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Another Pomegranate Ink Recipe


mboschm

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So, having a nice ripe pomegranate at home today I decided to try making ink out of it. As I haven't got the patience for waiting for two months (well, not until I had my own ink to play with), so I found this recipe.

 

Take two fresh pomegranates. Eat the yummy insides. Place the rinds in a porcelain pot and cover with water. Boil until this is reduced nearly 2/3. Add small beer (small beer is better for this, light beer works too, dark beer is not recommended) until your rinds are nearly covered. Boil some more, until it’s reduced to about half of what you had before you added the beer. Strain it through a fine linen cloth while it’s still very hot. Let it cool, add some warm water to get the consistency right. (Here’s where having a scientist husband comes in handy) add some potassium hydroxide (aka Sal Alkalai, aka caustic potash, aka lye) until the color is a golden brown, as the original recipe says. I think this ink is pretty myself. I basically follow the original recipe (in the section that follows) but since I am using fresh rinds and not dried, I use more liquid and boil the heck out of them! BTW, don’t even be tempted to taste this before you put the potassium hydroxide into it; it’s nasty! And don’t even think of tasting it after you put that stuff in.

I haven't got a porcelain pot, so I used a regular steel one. I hadn't got small beer, so I used some regular lager, yet a light one. For some reason, I added a rusting nail to the pot, I have seen quite a lot of recipes that call for one.

Pics of the process.

http://i1148.photobucket.com/albums/o565/mboschm/DSC_0229.jpg

Water and rinds. Good to go.

 

It has boiled for 45 minutes. Water has a light yellow colour. Let's pour some beer in.

http://i1148.photobucket.com/albums/o565/mboschm/DSC_0231-1.jpg

Lots of foam, nasty smell.

 

 

http://i1148.photobucket.com/albums/o565/mboschm/DSC_0232-1.jpg

We're nearly there...

 

 

http://i1148.photobucket.com/albums/o565/mboschm/DSC_0233-1.jpg

We're good to go.

 

http://i1148.photobucket.com/albums/o565/mboschm/DSC_0234.jpg

Straining.

 

http://i1148.photobucket.com/albums/o565/mboschm/DSC_0235.jpg

Before the lye.

 

http://i1148.photobucket.com/albums/o565/mboschm/DSC_0236.jpg

After the lye. Notice how basic products darken this kind of solutions. They said that in former USRR, they would put some sodium bicarbonate in teabags, so that it would appear darker.

 

 

So, I pick my beautiful dip pen and let's try. I notice irregular flow, but, as I'm a total noob when it comes to dip pens, I thought "Well, it must be my fault". First surprise: it turns a lot lighter in colour when on paper. Anyway, it's beautiful, so no complains. Then, someone calls me and I close the notebook, even if it isn't fully dry. When I come back, the ink had sticked to the previous page. I've separated them with no trouble, but I must remember this ink has got a looong drying time.

 

http://i1148.photobucket.com/albums/o565/mboschm/DSC_0237.jpg

You see: a total mess.

Now, I was thinking of adding some gum arabic to it, but I guess it can make things even worse. What do you experts think?

http://i1148.photobucket.com/albums/o565/mboschm/sig_zps60868d6f.jpg
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Wow, you coaxed a golden color from it! Looks pretty! If you want to try gum arabic, just set aside a small amount and mix a little in and see how it does. That way if it doesn't work out, you won't waste the entire batch. Is the ink waterproof?

Edited by fiberdrunk

Find my homemade ink recipes on my Flickr page here.

 

"I don't wait for inspiration; inspiration waits for me." --Akiane Kramarik

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Wow, you coaxed a golden color from it! Looks pretty! If you want to try gum arabic, just set aside a small amount and mix a little in and see how it does. That way if it doesn't work out, you won't waste the entire batch. Is the ink waterproof?

I haven't tested it yet, but I guess it won't be. Looks to clear to be waterproof.

http://i1148.photobucket.com/albums/o565/mboschm/sig_zps60868d6f.jpg
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Well, good news for today! I tried the ink and somehow, letting it rest overnight has really improved the flow and the consistency. It is really dense, yet now very smooth, no blobbing or creeping whatsoever.

http://i1148.photobucket.com/albums/o565/mboschm/sig_zps60868d6f.jpg
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This reminds me of my attempts with Kukui (candlenut) husks. Added the copperas, but never turned black, only a nice yellow, with crystals. I am still looking for local plants that might have the proper amount of tannic acid, or a reasonable substitute. Pomegranites are still at $5 a piece here.

"... for even though the multitude may be utterly deceived, subsequently it usually hates those who have led it to do anything improper." Aristotle, Athenian Constitution, XXVIII:3 Loeb Edition

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  • 2 weeks later...

wow what a nice colour, I will definately give this a go once I get my dip pen back from my uni office (why I brought it there I have no idea.... Who uses a dip pen for office work?!)

 

Did you end up adding gum arabic to a portion of it after letting it rest overnight as an experiment?

