How to Make Your Own Ink Powder
Black walnut hulls contain one of the most colorfast and lightfast dyes in nature. Upon opening the walnut hull to the air, the chemical inside immediately begins to oxidize to a deep black, giving the black walnut tree its name. When harvested fresh, you can dip the nib of your pen or the tip of your brush directly into the flesh of the hull to obtain an immediately usable ink. Create an ink powder to use later by drying and crushing the black walnut hulls. Steeping the ink powder in hot water will release the dye, and depending on how much ink powder you use, you can produce golden-brown to black ink.
Things You'll Need
- 12 to 20 green-hulled walnuts
- Cookie sheet
- Wax paper
- Glass jar with lid
Instructions
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1
Harvest green-hulled black walnuts between late August and late October.
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2
Choose walnuts with hulls you can lightly indent with your thumb. These nuts will be soft enough to remove the hulls but will not have begun to decompose.
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3
Line a cookie sheet with wax paper.
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4
Run a knife around the walnut to score the hull and then peel the hull off with your fingers.
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5
Place the walnut hull on the cookie sheet.
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6
Repeat steps 4 and 5 until you remove the hulls from all the walnuts.
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7
Cut or pull apart the walnut hulls into pea-sized pieces so that they will dry faster.
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8
Place the cookie sheet in a dry, well-ventilated area for 2 to 3 days. Walnut hulls contain a high moisture content, so monitor the hulls for evidence of mold growth. The hulls will be ready for crushing when you cannot squeeze any moisture from the hulls.
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9
Place a handful of hulls in a pestle and crush them into a fine powder with a mortar. If you get a paste instead of a powder, allow the hulls to dry for another 2 to 3 days.
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10
Store the ink powder in an airtight glass jar for later use.
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11
Repeat steps 10 and 11 until all hulls have been pulverized.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Do not use black or oozing walnut hulls. These walnuts will mold or decompose during the drying process.
For faster drying, use a food dehydrator. Be aware, however, that you may permanently dye the inside of the dehydrator.
Do not use a blender or food processor to grind the dried walnut hulls. Though the moisture content is low, the hulls may still stain the inside.
Dispose of the walnut shells or allow them to dry for 2 months before cracking them open for a delicious snack.
Wear gloves when picking, hulling and grinding black walnuts. The dye produced is extremely colorfast and will not wash off your skin.
References
- Photo Credit NA/Photos.com/Getty Images
