homemade ink
Homemade ink
1. Black Ink: There are several ways to make black ink. Here's an easy one: take one egg yolk, ½ teaspoon lamp black, ½ cup honey and one teaspoon gum arabic. Lamp black is available commercially or you can make it yourself by holding a plate or any receptacle over a lit candle - it will take some time to collect half a teaspoon though. Mix all of the ingredients to make a thick paste and add enough water to this paste to dilute it so that it flows easily as a fluid.
2. Gall-Iron Ink: This method was the most frequently used method before synthetic chemicals came into use for ink manufacture. The one drawback of gall-iron ink is that it is very corrosive to steel and you should ensure that the implements you use while making or using this ink are not made of steel. You will require tannic acid, distilled water (wine or vinegar can be substituted), galls, solid gum arabic, and iron sulfate.
The quantities required are 35 grams of tannic acid, 0.5 oz of gum arabic, 21 oz of iron sulfate, 8 oz of distilled water and galls. These can be gathered from woody areas where they can be found as circular growths on twigs or leaves typically around insect larvae on the tree or plant; tannic acid can be squeezed out of tea bags steeped in boiling water.
Crush and grind the galls to a fine powder, add water and let the solution ferment for about three days. Strain the solution after three days, add the iron sulfate and let the solution stand again for four days. At the end of this period, mix in the gum arabic and ensure it is fully dissolved. The ink is now ready for use and can be stored, but not in anything made of steel.
Brown Ink: You’ll need one teaspoon of gum arabic, a few teabags or a couple of tablespoons of loose leaf tea (more if you want a deeper color), and half a cup of boiling water. Pour the water over the tea bags or loose tea which is placed in a large bowl, add the gum arabic and allow it to steep for about 15-20 minutes. Crush the tea
1. Black Ink: There are several ways to make black ink. Here's an easy one: take one egg yolk, ½ teaspoon lamp black, ½ cup honey and one teaspoon gum arabic. Lamp black is available commercially or you can make it yourself by holding a plate or any receptacle over a lit candle - it will take some time to collect half a teaspoon though. Mix all of the ingredients to make a thick paste and add enough water to this paste to dilute it so that it flows easily as a fluid.
2. Gall-Iron Ink: This method was the most frequently used method before synthetic chemicals came into use for ink manufacture. The one drawback of gall-iron ink is that it is very corrosive to steel and you should ensure that the implements you use while making or using this ink are not made of steel. You will require tannic acid, distilled water (wine or vinegar can be substituted), galls, solid gum arabic, and iron sulfate.
The quantities required are 35 grams of tannic acid, 0.5 oz of gum arabic, 21 oz of iron sulfate, 8 oz of distilled water and galls. These can be gathered from woody areas where they can be found as circular growths on twigs or leaves typically around insect larvae on the tree or plant; tannic acid can be squeezed out of tea bags steeped in boiling water.
Crush and grind the galls to a fine powder, add water and let the solution ferment for about three days. Strain the solution after three days, add the iron sulfate and let the solution stand again for four days. At the end of this period, mix in the gum arabic and ensure it is fully dissolved. The ink is now ready for use and can be stored, but not in anything made of steel.
Brown Ink: You’ll need one teaspoon of gum arabic, a few teabags or a couple of tablespoons of loose leaf tea (more if you want a deeper color), and half a cup of boiling water. Pour the water over the tea bags or loose tea which is placed in a large bowl, add the gum arabic and allow it to steep for about 15-20 minutes. Crush the tea