India Ink?


it can be found in art (drawing) supply stores. used for calligraphy
i bought a flask in Michaels. seen it in hobby lobby as well.
 
I think there are several types of "India Ink". I recall a fellow student of mine in Grade 9 who used to draw weird, but lavish and compelling drawings on heavy matte paper using what he called India Ink and a nib pen. I recall that it dried shiny, like it had egg-white or maybe an oil in it. What I use now for weathering is a black ink that comes from China. It dilutes easily and works fine.

-Crandell
 
I use Dr. Phil Martin's Black Stain, which is a waterproof brand of india ink. I got it at Hobby Lobby years ago for $7. It comes in a bottle with a dropper top, which makes it easy to mix with water or alcohol for staining. Some of the india ink sold in crafts stores is not waterproof, so make sure it states it's waterproof on the label. This bottle will probably last the rest of my natural lifetime. :)
 
I have read about using India ink as a black wash, but have never tried it myself. How does an India ink wash compare to thinned "regular" paint, in its various forms (lacquer, enamel, acrylic)? Is it more durable? Easier to use / control? Or is it "just another way" to get the job done?

Thanks in advance for your insights!

Regards,
Tom Stockton
 
Thin India ink with isopropel alcohol. A drop or two in an ounce of alcohol, give it a try, add more ink or alcohol until you get what you want. A wash is just that - you wash/flood the surface with the mix, and it settles in the crevasses, joints, etc. and stays they making them darker. It also darkens down the base color, depending upon how much it is diluted.
 
It's not better than a thin paint wash, just different. It flows much more easily since the wash is mostly alcohol and will settle in cracks and crevices much better than paint, as Bob said. When it's used on things like buildings and roads, it's almost an instant weathering in terms of adding a thin, darker layer to the existing surface. You have to experiment with the right mix since a little too much can turn things really black.
 
iirc, India Ink's claim to fame is its "blackness". My dad used it a lot in his commercial art, then it was known as the only way to get the truest black. Most black inks aren't that black, and get less black over time. for example, use a black Sharpie and you'll eventually see it turn purple. India Ink is about as black as can be made by humans and it stays that way better than most alternatives. There may be modern alternatives that would suffice but I don't know of any.
 
I now use leather dye instead of India Ink but the advantage to using any type of alcohol based stain is that it penetrates much better, doesn't warp wood, and also it dries very quickly. Paints seem to stay more on the surface of the wood instead of penetrating as much. The pigments in the ink and dye are much finer than in paint too, which means a little goes a lot further. You have to experiment a bit to get the color right as the black wash can really change the base color. This picture shows how one coat of a very dilute india ink wash changes some very orange wall sections. Add as many more coats as you want, to acheive the effect you're after.
 
Nice staining effect on the lower wall sections. I've never used leather dye before but I'll have to give it a try.
 
The dye works very well, but when using the black be sure to use Feibings USMC Black. Many other leather dyes have a bluish tint to them. The black dye is available at all Tandy/Leather Factory stores and online at thier website.
 
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