OK so here's what happened. I cut my finger on a pop can. Instead of washing the blood off, which would be a waste, I decided to write with it. I took a small dip pen nib and dipped it (kind of) into the drop of blood on my finger, and wrote. I couldn't write very much. After the first few strokes, it just wouldn't flow down the tines, so I just smeared the nib on the paper. I probably could write more if I had more blood, like from a nosebleed. At first it was a nice bright red. I didn't get a scan of that.

After 5 minutes:


After about 5 more minutes, with a bit of heat applied to speed up the reactions:


Anyway, as an ink, it's not all that great. There are other reds that looks close enough to blood at any level of coagulation, and are fountain-pen safe. However, I don't know of any that change color.

If anyone wants to try this, there's plenty of free blood available at butcher shops. I'd guess pig blood is closest to human blood. Get some EDTA too.

Oh ya, uh real nice.

Well, at least nobody can possibly forge that due to the unique DNA



Martok

Interesting experiment but I think I'll pass on it. Ink is more economical anyway....blood doesn't travel or store well and can be in limited supply at least that's what the blood bank said last time I donated some.

That's odd.

I've been carrying mine around for more than 30 years. And it has gone all over the world with me. Well, not really, I've never been to Australia.

Once it has expired at the blood bank I presume it would still be OK for writing. There are all sorts of fantasy literature in which "spells" written in blood are an important plot feature.

Gruesome thought

Andy

PS: I wonder what is really done with expired blood. Is it useful for anything? Seems a shame to "flush" it. AMH

That's a pretty great sentence.

So you cut yourself and your first though was, "hey let me soak this up with a dirty pen nib?"

Surely weird but definitely interesting

MrR

Gross.
Will reviews of other body fluids follow?

Anyone wanna try urine?

Exactly what I wanted to post! Great minds think alike!

Am I right in thinking that this reads "From Hell" in Kanji?

David.

I'm guessing the blood can still be used for scientific/biomedical purposes, such as separating out components (proteins, human serum albumin) for development of protein therapeutics.

That's one interesting tidbit in that jack the ripper wrote in ink after complaining that the blood he collected in a ginger beer bottle didn't travel well.

Interesting.
Hope you didn't sign any contracts with this.

Renzhe, you're my hero.

This, my friends, is a true stylophile. He bleeds ink!

It wasn't dirty! I washed it with one hand, part of the reason I took so long to start writing.

...and David, I was going to write "是眞血也" but as you can see, I didn't get very far. Why would it be from hell? If it's anything, i would be a holy substance, no?

From Hell is the comic (and, sadly, film) about Jack The Ripper, Renzhe. It's titled after the salutation on the notorious and often quoted from letter Jack (or more likely somebody else entirely) wrote to the Police about his exploits. (IIRC, he stated that he'd written it in red ink as the blood he'd collected from his last victim had clotted quickly and was no good for writing with.)

Oh...my...now I think I've seen everything!

Now here is someone who is truly obsessed with ink! He becomes (literally) one with the paper!

Is EDTA freely available? I use it the lab all the time but never thought of buying it at the store...
Either way, good for you for trying it, and be sure to let us know how your other bodily fluids work as inks, haha.

Here are my thoughts in order:

1. I have to admit it crossed my mind once before.. maybe the last time I got cut too but I didn't get to try it out unfortunately.. Its like in our heads you see it so many times done in movies or books it just makes you wonder hehe Renzhe nicely done buddy..

2. What is our blood content like towards fountain pens? I mean, how MB blue-black is not good for certain pens because of the iron gall etc..

3. I wonder if its permanent.. is it? Try to keep the paper if you still have it for a few months and tell us what happens.. I have a feeling that the color will turn black eventually..

4. The DNA comment- I wonder.. imaigne in a paralell world it would be that people when signing official documents, i.e. bank related stuff, property purchases, law documents etc that they have to sign in their own blood to make sure that the person who signed is really the concerned party.. too many times people forge signatures and until the chip and pin technology things were prone to fraud..

There is already a company that will make rollerball ink with your DNA in it. A big seller for sports figures to confirm that the signature really is theirs. And I think I mentioned in another thread there is a DNA extraction kit you can buy at hobby stores so you can make your own DNA ink.


Kurt

What? Red blood?

I thought everyone's blood was blue like mine.


Regards

Richard.

This has never occurred to me.

Hmm.... Maybe next month....

