Ink

Syn. At ramentum , L. Coloured liquid employed for writing with a pen. Ink is made of various substances and colours; but at present we shall confine our attention to the tan no-gallic compounds, to which the term, when standing alone, is almost exclusively applied. Prep. 1. Aleppo galls (well bruised), 4 oz.; clean soft water, 1 quart; macerate in a clean corked bottle for 10 days or a fortnight, or even longer, with frequent agitation, then add of gum Arabic (di olved in a wine-gla ful of water), 1 1 ⁄ 4 oz.; lump sugar, 1 ⁄ 2 oz.; mix well, and afterwards further add of sulphate of iron (green copperas, crushed small), 1 1 ⁄ 2 oz.; agitate occasionally for 2 or 3 days, when the ink may be decanted for use, but is better if the whole is left to digest together for 2 or 3 weeks. When time is an object, the whole of the ingredients may at once be put into a bottle, and the latter agitated daily until the ink is made; and boiling water instead of cold water may be employed. Product. 1 quart of excellent ink, writing pale at first, but soon turning intensely black. 2. Aleppo galls (bruised), 12 lbs.; soft water, 6 galls.; boil in a copper ve el for 1 hour, adding more water to make up for the portion lost by evaporation; strain, and again boil the galls with water, 4 galls.; for 1 ⁄ 2 an hour; strain off the liquor, and boil a third time with water, 2 1 ⁄ 2 galls., and strain; mix the several liquors, and while still hot, add of green copperas (coarsely powdered), 4 1 ⁄ 2 lbs.; gum arabic (bruised small), 4 lbs.; agitate until di olved, and after defecation strain through a hair sieve, and keep it in a bunged-up cask for use. Product. 12 galls.; very fine and durable. 3. Aleppo galls (bruised), 14 lbs.; gum, 5 lbs; put them in a small cask, and add of boiling soft water, 15 galls.; allow the whole to macerate, with frequent agitation, for a fortnight, then further add of green copperas, 5 lbs., (di olved in) water, 7 pints; again mix well, and agitate the whole once daily for 2 or 3 weeks. Prod. Fully 15 galls. Resembles No. 1. 4. Galls (bruised), 9 lbs.; logwood chips (best Campeachy), 3 lbs.; boil as in No. 2; to the strained mixed liquors, add of gum arabic and green copperas, of each (bruised small), 4 lbs.; simmer or digest until di olved, and at once strain through a hair sieve into the store-cask or jars. Prod. 16 1 ⁄ 2 galls. Excellent, but inferior to the preceding. 5. Galls (bruised), 2 lbs.; logwood chips, green copperas, and gum, of each 1 lb.; water, 7 galls.; boil 2 hours, and strain. Prod. 5 galls. A superior ink for retail. 6. Galls (bruised), 1 lb.; logwood, 2 lbs.; gum (common), 1 lb.; green copperas, 3 ⁄ 4 lb.; water, 8 galls.; proceed as last. Prod. 6 galls. Common, but fit for all ordinary purposes. The following formulæ are for some of the advertised inks, or are those recommended by the authorities whose names are attached to them:— 7. ( Anti-corrosive. ) Same as ‘Asiatic ink.’ 8. ( Asiatic. ) Galls, 4 lbs.; logwood, 2 lbs.; pomegranate peel, 2 lb.; soft water, 5 galls; boil as in No. 2, then add to the strained and decanted liquor, when cold, of gum Arabic, 1 lb.; lump sugar or sugar candy, 1 ⁄ 4 lb.; di olved in water, 3 pints. Product. 4 1 ⁄ 2 galls. Writes pale, but flows well from the pen, and soon gets black. 9. (Brande.) Galls, 6 oz.; green copperas and gum Arabic, of each 4 oz.; soft water, 3 quarts; by decoction. 10. (Chaptal.) As No. 4 (nearly), adding sulphate of copper, 1 ⁄ 2 lb. Full coloured, but le durable and anticorrosive than the preceding. 11. (Desormeaux.) Galls, 1 lb.; logwood chips, 4 oz.; water, 6 quarts; boil 1 hour, strain 5 quarts, add of sulphate of iron (calcined to whitene ), 4 oz.; brown sugar, 3 oz.; gum, 6 oz.; acetate of copper, 1 ⁄ 4 oz.; agitate twice a day for a fortnight, then decant the clear, bottle, cork up for use. Writes a full black, and otherwise resembles No. 10. 12. (Elsner.) Galls (powdered), 42 oz.; gum Senegal (powdered), 15 oz.; distilled or rain water, 18 quarts; sulphate of iron (free from copper), 18 oz.; liquor of ammonia, 3 dr.; spirit of wine, 24 oz.; mix these ingredients in an open ve el, stirring frequently until the ink attains the desired blackne . This formula is said to give a deep black, neutral ink that does not corrode steel pens. 13. ( Exchequer. ) Galls (bruised), 40 lbs. (say 4 parts); gum, 10 lbs. (say one part); green sulphate of iron, 9 lbs. (say one part); soft water, 45 galls., (say 45 parts); macerate for 3 weeks, employing frequent agitation. “This ink will endure for centuries.” 14. (Guibourt.) Galls (in powder), 50 parts; hot water, 800 parts; digest 24 hours, strain, and add of green sulphate of iron and gum Arabic, of each 25 parts; when di olved, add the following solution and mix well:—Sal ammoniac, 8 parts; gum, 2 parts; oil of lavender, 1 part; boiling water, 16 parts. Said to be indelible. 