm sorry you had leaked Syo-ro ink all over the place. Next time you get a really old ink bottle to clean out, maybe take your time and don't worry if you have to leave it soaking with some water in there for a while to get rid of the dried up ink. At least then you will know if it's still sound.

[Brilliant Bill]

Could be worse. I went to my bakery this morning for three Danish (cherry, lemon and cheese). They were closed, "on vacation." They've been in business 100 years and never went on vacation before! Had to go home and eat pepper jack Cheez-Its. And now the temp is near 100 degrees!

[Skip]

Could be worse. I went to my bakery this morning for three Danish (cherry, lemon and cheese). They were closed, "on vacation." They've been in business 100 years and never went on vacation before! Had to go home and eat pepper jack Cheez-Its. And now the temp is near 100 degrees!

How dare they take some time off when you needed them! ~Some folks have no consideration...
Anyway, re a mixed discussion of ink and food; after heavily dousing my hands and my stainless kitchen sink with turquoise Syo-ro I decided out of curiosity to look up whether fountain pen ink was poisonous or not. ~Consensus was it could be if you drank maybe a 30ml or 50ml bottle of it, but otherwise probably not since kids have been accidently covering themselves with ink for generations and there haven't been any dire warnings about serious effects so far.

Took the Skrip bottle out of the recycle trash to try it again, this time with water. ~Thought maybe I did something wrong? Maybe the cap was loose? But no; it's a rather serious leak. If I tilt the bottle even a tiny bit it dribbles a lot into my hand.. But I'll be dognabbit gobbily-gook damned if I can see where it's escaping from the bottle! A mystery? -Or perhaps the Great Goddess of Ink is just P.O.'d at me??
Anyway I think I'll just go now and eat a Danish....

[Brilliant Bill]

You will not be having a danish from Pisker's Bakery!!!
.
.

[Skip]

Ahhh, but I did get me an empty 30ml small square ink bottle (says Mary Shelley "Frankenstein" onnit) that's very good for holding those tiny-tippy 2ml sample ink vials upright inside it! -And that called for a DD chocolate donut with sprinkles onnit! ~Yas!!
So, ~a happy ending with empty ink bottles after all...

[Chrissy]

I'm a bit confused when I try to imagine where your bottle leaks from. Have you tried filling this bottle with water then standing it somewhere where it doesn't matter if water leaks out? It would be an easy fix if it was anything to do with the cap. Therefore does water leak out when the bottle just stands there without the cap on?

[Skip]

Bottle's gone, recycled... Box it came in looks cool on my desk. End of spilled ink episode, and I'm glad of it...

[Skip]

Ahhh, but I did get me an empty 30ml small square ink bottle (says Mary Shelley "Frankenstein" onnit) that's very good for holding those tiny-tippy 2ml sample ink vials upright inside it! -And that called for a DD chocolate donut with sprinkles onnit! ~Yas!!
So, ~a happy ending with empty ink bottles after all...

And here's some pics of my little 'Frankenstein' vial holder...
Ink btl adjusted usage.jpg
ink btl adj use_2.jpg