Quink

Parker Quink Bottle with SOLV-X notation

Quink (a portmanteau word from 'quick' and 'ink') is a fountain pen ink developed by the Parker Pen Company. The ink was novel for using isopropyl alcohol as a solvent, which dried by absorption rather than evaporation of previous water-based inks. However the composition of the ink damaged some pen barrels and caps. The ink was later marketed with the Parker 51 pen, introduced ten years after Quink's release into the marketplace and designed to be unaffected by the chemical properties of Quink.

Background

In 1928, under the direction of Kenneth Parker, the Parker Pen Company invested three years and USD $68,000 into the development of an ink that would eliminate the need for blotting. Research for the project was headed by Galen Sayler, a chemist working in a small laboratory at company headquarters in Janesville, Wisconsin. It was during the project development stage that the major discovery regarding absorption was made.

History

Quink was first marketed in 1931. The resulting product was strongly alkaline and contained isopropyl alcohol, a solvent not previously used in inks. At that time, most pen barrels and caps were manufactured of Celluloid, which was often damaged by the alcohol contained in Quink. This problem led to minor internal changes to existing pen models, using other newly-available plastics for components of their feed.

A common misconception about Quink is that it was intended primarily for the Parker 51, which generated over 400 million dollars in sales during its thirty-year history. Although Quink was indeed ideal for use with the 51, Parker's other pens of this generation were just as capable of using it. The Parker 51 was only made available in 1941, ten years after Quink's development. Two inks that were best used with the 51 specifically were the later fast-drying Double Quink and the extra-fast Superchrome.

Francisco Quisumbing

A popular misconception is that the ink was invented by a Filipino chemist, Francisco Quisumbing, and takes its name from 'Quisumbing Ink'. There is no reliable source to support this.

Francisco Quisumbing was a Filipino botanist who studied in both the Philippines and the US, gaining a PhD in Plant Taxonomy, Systematics and Morphology from the University of Chicago in 1923. There is no indication that he ever worked for Parker. However Parker did license the manufacture of Quink in the Philippines, for that market, and the bottles were labelled as such.[1] This, together with the name coincidence, may have been the source of the rumour.

Features

Quink Blot on damp paper

The success of Quink lay in its useful features: it had the desired quality of ink flow without clogging, it resisted water and moulding, it was non-corrosive to the metal parts of nibs and feeds, it was quick-drying, and it did not leave deposits or fade.

Celluloid materials for pens such as the Parker Duofold were becoming less common,[2][note 1] as new polymers that could be injection moulded, such as ABS and polystyrene, became popular. Parker themselves retained a range of high-end pens with the Vacumatic that still used laminated celluloid as a translucent decorative body,[3] but these no longer had celluloid parts in contact with the ink supply.

The bottles were designed with a low centre of gravity to prevent tipping. The ink was to have several improvements over the years; an even quicker-drying product appeared in 1939 called "Double Quink." It included a further refinement in the addition of the chemical SOLV-X which dissolved sediment and cleaned the pen when writing.

In 1941, when the Parker 51 was launched, Double Quink was renamed and repackaged as "Parker 51 ink" for marketing purposes. It was manufactured in four colors: India Black, Pan American Green, China Red and the famous Tunis Blue. It was sold in bottles made by the Armstrong Cork Company, Lancaster, PA, and bearing prominent warnings on the caps, labels, and boxes, that this ink was ONLY for the Parker 51, and would severely damage any other pens. In fact, this ink destroyed Parker 51s too, and was quietly discontinued after a few years.

Further enhancements were made to Parker inks, and "Superchrome" ink was launched in 1947 after a seventeen-year research period that cost over USD $200,000. Parker marketed the product as the "first basic ink improvement in over 250 years" that offered near-instant drying, greater "brilliance" (or brightness) and availability in a wider selection of colors. In reality, Superchrome ink was just a less-corrosive version of "Parker 51 ink". It still destroyed pens; it just did it more slowly. Its packaging warned that it was so quick-drying that it was ONLY suitable for use in Parker 51s and 61s.

Quink is not waterproof, unlike India ink. If paper that has been written on becomes wet, black ink will run and separate into blue and yellow components.

Twenty-first century

Quink cartridges in a blister pack

According to fountain pen enthusiasts, Parker Quink is generally considered to be "safe fountain pen ink";[4] this means that it should not stain or clog fountain pens very easily.

The use of fountain pens gradually decreased during the second half of the 20th century. Consequently, Parker 51 ink was phased out in the UK in 1972 and the US in 1978. Many collectors and enthusiasts continue to use the Parker 51 pen in the 21st century, with a limited edition of the model (available in two colors, "Vista Blue" and black) released by Parker in 2002.[5] As part of the 2002 product revival, Parker promoted its quick-drying ink as the ideal accompaniment for the Parker 51.

References

  1. ↑ The post-war Duofold is a wholly new design, similar to the Vacumatic, and using an ABS body.
  1. ↑ "Ink for vintage parker 51 (Quink box photos, showing the Philippines labelling". 2009.
  2. ↑ David Nishmura. "Parker Duofold".
  3. ↑ David Nishmura. "Parker Vacumatic".
  4. ↑ Pendemonium (1995–2012). "A Few Thoughts On Fountain Pen Inks". Pendemonium. Pendemonium. Archived from the original on June 21, 2012. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
  5. ↑ Ernesto M. Soler (2004–2008). "Parker". The Parker "51" Website. Ernesto M. Soler. Retrieved 9 June 2012.

Sources

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