Briefly about modern ink production, or how does modern ink manufacturing differ from the production of medieval and traditional inks?
Modern ink production differs significantly from the production of medieval and traditional inks, as the discovery of aniline dyes revolutionized not only the textile industry but also the „ink industry.” In this article, I would like to present what lies behind ink production.
How is ink made?
I once read on a pen forum that ink is nothing more than dirty water; and we can very simplistically say that this is true. Let's start with what makes water „dirty.” In the industry, we distinguish between two types of coloring agents. The first is water-soluble dyes (from now on referred to as „dyes”) and the second is pigments. Our astute readers have probably already noticed that the property of being water-soluble does not appear before pigments.
Think of dyes like sugar. If we stir sugar into a glass of water enough, it completely disappears, while pigments cannot be dissolved in water – just like sand cannot. No matter how much we stir from morning till night, it will not dissolve, and if we leave it, it will settle at the bottom of the glass.
Therefore, we primarily use dyes for ink production – at the same time, pigments also have their role.
The dye
Thus, the two most important raw materials for ink are water and dye. There are several types and subtypes of dyes, for example, food colorings also belong here. Many dyes are suitable for ink production, but this is by no means true for all of them.
One of the main properties that we must emphasize is that it should not be toxic a dye. There are serious research and regulations in this area, so industrial dyes are provided with safety data sheets by manufacturers, which detail the physical properties of the dye, its hazards, and provide guidance for safe handling.
After we have confirmed that our dye is not considered a hazardous material, the other key property is the solubility ratio in water.. A typical ink has a dye concentration of 25-50 grams/liter. Therefore, it is worth looking for a dye that reaches at least the lower limit. If this is not achieved, our ink will be watery and pale.
It is quite difficult for individuals to access chemical products (not without reason, as most of these products are hazardous), but if someone tries to mix ink for themselves, it is worth combining food colorings found in grocery stores with a little distilled water. Food colorings are not harmful to pens, and the homemade ink made this way can last for up to a week without issues (but I still recommend putting it in the fridge).
Water
Well, then we have the dyes, now comes the solvent – water. There are also several types of water here, and of course, it matters what we use. Tap water is out of the question. It is not biologically pure, and not even chemically, as it contains minerals and additives (e.g., chlorine).
The next level is demineralized, ion-exchanged, etc. waters, which I dare say are already good for home ink dilution. However, only distilled water should be used for ink preparation. It is worth paying attention when buying distilled water, as many stores also call ion-exchanged water distilled water. In fact, I have seen packaging where the word „Distilled” is prominently displayed in large letters, and below it, the „quality” addition is less prominently readable – therefore, it is worth reading the label on the bottle. The use of pure water is necessary because it significantly reduces the chance of the ink spoiling.
I think everyone already suspects that the tools and containers must be disinfected before each use and after washing as well. This can be quite a hassle when a person only has 1-2 stirring containers but needs to mix 8 colors. Cleaning is the most boring and time-consuming part of the ink preparation process, but it is crucial, as it is not good for the end user if a small fuzzy mold island floats on their ink after two months.
The preservation
Perhaps this is the trickiest part of ink making. I mentioned above that everything must be pristine clean, but that alone is not enough. Fungal spores and bacteria are present everywhere. During the ink-making process, some of these get into the water from the air, and then every time we open the bottle, more of them enter. These fungal spores and bacteria then begin to multiply, and our ink spoils.
At this point, we turn to preservatives. Modern preservatives are effective, and thanks to them, inks can last for years. However, unfortunately, like everything, they only work in 99.91% of cases, and there is always a small chance that our ink will spoil. Although this is very rare nowadays, it can still happen. In the industry, manufacturers and resellers generally offer a two-year warranty on inks from the date of production, but as many of us experience, inks rarely spoil, and if they do, the manufacturer or seller will replace the bottle for the end user free of charge.
Unfortunately, preservatives available to individuals cannot be used for inks. They are simply not effective because most are designed for homemade cosmetics or food preservation. A good piece of advice for those who have ink that is no longer manufactured and have stocked up for years: put the bottles in the fridge. It is no coincidence that every beverage label states to store in a dry, cool place, protected from sunlight. This applies to inks as well. The conditions for the reproduction of bacteria and fungi require appropriate temperature, preferably light, and nutrients. If we keep the ink on the table and it basks in the sun for an hour or two every day, it can easily happen that life sprouts, even if the manufacturer uses a strong and effective preservative.
I would like to add one more piece of advice on this topic. When diluting ink, besides using distilled water, never dilute the entire bottle. For the preservative to work properly, a certain concentration level must be maintained. If it becomes too diluted, it loses its effectiveness or may even lose its effect entirely.
The additives
We have the dye and the preservation. From here, we are almost done with the ink, but we still need to „throw in” a couple of things to get really good ink.
One of these is the humectant, or wetting agent. This is an interesting thing because water itself is wet, but we need to add another wetting agent to make the ink good. It has several roles. It slows down drying, reduces surface tension, and even has some antimicrobial effects. If we omit this from the ink, we will feel it is „dry,” the pen will write poorly, and the ink will not be „oily.”.
During ink making, we can also use surfactants to further weaken the surface tension of the ink. This is not always necessary, but there are mixtures that require it. We can use pH stabilizers to bring the ink closer to a neutral pH value. This is not always necessary either, but there are dyes and preservatives that react poorly if the solution is too acidic or basic.
We can also add fragrances to the inks. These are made from essential oils, which must first be solubilized, made soluble, and then mixed with the ink as an additive. Solubilizers are generally also surfactants, so care must be taken with dosing; otherwise, the ink will drip and splatter.
We can also add glitter additives to the ink if we want our ink to sparkle. Most glitter is made from mica and/or metal powders, so they are considered pigments. These do not dissolve in water, so the pen must be shaken before and during use, and care must be taken during dosing to ensure that too much does not get into the solution, as it can clog the pen's ink delivery channels. Of course, the particle size also matters; it is not recommended to use powders larger than 60 microns.
In the context of ink making, we must also mention pigments. Ink makers add these to the solution to create waterproof ink. This is not the only way to achieve this property, but many inks intended for artistic purposes contain pigments for waterproofing. Just like with glitter, the particle size and the density of the particles in the solution also matter here. Another reason they may add it to the ink is to create special color combinations that are unattainable by using only dyes.
Ink making with passion
Hopefully, the article was informative and provided new information for everyone.
I believe that ink making is not just a science, but an art and a passion as well, as the creator can create beautifully unique new colors by mixing dyes. These then live on as wonderful artistic creations, letters, drawings, and stories.
