Ink Making

Part of Pigments and Paint

Making ink from various natural sources for writing, drawing, and printing.

Why This Matters

Ink is the foundation of recorded knowledge. Without ink, there are no written instructions, no technical diagrams, no medical records, no legal documents, no maps. In a rebuilding scenario, the ability to produce reliable, permanent ink is as fundamental as the ability to make paper. Every piece of knowledge your community preserves and transmits depends on having ink that flows well from a pen and remains legible for years.

The good news is that ink can be made from materials found in virtually any environment: soot from fires, tannin-rich bark and nuts, berries, mineral deposits, and even rust. Different ink types serve different purposes — some are ideal for everyday writing, others for permanent records, and still others for printing or stamping.

Understanding ink chemistry also provides a gateway to dye-making, leather tanning, and wood preservation, since many of the same raw materials and chemical reactions are involved. A community that can make ink can also make wood stain, leather dye, and textile colorant.

Carbon Ink (Lamp Black Ink)

Carbon ink is the oldest and simplest permanent ink. It consists of finely divided carbon (soot) suspended in water with a binding agent. Carbon is chemically inert — it does not fade, does not react with paper, and is unaffected by light. Documents written in carbon ink thousands of years ago remain legible today.

Collecting Soot

The finest soot comes from burning oils or resins, not from wood fires:

1. Oil lamp method: Set up an oil lamp (any vegetable or animal fat) with a wick. Hold a clean ceramic plate, tile, or metal sheet in the smoke stream, about 5-8 cm above the flame tip
2. Resin method: Burn pine resin or pine pitch in a small container. Collect soot on an inverted ceramic bowl suspended above
3. Candle method: Burn a tallow or beeswax candle and collect soot on a cold surface held in the smoke

Scrape the soot off the collection surface with a knife or stiff brush. You need approximately 2 tablespoons of soot for a small batch of ink.

Soot Quality

The best soot is velvety black and extremely fine. Soot from clean-burning oils is finer than soot from smoky wood fires. If your soot feels gritty, grind it further with a muller on a flat stone before mixing.

Basic Carbon Ink Recipe

Ingredient	Amount	Purpose
Lamp black (soot)	2 tablespoons	Colorant
Water	4 tablespoons	Vehicle
Hide glue or gum arabic	1 teaspoon	Binder

Process:

1. Dissolve the binder in warm water. For hide glue, soak small pieces in cold water for an hour, then warm gently until dissolved. For gum arabic, dissolve tree resin in warm water
2. Add soot to the binder solution gradually, stirring constantly
3. Grind the mixture on a flat stone with a muller for 10-15 minutes to fully disperse the carbon
4. Strain through fine cloth to remove any lumps
5. Adjust consistency with water — the ink should flow freely from a dipped pen but leave a solid, dark line

Ink Sticks

For long-term storage, carbon ink can be formed into dry sticks:

1. Mix soot with concentrated hide glue solution (3:1 soot to glue by volume)
2. Knead into a stiff dough
3. Press into molds or roll into sticks
4. Dry slowly in shade for 1-2 weeks
5. To use: grind the stick against a wet stone surface, collecting the inky liquid

Ink sticks store indefinitely and are far easier to transport than liquid ink.

Berry and Plant Inks

Many fruits and plants produce colored juices suitable for ink, though these are generally less permanent than carbon or iron gall ink.

Berry Ink

Suitable berries include blackberries, elderberries, pokeberries, and dark cherries:

1. Crush ripe berries in a bowl — approximately one cup of berries
2. Strain through cloth, pressing to extract maximum juice
3. Add 1/2 teaspoon of vinegar (acts as a mordant to fix color)
4. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt (preservative)
5. Simmer gently for 10 minutes to concentrate the color and kill bacteria
6. Strain again through fine cloth
7. Add a few drops of dissolved gum arabic for better flow

Permanence

Berry inks fade significantly over months to years, especially in light. Use them for temporary notes, draft work, and non-critical records. For permanent documents, use carbon ink or iron gall ink.

