Squid ink

[Chthulhu]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england...ire/8208838.stm

 

Which leads me to wonder whether there are any sources for natural cephalopod "inks" and what they would do to a fountain pen. :-)

[Tsujigiri]

I believe this is how the old sepia inks were originally made. Hakase sells some authentic sepia ink, which has had the particles made finer for fountain pen use. It's something like $70 a bottle, though. I'm not sure if there are any cheaper options that are safe for fountain pens....

[f22pilot72]

Well, that squid certainly had the oldest of vintage inks!

[dcwaites]

Certainly puts new meaning into "Vintage Ink"

[ZeissIkon]

Which leads me to wonder whether there are any sources for natural cephalopod "inks" and what they would do to a fountain pen. :-)

 

As Tsujigiri said, sepia ink was once an extract of dried ink sacs from squids and octopi. I wouldn't consider it fountain pen safe, but it worked well in quills and steel dip pens. Not very archival, though -- if not preserved in a rock, it certainly won't last 150 million years...

[turban1]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england...ire/8208838.stm

 

Which leads me to wonder whether there are any sources for natural cephalopod "inks" and what they would do to a fountain pen. :-)

 

I've written with cephalopod ink for years, first with dipping pens and now with fountain pens. It works well enough although people complain that my correspondence smells of seafood, which is one of the less common varieties of scented inks and certainly a lot less popular than orange or narcissus. It is also a minor problem that when I walk down the street with my pen in my pocket, I am followed by cats.

 

I have arrived at the conclusion that eyedroppers are a better choice than filling by other methods. When I would take my converter in hand and approach Martha, my pet East Mediterranean Mottled Octopus, in hopes of her filling it with ink, she would retreat to the back of her tank, angrily flash psychedelic colours and try to bite my fingers. We get along better with the eyedropper because I can cradle her in my left arm and gently apply the eyedropper with my right hand (I am right handed). The reward of a tiny brine-shrimp (to Martha, not to me - I hate brine-shrimp) keeps her pleased to cooperate.

 

Another plus is it saves me a lot of money I might have squandered on Noodler's.

[marpin]

Hmmm.

 

The chromogen in squid ink is melanin; I'm not certain which variety. It's probably sparingly soluble in water, for the most part being present as small insoluble polymeric complexes, but despite this I speculate that it might be OK for fountain pens as the particle size should be very small (likely less than 1 um in diameter). Synthetic melanin is commercially available, and depending on the specifics of its preparation can be an insoluble pigment or a soluble dye. What fascinates me about melanins as a pigment / dye is their potential to be very resistant to fading... and not even when stored in a rock. Time to do some research; thanks for the idea!

[laplume]

I've read somewhere that the seamen of some Far East and European countries used sepia & octopus inks for their properties.

Is artificial melanin _ D N acetyl glucosamine?

[nigelg]

I s'pose here in the UK it would only be "six quid" a bottle :roflmho:

Nigel

(After a good lunch)

[Aysedasi]

I s'pose here in the UK it would only be "six quid" a bottle :roflmho:

Nigel

(After a good lunch)

 

 

Straight out of the Arthur Askey Classic Jokebook........

[marpin]

I've read somewhere that the seamen of some Far East and European countries used sepia & octopus inks for their properties.

Is artificial melanin _ D N acetyl glucosamine?

 

I had a quick look around, and because melanins are a diverse class of polymers there are a number of different artificial melanins. By far the most commonly commercially available form I noticed is produced by oxidation of tyrosine with H2O2. I'm unaware of any using NAG as one of the monomers -- you might be confusing melanin with chitin and peptidoglycan.

[laplume]

I've read somewhere that the seamen of some Far East and European countries used sepia & octopus inks for their properties.

Is artificial melanin _ D N acetyl glucosamine?

