How to Make Green Ink

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Things You'll Need

  • 1/2 cup green leaves

  • Food processor or blender

  • Sieve

  • 4-oz. baby food jar

  • 1/2 tsp. salt

  • 1/2 tsp. vinegar

Chlorphyll works well as a green dye for ink.

Though modern pens come equipped with pre-filled with ink capsules, pens as recently as the 1880s required the writer to continually dip the tip of the pen in ink as he wrote. Inks for such pens were made by extracting the pigments from natural plant materials. Make green ink by extracting chlorophyll, the pigment responsible for the green color in leaves.

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Step 1

Place 1/2 cup of green leaves in a blender or food processor and pulse them to form a pulpy liquid. Their green pigment will provide the color to your ink.

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Step 2

Place a sieve over an empty 4-oz. baby food jar. This will serve as an inkwell. Pour the contents of the blender through the sieve to separate the pulp from the ink.

Step 3

Stir 1/2 tsp. each of salt and vinegar into the mixture. These will help keep the ink from turning brown. Secure the lid on the inkwell.

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