Homo sapiens blood

[Renzhe]

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:

http://i37.tinypic.com/24vtjf4.png

 

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

http://i38.tinypic.com/2dvrzb.png

 

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.

[bossy]

Oh ya, uh real nice.

[Martok]

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:

http://i37.tinypic.com/24vtjf4.png

 

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

http://i38.tinypic.com/2dvrzb.png

 

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.

 

 

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

 

 

 

Martok

[Pippin60]

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.

[jmkeuning]

...

blood doesn't travel or store well

...

 

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.

[amh210]

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.

 

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

[xmattxyzx]

If anyone wants to try this, there's plenty of free blood available at butcher shops.

That's a pretty great sentence.

[MrRogers]

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

[antigone]

Gross.

Will reviews of other body fluids follow?

[lancekatigbak]

Anyone wanna try urine?

[darrenimo]

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

[orangezorki]

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

 

David.

[NeoTiger]

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

 

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.

[Titivillus]

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 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.

 

 

 

[Penache]

Interesting.

Hope you didn't sign any contracts with this.

[Djehuty]

Renzhe, you're my hero.

 

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

 

[Renzhe]

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

 

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?

Edited September 28, 2008 by Renzhe

[dogpoet]

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.)

[penpimperLV]

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

 

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

[Grigio]

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:

http://i37.tinypic.com/24vtjf4.png

 

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

http://i38.tinypic.com/2dvrzb.png

 

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.

 

 

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.