This section is from the book "Cassell's Cyclopaedia Of Mechanics", by Paul N. Hasluck. Also available from Amazon: Cassell's Cyclopaedia Of Mechanics.
The following recipes are for black writing inks.
(1) The common ink sold at oil shops at Id. per gill can be made very cheaply. Boil in a copper 8 gal. of soft water, throw in 7 oz. of logwood extract, and put out the fire to stop the boiling. Add 1 oz. of bichromate of potash and 80 grains of Prussia te of potash, and after straining, bottle it.
(2) Bruise 6oz. of best Aleppo galls, and boil in 6 pt. of water for several hours, adding more water to supply the loss by evaporation. Strain whilst hot through calico into a clean vessel. Add 4oz. of gum arabic, and boil till dissolved. Strain again whilst hot into a stone bottle, and add 4 oz. of sulphate of iron, previously dissolved in water. To preserve from going mouldy, add 3 drops of creosote for each pint of ink. 'the ink, to appear thoroughly black, must be kept for some time before using.
(3) A black aniline ink is prepared by rubbing (10 gr. of aniline black with 60 drops of hydrochloric acid and 1 1/2 oz. of alcohol. Dilute with 3oz. of distilled water in which 1/2oz. of gum has been dissolved.
(4) Digest 1/4 lb. of logwood chips for about twelve hours in 3 pt. of water and simmer gently till 1 qt. is left. When cold, decant and dissolve about 20 gr. of yellow chromate of potash in the solution, which must be well stirred the while.
(5) For a cheap ink dissolve a threepenny packet of Judson's dye in a small bottle with a little hot water, and add cold water according to the strength of colour desired. When required for use, pour a little into the inkpot, and dilute with water as required.
(6) To make black writing ink that will not be affected by water after writing, boil 1/2oz. of lump borax with 1/2 pt. of clean water in a clean covered pot. When the borax has dissolved, add 1 oz. of bleached shellac and stir till dissolved. Add sufficient vegetable black that has been thoroughly mixed with water on a palette with a palette knife till it is free from lumps and forms a thick paste.
(7) Shellac dissolved in methylated spirit and covered with aniline dye makes a bright waterproof ink, but this is rather difficult to use, except in cold weather, as the spirit evaporates and leaves the ink on the pen too thick to flow. It works all right if rapidly brushed on.
 
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