Walnut Ink

Walnut husks (the green outer covering of walnuts) produce a rich brown ink:

1. Collect green or black walnut husks — the blacker the better
2. Crush and place in a pot, cover with water
3. Simmer for 4-6 hours, adding water as needed
4. Strain, then simmer the liquid to reduce to one-quarter volume
5. Add a small amount of gum arabic for binding
6. Store in sealed containers

Walnut ink is more permanent than berry ink due to the high tannin content. It produces a warm sepia-brown that darkens with age.

Bark and Tannin Inks

Oak bark, pomegranate rind, and other tannin-rich materials produce brown to black inks:

1. Chop bark or rind into small pieces
2. Boil in water for 2-3 hours
3. Strain and reduce the liquid by simmering
4. Add dissolved iron (rusty nail soaked in vinegar) to darken — the tannin reacts with iron to form a dark complex
5. Add gum arabic for flow

This is essentially a simplified version of iron gall ink and can produce very dark, permanent writing.

Mineral Inks

Red Ink from Ochre

Red ochre (iron oxide) makes a permanent red ink:

1. Grind red ochre to extremely fine powder using a muller and slab
2. Mix with water to form a thin paste
3. Add dissolved gum arabic (1 part gum to 4 parts water)
4. Stir thoroughly and strain through fine cloth
5. Adjust consistency — mineral inks tend to be thicker than carbon inks

White Ink

White ink for writing on dark surfaces:

1. Grind chalk or lime white to ultra-fine powder
2. Mix with gum arabic solution
3. This ink is opaque and requires frequent stirring as the heavy particles settle quickly
4. Best applied with a brush rather than a pen

Binders and Additives

The binder is what holds ink pigment to the writing surface after the water evaporates. Without adequate binder, ink smudges and rubs off.

Binder	Source	Properties
Gum arabic	Acacia tree sap	Best general-purpose binder; flexible, clear
Hide glue	Animal skins/bones	Strong adhesion; can be brittle if too thick
Egg white (glair)	Chicken eggs	Flexible; used for gilding and illumination
Honey	Beehives	Keeps ink moist; prevents cracking; attracts insects
Fish glue	Fish skins/bones	Flexible; mild odor

Other useful additives:

• Vinegar: Preservative, prevents mold
• Salt: Preservative
• Clove oil: Antimicrobial, prevents spoilage
• Alcohol: Speeds drying, helps disperse pigments

Testing and Quality Control

Before using a batch of ink for important documents, test it:

1. Flow test: Dip a pen or sharpened stick. The ink should coat the tip and release smoothly onto paper, forming a continuous line without blobbing
2. Drying test: Write a few words and check drying time. Good ink dries within 30-60 seconds and does not smear after 5 minutes
3. Permanence test: After the test writing dries completely, wet it with a damp cloth. Carbon and iron gall inks should not dissolve or blur significantly
4. Adhesion test: Rub the dried writing firmly with a dry cloth. It should not flake or smudge significantly

Storage and Shelf Life

Ink Type	Liquid Shelf Life	Storage Notes
Carbon ink	6-12 months	Sealed container; shake before use
Ink sticks	Indefinite	Keep dry
Berry ink	2-4 weeks	Refrigerate or add preservative
Walnut ink	3-6 months	Sealed container
Iron gall ink	6-12 months	Keep sealed; sediment is normal
Mineral ink	6-12 months	Shake well; settles quickly

Always store liquid ink in sealed containers — ceramic jars with lids, glass bottles, or tightly sealed wooden vessels. Exposure to air causes thickening and bacterial growth.

Writing Instruments

Your ink is only as good as the tool delivering it:

• Reed pen: Cut from a reed or bamboo stalk, split at the tip. Best for broad strokes
• Quill pen: Cut from a large feather (goose, turkey, crow). Flexible, fine-line capable
• Brush: Any hair brush works; finer hair gives finer lines
• Metal nib: If metalworking is available, a thin bent piece of bronze or steel makes an excellent durable pen tip
• Stick: A sharpened hardwood stick dipped in ink works for basic writing in a pinch

For each writing tool, adjust ink consistency: thinner for fine pens, slightly thicker for brushes and broad nibs.