One of my self-improvement projects has been to try to learn how to write legibly. It would be easy to blame my handwriting on being left-handed, but it probably has a lot more to do with trying to write quickly rather than neatly. So, I got a pen and some ink and have been practicing.Ink is one of the practical contributions of chemistry. You can make invisible inks and tattoo inks in addition to writing and drawing inks. Although ink recipes may be closely-guarded secrets, the basic principles of preparing ink are simple. You want to mix a pigment with a carrier (usually water). It helps to include a chemical which will allow the ink to flow fluidly and adhere to the paper (gum arabic). Here are some easy ink recipes to get you started making ink yourself:
- 1/2 tsp lamp black (which you can buy or can make by holding a plate over a candle and collecting the soot or from collecting other char)
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp gum arabic
- 1/2 cup honey
- 4 teaspoons loose tea or 4-5 teabags
- 1 teaspoon gum arabic
- 1/2 cup boiling water
- Prussian Blue pigment (sometimes sold as laundry bluing)
- water
Unless you happen to have a calligraphy pen, the easiest way to use these inks is with a homemade quill or a paintbrush. If you have recipes for inks you would like to share, feel free to post them.
Comments
Thanks a million. i needed that…..
uuuuuuuuuhhhhh
were in the world do u get gum arabic!!
this really didn’t help me :I
i agree this is a very fabolus site and and imperial work it helped me alot and ho so ever dont like it than dont leave your stupid comments.and ho ever made this site keep on ur work u would be rewarded by allah.
English and grammar. Use them properly next time, so we can understand your dumb and convoluted opinion.
You do need help with your grammer:) ha
I agree with Fazel the best. I don’t have any gum arabic nor even know what it is. Need an ink that i can make without any special ingredients. =/
The site below describes a material you can use instead (British Gum, “Dextrine”) which you can make by carefully baking Cornflour (Cornstarch) in an oven
Dextrine Recipe
Hope that helped everyone
You can buy the GUM ARABIC at ACMOORE and other craft stores as well as online. I just froogled it and it came up. It is for water colors.
If you do a little internet searching you can find anything you need.
I have found this very helpful for a Harry Potter Night my daughter and I are doing for her friends at our house we are going to make our own ink.
im sure you can find it at amazon.com or ebay too
Anne, thanks alot for your contribution in chemistry
I’m trying to make the black ink for an art project and am having a hard time getting it to write. Not sure if I need more or less water, or more pigment. What water to paste ratio do you suggest?
hey i wanted to know if instead of water i could use alcohol cuz i wanted to make ink that will stain pretty bad and will be hard to get rid off, also could somebody sent me a list were i can find these? if somebody were to reply here i probally wont get it could you send me the answers at: mons_1996@live.com
Love the ideas. Passing them on to home school educators.
I got gum arabic off of Amazon. There is a store called the Barry Farm in the Grocery & Gourmet department that has it. If you want to use it, it sure smells good! Like an incense stick!
Hope that helps and I will sure be looking into that baking corn starch thing! Very cool.
You can get Gum Arabic is art supply stores, hobby lobby, fine art stores close to a college campus always carry it, or when all else fails.. Ebay!
thanks i just wanted this because i found a quil and im like i should have ink and write with that!
Just a hint, I’ve found that if you take a felt tip pen and leave it to dry out (I took one of my daughter’s old ones that was running out) its works just as well, and I found it much easier to use than the paint brush (I have the artistic talent of a house brick lol)
does this ink will rotten?
can gum arabic replace with other item?
Your struggle really able to inspire and appricietable . Kwoledge is for spread genration to genration . through these conversation. Thanks a lot . I again thanks .
You know there’s ink bottles at Office Depot right ?
Well. Now we all know how to make ink. Strange that egg yolk though. I’m not a big fan of yolk but after reading this, I was starting to feel guilty for throwing all those useful egg yolks in the trash. X(