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.; dissolved 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 less 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
whiteness), 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 vessel, stirring frequently until the ink attains
the desired blackness. 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 dissolved, 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 glossy 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 glossiness is given by using
more gum. It flows less easily from the pen than other inks, and is less
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. (_Pharmaceutische Zeitung._) By adding ferrocyanide of potassium 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 Prussian 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 1/3rd part of that of the galls, by which an excess of
astringent vegetable matter, which is necessary 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 pass 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 tanno-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 loss.
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 protosulphate 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 loss of materials by
volatilisation.
To prevent any tendency to mouldiness 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 dissolved 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 less 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 1/7th
of their weight of copperas should be employed. Inks so made possess
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, &c.
The greater number of these are prepared from galls in the preceding
manner; but a less quantity of gum is employed, and greater attention is
paid than heretofore to avoid every source of 'greasiness' 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 potassium, or from
indigo, and are fully noticed in another place. COPYING INK, another
variety of ink of recent introduction, is characterised by its
suitableness to metallic pens, and by furnishing a transcript by means of
the 'copying press' 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_.
=Ink, Blue and Blue black.= See WRITING FLUID.
=Ink, Brown.= 1. A strong decoction of catechu; the shade may be varied by
the cautious addition of a little weak solution of bichromate of potash.