Ink And Basil Tea...

April 11, 2013

So here's my latest experiment, one of my co-workers drinks a basil tea that has a marvelous scent, so I am thinking of adding this to my ink.

http://www.swansonvitamins.com/en_US/images/ItemImages_SW/images_id/RGN001_id.jpg?01AD=3rjvsH5fPmUT5lRVSVKFvbNvpUJGNq9UtrDx14Mkhp3eyzTOySP_45g&01RI=A4EA9258E272EC4&01NA=

There are two ways I could do this...

I could put the tea bag in some water so it is soaked and releasing the tea, then put the tea bag into the ink...

Or I could CAREFULLY heat up the ink and put the tea bag in that and let that sit for awhile...

So I am once again asking what people think of this idea and which method people think would be best...

PLEASE READ:

I have not attempted this before, and therefore am unsure of any consequences this experiment may have. So please do not attempt it until I do, and after reading the collective wisdom on here I may decide not to do it. But if I do I will post the results, please please please read them before attempting any of my experiments.... I also perform these experiments in a very cheap pen. NEVER try any of these experiments in an expensive or worst of all vintage fountain pen.

Edited April 11, 2013 by ParkersandPilots

April 11, 2013

I've always heard that ink does not react well to high temperatures, so I think that steeping the tea in the ink itself may work for the odor, but not for the actual writing quality of the ink itself.

I just want to throw a thought out there: a lot of the flavors we are accustomed to are actually synthetic organic molecules. In my chemistry class, I sometimes make wintergreen flavoring. It's not an oil. It's actually an ester that I make from common chemistry lab supplies. I've attempted a few other molecules as well, some with more success than others.

I suspect that a lot of the scented inks are made this way: the scent actually comes from a synthetic concoction like my wintergreen. I have also read that some of the flavors (like orange) in our food and drink actually come from these. Natural flavors are not strong enough. A few years ago I started buying Tom's of Maine toothpaste, mouthwash, and deodorant because I have a brother living in Maine. They use "natural" ingredients, flavors, and scents, With their toothpaste, they caution that the taste may not be as strong as people expect. Since starting these products, I've gotten to the point that I avoid perfumes more and more. I now buy a soap that has no fragrances, and I use a laundry detergent without fragrance. I am looking for a shampoo like that. I now can smell my hair whereas before I never noticed.

The point: inks require strong scents to be noticed. I think for many experiments, a strong scent is required, and it is most likely going to be synthetic. Interesting side point: people who work with scents and flavors have discovered that the public is more likely to believe that the synthetic product smells/tastes more like the real thing than the real thing itself.

April 11, 2013

I thought I might throw out that the Mrs. Gerry brand claims to use natural scent. You might find something useful researching this brand. I know for a fact that their basil candles are quite strong.

April 11, 2013

I've always heard that ink does not react well to high temperatures, so I think that steeping the tea in the ink itself may work for the odor, but not for the actual writing quality of the ink itself.

I just want to throw a thought out there: a lot of the flavors we are accustomed to are actually synthetic organic molecules. In my chemistry class, I sometimes make wintergreen flavoring. It's not an oil. It's actually an ester that I make from common chemistry lab supplies. I've attempted a few other molecules as well, some with more success than others.

I suspect that a lot of the scented inks are made this way: the scent actually comes from a synthetic concoction like my wintergreen. I have also read that some of the flavors (like orange) in our food and drink actually come from these. Natural flavors are not strong enough. A few years ago I started buying Tom's of Maine toothpaste, mouthwash, and deodorant because I have a brother living in Maine. They use "natural" ingredients, flavors, and scents, With their toothpaste, they caution that the taste may not be as strong as people expect. Since starting these products, I've gotten to the point that I avoid perfumes more and more. I now buy a soap that has no fragrances, and I use a laundry detergent without fragrance. I am looking for a shampoo like that. I now can smell my hair whereas before I never noticed.

The point: inks require strong scents to be noticed. I think for many experiments, a strong scent is required, and it is most likely going to be synthetic. Interesting side point: people who work with scents and flavors have discovered that the public is more likely to believe that the synthetic product smells/tastes more like the real thing than the real thing itself.

That's pretty cool you use Tom's of Maine, where does your brother live?

We have the actual plant wintergreen up here, I have made tea out of that too...

How would one make this fake wintergreen scent???

Edited April 11, 2013 by ParkersandPilots

April 11, 2013

To make wintergreen, I use salicylic acid. I add 1 g of the acid to 10 mL of methanol. I shake this to dissolve the acid and then add a few drops of sulfuric acid. The concentrated form is more effective. (This is why I don't do this lab every year: I don't trust every class with concentrated sulfuric acid.) I have found that heating the mixture first and then cooling it makes the odor stronger.

Little Brother Squirrel currently lives in Orono. To preserve his anonymity, I'll just say that he's the smart one in the family: he has a Ph.D. I'm content with a bachelor's degree. Other than both of us being science people, we're in entirely different fields. I'm a Physics major and am really close to a master's degree in math (2 chapters of a thesis are all I lack, in fact). He specialized in one of the life sciences. I always tell people that he has brains. I have to get by on my looks.

April 11, 2013

A lot of my friends went to college in Orono.

I can't imagine Sulfuric Acid and fountain pens play nice together...

It's interesting to know but I'm not sure where'd I'd get these things, I'd probably have a hard time finding them at the local grocery store :roflmho:

I will still try the tea and see what results I get...

Edited April 11, 2013 by ParkersandPilots

April 11, 2013

A lot of my friends went to college in Orono.

I can't imagine Sulfuric Acid and fountain pens play nice together...
It's interesting to know but I'm not sure where'd I'd get these things, I'd probably have a hard time finding them at the local grocery store :roflmho:

I will still try the tea and see what results I get...

The wintergreen is actually methyl salicylate. Before it is used as flavoring, the sulfuric acid and other creepy ingredients are washed out. In my classroom, we don't wash it out, which is why I don't allow my students to taste it. Also, the molecule itself is toxic, so it is only used in low concentration.

The methanol would be fairly easy to find. The salicylic acid is found in willow bark (but must be extracted). The concentrated sulfuric acid is a bit of a problem. I can easily order 18-M sulfuric acid. The normal person has a lot more difficulty.