How to Make Fountain Pen Ink

Fountain Pen Ink Reflling

Fountain pens are a sign of good handwriting. They are from a time when handwriting was a reflection of your character. Now, a few people use the--more as a preference for the smooth writing resulting from using the fountain pen. Inside the pen is a plastic cartridge that holds ink. This cartridge can be refilled with any ink you like, even ink you make yourself out of simple ingredients. Here are a few ideas.

Things You'll Need

• Gum arabic White vinegar Saucepan Syringe Laundry bluing powder Beet 6 black tea bags

Instructions

1. Make a dark blue ink by mixing 2 tablespoons of laundry bluing powder with 4 tablespoons of water. Stir it well and store in a small baby food jar. This will give you a deep rich blue ink for forming beautiful letters with your fountain pen.

2. Create your own dark brown ink by simmering 5 or 6 black tea bags in 1/2 cup of water until it has reduced to 1/4 cup. Add 1 teaspoon of powdered gum arabic and stir well with a skewer. Store in a small baby food container. The gum arabic holds the color suspended in the liquid. Your fountain pen will produce writings that look ancient and antiqued.

3. Design your own purple ink by heating 1/4 cup of purple grape juice to a boil in a small saucepan. Add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir until the salt is dissolved and remove from the heat. Cool and store. The vinegar will set the color and the salt will prevent bacteria from growing in your fountain pen.

4. Add red to your palette of inks by slicing a raw beet into 1/4 inch slices and placing it into a small saucepan with 1/2 cup of water. Simmer for about 15 minutes covered or until the beet slices are tender. Drain the liquid and add 1 tablespoon of vinegar. Cool and store. This will produce a good deep red ink for writing important and eye-catching notes with your fountain pen.

5. Mix things up a bit by making your own invisible ink. Kids love this recipe and it is super easy. Mix equal parts of baking soda and water. Mix well and inject it into your cartridge. Write away and nothing will show up. Let the paper dry and then hold the paper up to a warm light source for the surprise message. Your fountain pen will be commanding respect from the kids if you tell them it is your magic pen.

Tips & Warnings

• A syringe is the easiest way to inject the ink into the fountain pen cartridge.

• These inks will stain even if made of ordinary ingredients.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish