Old Sheaffer Ink

[davisrankin]

I recently bought from an antiques dealer a number if fountain pens, all modern, and nearly a dozen old Sheaffer ink bottles. Most of the bottles are (I judge) from the early 50s and almost all contained only dust, including the PERSIAN ROSE. Now I know why it is sought after.

 

I poured distilled water in the dust and shook up the bottles to mis it. In most every case there remained little 'bits' or specks of a substance that I took to be undissolved ink dust.

 

How much distilled water did I use? Enough to make a liquid. The Persian Rose is very dark so I suspect I need to add more water.

 

​Anyone have any tips on how to bring ink dust to life that I can use?

 

Thanks

[ParkerDuofold]

Hi Davis,

 

I wouldn't use it in any of my good pens, but if any dip pens or cheap Chinese knock-offs; I wouldn't see the harm in it.

 

Run it through a coffee filter or cheese cloth to filter out the solids. WHAT WOULD BE EVEN BETTER, is an extra fine steel mesh strainer... because cheese cloth and coffee filters will suck up a lot of the ink and waste it.

 

But you will need to filter out the solids... if you use a fountain pen... even a cheap one... because that sediment will clog the feed/ink channel.

 

Hope this helps... rots a ruck.

 

 

- Anthony

[bass1193]

Or better yet, let it sit a few days with intermittent shaking. Then filter. It will likely take some time for some of the dye components to dissolve. Water is a polar solvent, and there is no guarantee that all of the dye components in an ink are perfectly soluble therewith.

 

Of course, there's always the chance that the bottles were only partially full when abandoned, and you overshot or undershoot their original level. Then it will be under- or oversaturated. That's not awful though, just dilute or concentrate to get to the saturation you like.

 

Oh, and good on you for using distilled water! And more importantly, for deciding to experiment rather than discard! You definitely fit in here

[EdwardSouthgate]

Would really really like to see a writing sample of the Persian Rose . I am old myself but have not seen that one .

 

Eddie

Edited November 30, 2018 by EdwardSouthgate

[Ron Z]

Persian rose wasn't one of the iron gall inks, so would likely dissolve just fine. The idea of a filter after a couple of days isn't a bad idea though. There were some filters out there for filtering camp stove fuel that had an extremely fine mesh in the bottom that works very well for filtering ink. Look for camp stove funnel filter.