 

I had a quick look around, and because melanins are a diverse class of polymers there are a number of different artificial melanins. By far the most commonly commercially available form I noticed is produced by oxidation of tyrosine with H2O2. I'm unaware of any using NAG as one of the monomers -- you might be confusing melanin with chitin and peptidoglycan.

 

Artificial melanine alikes such as melanoids are in fact formed not exactly as by glucosamines in chitin, tyrosin oxidation products with dihydroxyphenyl compounds), but NAG may be involved. It would be interesting to know.

[Inka]

I can only imagine the "cost per drop" of an ink that's 150 million years old!

The smell, urghhhh, I can imagine that too, I normally don't sniff my inks as I've read some do, but writing with fish-stink just doesn't set right with me.

This is a fascinating find though, thanks for the Link to the story, my first read-of-the-day [other than my e-mail, which takes priority] and it got my brain fired up with wonder.

[Ghost Plane]

Isn't the smell a function of decomposition? So, theoretically, THAT would not be a factor.

[Chthulhu]

For those who wish to experiment:

 

http://www.markys.com/caviar/customer/squi...k-17.5-oz..html

 

Or roll your own:

 

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Harvest-Squid-Ink/

Edited August 23, 2009 by Chthulhu

[jk0592]

I can only imagine the "cost per drop" of an ink that's 150 million years old!

The smell, urghhhh, I can imagine that too, I normally don't sniff my inks as I've read some do, but writing with fish-stink just doesn't set right with me.

This is a fascinating find though, thanks for the Link to the story, my first read-of-the-day [other than my e-mail, which takes priority] and it got my brain fired up with wonder.

 

What is the age of the main constituent of ink, water? Probably one or two billion years...

[Inka]

Isn't the smell a function of decomposition? So, theoretically, THAT would not be a factor.

Now that you mention it, fresh seafood is not supposed to have a strong odor, mild at best when fresh, unless as you say it's old and not fresh, beginning to decompose.

Although I can attest to having stinky fish-fingers after fishing, even when right after handling a live fish [maybe the surrounding waters were the cause, bacteria, micro-organisms and the likes IDK].

Very good point, unless maybe there's a species of "Skunk Squid" I've not heard of.

[cmeisenzahl]

Scientists draw squid using its 150 million-year-old fossilised ink - Telegraph

"Paleontologists discovered the remains of the creature, called a Belemnotheutis antiquus, during a dig at a Victorian excavation in Trowbridge, Wilts. They cracked open what appeared to be an ordinary looking rock only to find the one-inch-long black ink sac inside.

After realising what they had stumbled across, they took out a small sample of the black substance and ground it up with an ammonia solution. Remarkably, the ink they created was good enough to allow them to draw the squid-like animal and write its Latin name. "

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science...ilised-ink.html

[PaulK]

:roflmho:

 

Nice. had a chuckle reading that response.

 

-P

 

 

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england...ire/8208838.stm

 

Which leads me to wonder whether there are any sources for natural cephalopod "inks" and what they would do to a fountain pen. :-)

 

I've written with cephalopod ink for years, first with dipping pens and now with fountain pens. It works well enough although people complain that my correspondence smells of seafood, which is one of the less common varieties of scented inks and certainly a lot less popular than orange or narcissus. It is also a minor problem that when I walk down the street with my pen in my pocket, I am followed by cats.

 

I have arrived at the conclusion that eyedroppers are a better choice than filling by other methods. When I would take my converter in hand and approach Martha, my pet East Mediterranean Mottled Octopus, in hopes of her filling it with ink, she would retreat to the back of her tank, angrily flash psychedelic colours and try to bite my fingers. We get along better with the eyedropper because I can cradle her in my left arm and gently apply the eyedropper with my right hand (I am right handed). The reward of a tiny brine-shrimp (to Martha, not to me - I hate brine-shrimp) keeps her pleased to cooperate.

 

Another plus is it saves me a lot of money I might have squandered on Noodler's.

[satrap]

oh. I thought "squid ink" was something made by Grizzykins :roflmho: