Black walnut ink!
This past fall I made ink from the huge black walnut tree here on the farm. I finally took the time to design labels and I’m very happy with the outcome!
Want to make some?
First, you’ll have to find a tree and visit it during fall to harvest.
Although, truth be told, I prefer working with blacker husks. These still have a lot of moisture in them. Walnuts like these will work, but walnuts that have decomposed to a great degree are faster (though not as pretty to photograph).
The above bowl would be enough for a small amount of ink to try it out, but I ended up processing two huge stock pots full. From that I got 18 small ink bottles full.
Wear waterproof gloves! The husks stain quite easily, you are making ink afterall.
Strain the black walnut husks through a few layers of cheesecloth after simmering overnight. After this photo was taken, I simmered again for about another 6 hours, testing the ink with a brush often. Keep a close eye — you do not want to oversimmer and burn it all into a thick black muck at the bottom of the pot. (Yep, I did that… which is how I know.)
I can’t tell you a specific amount of time because it depends on how much moisture you start with and also how thick you’d like your ink to be. I wanted mine to be really thick, so it took quite a while.
90 proof vodka will also work and can be purchased at many liquor stores. You can use isopropyl alcohol, but it wont last nearly as long.
How can you use it?
This ink will work great with dip pens and paint brushes. You can dilute it with water to make washes.
