How to Prepare Ink

Homemade ink can be used in pens or applied with a brush.

Preparing ink is a process that, historically, uses natural ingredients to make pigments liquid for use in writing or drawing. The color of the ink depends on the pigment of the ingredients. Preparing ink at home with natural ingredients can create a nice color ink that will fade over time as the natural ingredients break down. The ink can be used in ink pens or with brushes. Items used in making ink may stain, so using older items is recommended. This ink should not be used to refill printer ink cartridges. The ink will ruin any printer it is put through.

Things You'll Need

• Plastic or rubber gloves
• Cast-iron pot with cover
• Strainer
• Wooden spoon
• Water
• 10 to 15 walnuts
• Vinegar
• Gum arabic
• Sieve
• Sealable container for ink with lid to seal the ink in
• Pine bark
• Iron sulfate
• Glass jug
• Glass bowl
• 1/2 cup to 1 cup of berries of any one type
• Salt

Instructions

Brown Ink

1. Place walnuts in a cast-iron pot and cover with water.

2. Simmer for eight hours with the pot covered. Leave the walnuts in the water for an additional 24 hours.

3. Strain the walnuts out of the water. Put the water back into the pot.

4. Boil the liquid until it is reduced by half. Stir in a teaspoon of vinegar and a tablespoon of gum arabic. This creates an emulsion, which allows the pigment to last longer.

Black Ink

1. Shred pine bark and place in a cast-iron pot. Cover with water.

2. Add a tablespoon of iron sulfate and simmer the pine bark for eight to 12 hours with the cover on. While eight hours of simmering will make a black ink, simmering for an additional four hours will make the pigment in the ink stronger and less likely to fade.

3. Transfer the pine bark and water to a glass jug and let it sit for a month with the cap on the jug.

4. Strain the liquid through a sieve.

5. Heat the liquid in a cast-iron pot until it is reduced by half. Add a tablespoon each of vinegar and gum arabic to the warm liquid and stir.

Berry Ink

1. Strain berries through a sieve over a glass bowl by pressing them through with a wooden spoon.

2. Add 1/2 teaspoon of vinegar and salt to the berry juice.

3. Store in a sealed container and use within two weeks.

Tips & Warnings

• Making ink will stain all items that are used to prepare it. Wear gloves at all times. While natural ingredients are used to make the ink, that does not mean it is nontoxic. Do not drink ink or put it on your skin. The ink is not formulated to spray out of ink cartridges and may leak, ruining an inkjet printer.

References

• Denevel Book Art: Making Walnut Ink
• The ink corrosion website: How to make ink
• Easy Fun School: Homemade Ink from Berries
• Magpie Nest: Walnut Ink