I've never been convinced that the chip and PIN business is even as secure as a signature, to be honest. It isn't like anybody even bothers to look at the name on the card anymore, and a few of the shops I've been in what you're typing on those keypads is perfectly visible to whoever's behind you in the queue.

Earlier true you give your card to the vendor he swipes it and gives you a small piece of paper to sign and then either checks/verifies that the signature is the same or doesnt.. either way, the rule was as long as the signature was close they'd let it go.. maybe if you are purchasing something with a very high value they ask for identification..

But the pin was supposed to be different.. because you can steal the card for as much as you want but as long as you can't enter the correct pin the cardholder is protected.. its up to him how well they can hide/cover it otherwise no sale unless you know a 4 digit number which is impossible to guess.. I'd say the issue is somewhat resolved nowadays..

But my thought was:

Until today there are things that can't have a chip and pin applied to them.. like leases, loans, law documents, maybe even payment checks.. that would be an idea for the DNA signature so no one can come later and say that's not me..

I say this because of one experience:

One time I was in Egypt to sell property and I signed my regular signature in English.. The purchaser said that will NOT do you have to sign in Arabic. I told him but I do not have an Arabic signature he said just write your name..

And so I did.. and then I thought, since its not an authorized/documented signature of mine anywhere, I can come back any day and say it was not me.. how can they prove it was? or what will they compare it to?

Now if that signature was written in my blood.. well.. I pretty much had to be there for that to take place no? Unless I was no longer around lol

Then blood would have to be drawn on the spot. Otherwise you could just bring a bunch of someone else's blood.

I did not see any mention of the blood-type in this post!

I am AB(-)! How do I know I'll get the same results?!

I've never known my blood type, as if it really mattered. One may be interested to know that I spend most of my time 4600 feet above sea level. As altitude increases, red blood cell and haemoglobin mass also increase to compensate for lower oxygen levels.

Let's see...you know you spend too much time on FPN, and/or have an unhealthy fixation with pens when...

Noodler's should make a red ink like antietam but make it a permanant and call it "Devil's Advocate"

I would but tons of it, it seems like most contracts should be signed in the red stuff.

Can Anyone out there tell me which fountain pen ink looks the most like blood?? I use a Pelikan Souveran pen.

Chad

I think Noodlers antietam for the dried look, Nikita is good as well

read this "what's your favorite red ink" http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=74821&st=0&start=0

Let's hope this guy doesn't have a pen handy the next time he gets the runs.

ummmmm..........no. not really feeling that

Pretty cool! I totally agree with the motivation: why waste it? Anyone with a vaguely open mind has wondered about what blood would look like when used as ink.

Diamine Monaco Red looks a bit like dried blood, but shades too well. Maybe add a bit of another red, or a red-brown color? Or heck, Sailor's Red-Brown?

Aaron

I suppose its possible to cut and shape a fingernail to a nib point with slit, the underside will act as a feed, and then (soapy mouth) your finger through the slit and, lo-and-behold, the perfect travellers pen!

Could use a thimble if a cap was required.


Greg

No bad language was used in the maling of this message!

I can't even say "use a pen, Sideshow Bob!", because you did.

I've just seen a couple of Chinese films and TV "miniseries" on DVD, in the historical drama/ martial arts genre. There were several instances in which the protagonists had to write a letter, but they were injured on the road and apparently did not have a supply of ink, so they used their own blood. Is this an ancient cultural thing for Chinese people?

You kinda answered your own question, no? As in, it was a necessity for them to use the blood, because nothing else was available.

Yes, but why was the same kind of situation featured in at least two different Chinese dramas?

Surely it was just something martial arts masters did to demonstrate how hard they were?
(They used powdered ink in China back then, did they not?)

I would assume it was used for dramatic effect.

Typically ink came (and still comes) in the form of "inksticks", dry bars molded in elaborate patterns. But you'd need water and an inkstone to make liquid ink. And then you'd need a brush and a level writing surface of some kind.

As we all know, there are conventions in Hollywood movies, like funerals always being accompanied by rain. This could be one of those, or it could be a much older traditional feature of Chinese literature, rendered in dramatic form. That's all I was asking.

I've tried that, but mine is always green. Does that mean my mother was right? Could I really be from mars?

S

I'm sorry, stevo, but I'm pretty sure that would make you a Romulan, from either Romulus or Remus....

Bad news, eh?

Or Vulcan.

thanks for the review