Drawing Ink – Frequently used recipes

Gum Arabic Ink Recipe.

The Gum Arabic powder should be dissolved by leaving it overnight in fifteen times its’ weight of distilled water. The gum will dissolve between 12 and 24 hours.
The solution should then be strained through a cloth to remove impurities.
Preservative should be added to prevent spoilage.

Mix Gum Arabic solution, Ox Gall and your chosen pigment by milling with glass muller and slab. Grinding should be carried out for at least five minutes till the ink is an extremely smooth consistency. Mixing may be done in a mortar and pestle or with a palette knife but this will not be as fine an ink.

Basic recipe: 50gms of Gum Arabic solution, 15 gms of pigment, 4 drops of Ox Gall liquid.

Palatinos’ Ink Recipe (1540)

Soak 1 oz Oak Galls crushed in 1 5/8 pints of rainwater. Leave in the sun for 2 days.
Add 2 oz of copperas (iron sufate), finely crushed, stir with wooden stick. Leave in the sun for 2 days. Add 1 oz gum arabic and leave for one day in the sun.
The mixture should be carefully strained, bottled and left for sediment to settle out, then re-bottle. Preservative should be added to prevent bacterial spoilage.

Dr. Ainsworth Mitchells’ Ink Recipe (1904)

Dissolve 1 oz of tannin in 11/2 pint of warm water.
Dissolve 1 oz of copperas (iron sufate) in 11/2 pint of water.
Mix together and add 1/2 oz of gum arabic and four drops of preservative.
Expose to air and sun for darkening and stir frequently. Keep in an earthenware vessel,
covered with muslin and stir every day for a week.
After darkening add 1 in 1000 parts of hydrochloric acid. Let the ink settle for a week then decant.

Modern Oak Gall Ink Recipe

3 parts* ground oak galls (start with about 50gm oak galls) 2 parts ferrous sulfate
1 part powdered gum arabic
12 parts Distilled water
* Note that these are parts per volume.

Boil 12 parts distilled water. Add 3 parts ground oak galls. After 15 minutes, add the ferrous sulphate. Pour through a filter. Separately, add a small portion of the liquid to the gum arabic. Make sure the gum arabic dis- solves completely. Add this to remaining liquid. Place in Bottle for storage until used.

India’ Ink Recipe

Take 8lb of water and 8oz of Borax and, in a pan bring to the boil.
When water is boiling, add 2lb of Dewaxed Shellac flakes. DO NOT MIX!
When the shellac has dissolved, take off the heat and pour the liquor into a clean jar. For colouring: Add Carbon Black pigment and fold/stir gently into the liquor.
If the mixture is too thick, add hot distilled water till correct consistency is achieved.