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http://s2.postimg.org/v3a1772ft/M1000_Black_L_R.jpg..........http://img802.imageshack.us/img802/1217/85960889.png

.........I call this one Günter. ......... I call this one Michael Clarke Duncan.

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Bummer! You could possibly strain the mold out and bring it to a boil again to kill the ink beasties. Then throw in some whole cloves or oil of cloves to help prevent this in the future. Maybe you could add a little more alcohol, too.

 

eta: store in a jar with no air space in it, too.

Edited by fiberdrunk

Find my homemade ink recipes on my Flickr page here.

 

"I don't wait for inspiration; inspiration waits for me." --Akiane Kramarik

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  • 3 weeks later...

I'm not being facetious here, just trying to learn, 'cause I'm impressed with your efforts. Pomegranites are 5 bucks ? Good Grief ! Just an idle thought - could one maybe get the same effect, using your process, with store-bought pom. juice ? Or is that "too processed" ? I hope you continue, I think I'd try it (someday).

 

Take care,

JR

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No you couldn't, because he is using the rinds of the fruit boiled down and not the actual fruit itself. Here is how I see it- if you like the fruit then it's no waste of money, because you eat the fruit then use the rind (which you would normally throw away) to make the ink. Win win?

http://i.imgur.com/2AE7S.jpg
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So true. I considered the peel to be a recycled item when I made my own pomegranate ink. I ate the seeds and made the ink from the peels and not a bit was wasted. It was a win win project.

Find my homemade ink recipes on my Flickr page here.

 

"I don't wait for inspiration; inspiration waits for me." --Akiane Kramarik

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  • 2 weeks later...

"Wait till the ink dries", they used to say... Well, I couldn't wait, to report.

 

I made the boiled Pom. recipe today. I used:

3 Pom. rinds (and some arials)

1/2 gal. distilled water

12 oz. of the cheapest, nastiest, worst-tasting beer on earth. Icehouse ?? I really don't remember...

3 rusty nails (of the finish-nail variety)

1 Tbsp. of Lye

1 tsp of DMSO

 

I'm sorry, I have no camera - there are no pictures (but I'll be glad to send written samples) !

 

I almost faithfully followed the recipe, as set forth by MSBOSCHM.

 

Boiled the Pomegranates in distilled water, for 45 minutes, with rusty nails. Then added my 1/2 my 24 oz. can of skunky beer. (Poured out the rest, and watched the pot boil, lest if boil over). Continued to boil, for another 2 hours, until it was "well reduced". Since I don't own any linen, I waited until I could handle it, and put it in a terrycloth towel, and wrung out the liquid - tossed the towel in the trash.

 

While it was still overly warm (my painful error), I added 1 Tbsp of lye. Geez, it started smoking, and I thought it might explode ! But, it got really dark - darker than your average bottle of Muscatel. I let it steep, until tepid, and added 1 tsp (capful) of DMSO, and stirred vigorously. That's all I did...End result was "roughly" 30 oz. of golden-brown, non-waterproof ink.

 

My ink dried normally (rather quickly), on paper. But it'll wash away, with a drop of dew. However, the jury is still out, I'm waiting to see how it looks/acts on paper tomorrow.

 

I divided the batch, and added a few things, to different parts of the recipe. One bottle got a little more lye (noticably lighter, immediately). One bottle got a dab of Noodler's AF Blue added - darker on paper, but I won't know about water-fast, until later. One bottle got diluted, 2 parts ink to 1 part dis. water. (Did not get one iota lighter, when used). One bottle got a full tsp. of Kosher salt, stirred to dissolve. Another bottle, I threw in an extra rusty nail - that'll prob. take some time, so I didn't test it. And, I retained about 10oz. of the original.

 

So far, I've only tested it on notebook paper and the new Rhodia "R" notepad paper. Cheap notebook paper shows (barely) some "show-through" - Rhodia, none. After 2 hours of drying - should I say waiting ? (actually it's fast-drying to the touch) The notebook paper is becoming more water-fast, whereas on the Rhodia, it still wipes away with almost no effort.

 

And, to my un-trained eye, there's no feathering, or any difference in the line width (or whatever).

 

I'll test it tomorrow morning, for water-resistance and report again. But, honestly, it seems to perform better, on my silly, cheap notebook paper. Altho', I must say, the color on the "cream-colored" Rhodia is impressive ! Oh, shading - some people think that's a big deal...Let's wait, and I can tell you better, tomorrow. It's there tonight, but who knows what'll happen, overnight ?

 

All the testing (so far) was done with a dip pen...there MAY be particulate in the solution, I'm gonna wait and see. The only solution that may be corrosive, would be the Kosher salt, But, other than that one, this should be FP friendly.

 

Again, I apologize for not having a camera, and pictures to post. But, if you're the least bit interested, just PM me, or email me, or whatever, and I'll send you a hand-written sample. The stamp's on me !

 

Take care everyone,

J.R.

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