How to Make Walnut Ink

Here is a home method that is easy to reproduce so that you can create an "olde fashion" style ink for calligraphy, artwork, or just everyday use! It results in a dark brown shade of ink which, when combined with tea-stained paper or parchment, creates an appealing 18th-century look!

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 6 black walnuts; using 3-week aged walnuts is optional
• 1 paring knife
• 4 cups of water
• 2 small stainless steel pots
• utensils you won't mind staining and/or throwing away: slotted spoon, strainer
• old nylons or cheesecloth
• several empty baby food or jelly jars

1. Begin by filling the stainless steel pot with water, cover it and bring it to a hard boil, and then reduce heat to medium. While you are waiting, proceed to step 2.

2. Wearing latex gloves to protect your skin from the ink, use the paring knife to pit the walnuts and shred the flesh around the nut. If you are using green walnuts, this is easier said than done, and as soon as you cut into the flesh it will begin to bleed a very strong black ink.

3. Add all of the shredded walnut flesh to the boiling water. Reduce the mixture, stirring occasionally, until it is the desired consistency. This may take about an hour.

4. Allow the ink to cool. Place the cheesecloth or nylons over the smaller pot and pour the ink through to remove the pulp and the finer particles.

5. Estimate the volume of your ink and add denatured alcohol to make up 5% of the volume to prevent mold.

6. 
   An anonymous fine example of black walnut ink!

   Store your ink in one or several baby food or jelly jars!

Tips & Warnings

• Use utensils you will not mind discarding because they will become permanently stained by the walnut ink.
• The less water you end up with, the more concentrated the ink will be. Leaving a lot of water behind will result in a very light shade of ink.
• Use a paintbrush and some paper to periodically test the opacity of the ink as it reduces until you get the desired shade.
• The use of knives and heating elements should always be supervised by an adult.
• Be careful that you wear protective gloves, because walnut ink is very strong and will permanently stain almost everything that is not a hard, non-porous surface.

[Uozumi]

on 10/14/2009 Thanks so much for this recipe. I hope you don't mind I put a link to this on my blog! www.worldturndupsidedown.blogspot.com. I was writing a post about walnut ink and a lot of people were interested in a recipe. Great instructions! I was going to write the instructions out but now I don't have to.

[2besure]

on 5/13/2008 How on earth did you find out about walnut ink. I have never heard of this.