15. ( Japan. ) This is a black and glo y kind of ink, which may be prepared from either of the above receipts by calcining the copperas until white or yellow, or by sprinkling it (in powder) with a little nitric acid before adding it to the decoction (preferably the former), by which the ink is rendered of a full black as soon as made. The glo ine is given by using more gum. It flows le easily from the pen than other inks, and is le durable than ink that writes paler and afterwards turns black. It is unfitted for steel pens. 16. (Lewis.) Bruised galls, 3 lb.; gum and sulphate of iron, of each 1 lb.; vinegar, 1 gall.; water, 9 quarts; macerate with frequent agitation for 14 days. To produce 3 galls. Fine quality, but apt to act on steel pens. 17. ( Prerogative Court. ) Galls, 1 lb.; gum Arabic, 6 oz.; alum, 2 oz.; green vitriol, 7 oz.; kino, 3 oz.; logwood raspings, 4 oz.; soft water, 1 gall.; macerate at last. Said to write well on parchment. 18. (Ribaucourt.) Galls, 1 lb.; logwood chips and sulphate of iron, of each 1 ⁄ 2 lb.; gum 6 oz.; sulphate of copper and sugar candy, of each, 1 oz.; boil the first two in soft water, 2 1 ⁄ 2 galls., to one half, then add the other ingredients. Full coloured, but somewhat corrosive, as No. 10. 19. (Dr Ure.) Galls, 12 lbs.; green copperas and gum Senegal, of each 5 lbs.; as No. 2 (nearly). To produce 12 galls. 20. (Dr Wollaston.) Galls, 1 oz.; sulphate of iron, 3 dr.; gum, 1 ⁄ 4 oz.; cold water 1 ⁄ 2 pint; put into a bottle and shaken together every day for a fortnight or longer. A good durable ink, which will bear diluting. 21. ( Pharm ace utis che Zeitung. ) By adding ferrocyanide of pota ium to ordinary ink, an indelible writing ink may be obtained. The removal of such an ink by an acid would result in the production of Pru ian blue. General Commentary. According to the most accurate experiments on the preparation of black ink, it appears that the quantity of sulphate of iron should not exceed 1 ⁄ 3 rd part of that of the galls, by which an exce of astringent vegetable matter, which is nece ary for the durability of the colour, is preserved in the liquid. Gum, by shielding the writing from the action of the air, tends to preserve the colour; but if much is employed, the ink flows languidly from quill pens, and scarcely at all from steel pens. The latter require a very limpid ink. The addition of sugar (especially of moist sugar) increases the flowing property of the liquid, but makes it dry more slowly, and frequently to pa into an acetous state, in which condition it acts injuriously on the pen. Vinegar, for a like reason, is not calculated for the menstruum, as it rapidly softens quill or horn, and corrodes iron and steel. To ensure the permanency of the colour of the tan no-gallic inks, the best Aleppo or blue nut-galls must alone be used. No second or inferior quality should be employed. A contrary practice, often adopted for the sake of economy, is nearly always followed by unpleasant results and often by considerable lo . The only improvement of importance which has been made in the manufacture of writing ink from the common materials, during the last few years, is the practice of first roasting the gall-nuts, which is now adopted by a few of the houses most celebrated for their COPYING INK . In this way a portion of pyrogallic acid is formed, which is very soluble in water, and strikes an intense bluish-black colour with the pro to sulphate or green sulphate of iron. From galls so treated an ink may be made to write black at once. Care must, however, be taken to avoid any lo of materials by volatilisation. To prevent any tendency to mouldine in ink, a few bruised cloves, or a little oil of cloves, or, still better, a few drops of creasote (carbolic acid) may be added. The last two should be previously di olved in a small quantity of strong vinegar, or rectified spirit. With the same intention some of the large makers allow the ink to become covered with a skin of ‘mould’ in the cask, to render it le liable to undergo the same change when subsequently bottled. Formerly the practice was to add a little spirit for the same purpose. Sumach, logwood, and oak-bark are frequently substituted for galls in the preparation of common ink. When such is the case, only about 1 ⁄ 6 or 1 ⁄ 7 th of their weight of copperas should be employed. Inks so made po e little durability. The very general use of steel pens of late years has caused a corresponding demand for easy-flowing inks, many of which are now vended under the titles of WRITING-FLUIDS , STEEL-PEN INK , ANTICORROSIVE INK , . The greater number of these are prepared from galls in the preceding manner; but a le quantity of gum is employed, and greater attention is paid than heretofore to avoid every source of ‘greasine ’ among which smoke and dirty utensils are, perhaps, the principal. The blue ‘writing fluids,’ which either maintain their colour or turn black by exposure to the air, are, in general, prepared from ferrocyanide of pota ium, or from indigo, and are fully noticed in another place. Copying ink , another variety of ink of recent introduction, is characterised by its suitablene to metallic pens, and by furnishing a transcript by means of the ‘copying pre ’ or ‘copying machine.’ (See below .) The inks prepared by the first four of the above formulæ are very durable and limpid, and will bear dilution with nearly an equal bulk of water, and still be superior in quality to the ordinary inks of the shops. See Galls , Iron , Writing fluid , and below .