I am interested in making ink. Not mixing different available commercial inks. In these hard times, I will likely run out of money for $10/bottle ink.
Are there any "you-can-do-this-at-home-in-your-kitchen" formulae for fountain pen compatible ink? A quart would do for a start.

I searched through the forums and did not find any yet.

thanks
Den

There was a post here recently about some really really old recipe for ink. As I recall it had some metal shavings in it. . . so not for fountain pens.

I haven't seen a usable recipe for home made fountain pen ink. The better ones are for iron gall ink, which when home made, is too corrosive for fountain pens.

If you really want to write cheaply, then get some dip pens and ink powder, such as in this auction. The ink powder will make a quart of ink with each packet. The nibs aren't that hot, so you may want to look around for other, better vintage nibs.

The ink is too thin to work in fountain pens, or with modern dip nibs, such as those by Hunt or Nikko.

Alternatively, the eBay store ink4pens sells inexpensive cartridges. If you need a matching pen, she sells those, too. I haven't tried them, so I can't comment.

Another alternative is to look around for bottles of ink on eBay, such as this one. A dozen bottles (even at about 1 oz each) should keep you writing for quite some time...
I haven't tried the vintage Sanfords Penit ink, so I can't comment on it for quality.

If cash is really tight I would be happy to send you some ink, I have more than I will ever use.

You can make an ink that will work using ink jet refill kits that are diluted 50/50 with water on colours and at least twice the amount of water using black, you can also blend colours. The kits are sold (in the UK) in 30 ml bottles, 3 colours plus a 60 ml in black, you can probaly make a pint out of each and the cost should be under $10.

PM me if you would like some ink sent.

Maybe I'm reading too much in between the lines, but it sounds like you may be a little like me and want to create the ink yourself for the simple fun of discovery...?

I too am interested in what the basic ingredients of an ink are. From what I can gather from commercial ink suppliers, you want something that is pH neutral and has good flow and lubrication qualities. I would start with a pH stable solution (a neutral buffer solution) and begin adding dye or pigment and see how it looks when smeared on paper. The flow and nib/paper lubrication might be experimented with by adding a very small amount of detergent.

Forum Readers: If I am wrong about any of these assumptions, please feel free to correct me.


If any one can share the secret recipes of a very basic modern ink (ie. not rusty vinegar water) I too would be very interested!

Here is the best site for ink recipes I am aware of:

http://www.clt.astate.edu/elind/oldinkrecipes.htm

Many of the ingredients for ink making can be purchased at Kremer Pigments.

Their website is

http://www.sinopia.com/kremer.html

Two common products that can be bought and turned into ink are walnut and bistre crystals.