Regency Household: To Make Ink and Keep it From Freezing or Molding

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To make the best black Ink To six quarts of rain water put one pound and a half of fresh blue galls of Aleppo bruised small eight ounces of copperas clean rocky and green eight ounces of gum arabic and two ounces of roche alum Let these stand together in a large stone bottle shake it well once every day and you will have fine ink in about a month's time and the older it grows the better it will be for use Ingredients for a Quart One quart of water four ounces of galls two ounces of copperas and two ounces of gum mixed and stirred as above To make red Ink Take three pints of vinegar and four ounces of ground Brazil wood simmer them together for half an hour then put in four ounces of roche allum and these three are to simmer together for half an hour then strain it through a flannel and bottle it up well stopped for use A second Method Take half a pound of quicklime and two quarts of water mix them together and let them stand a day and a night then pour off the clean water and put a pound of Brazil wood shavings into it boil it half away or till upon trial the red liquor is strong enough to write with this done put in two ounces of gum arabic and an ounce of alum when these are dissolved strain off the liquor and keep it for use A third Method Take a pint of stale beer two ounces of shavings of Brazil wood half a quarter of an ounce of cochineal two ounces of roche alum boil them together pour off the clear liquid and add thereto an ounce of gum arabic To keep Ink from Freezing or growing mouldy In hard frosty weather ink will be apt to freeze which if it does it will be good for nothing for it takes away all its blackness and beauty to prevent which if you have not the convenience of keeping it from the cold put a few drops of brandy or other spirits into it and it will not freeze and to hinder it from growing mouldy put a little salt into it Armstrong, J. (1817). The Young Woman’s Guide to Virtue, Economy, and Happiness …. United Kingdom: Mackenzie & Dent.

 

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