Just beautiful. I went back and looked at all of your walnut ink sketches and they're just amazing. Your ink is so rich and wonderful!
I just looked at your recipe. I wonder if you know why mine always ferments when I store it? I make ink every few years and it's just fine in the little one ounce bottles I put it up in, but I store the leftovers in a large dark green glass bottle with a screw top. Every year the ink in the little bottles is just fine, and the ink in the large bottle ferments. When I unscrew it there's a little poooooffff as the gases release from the bottle, and the smell is horrible! I use the same recipe you use. Do you have any ideas? How do you store yours? Can you freeze it? Sorry for so many questions, I'm excited to find someone else who makes it!
I don't know if I can be of much help. I haven't had a fermentation problem, but I haven't made lots of ink; just a couple of batches, and not in huge quantities.
I've stored mine in small jars (small jelly jars, baby food jars, and those little jars baking yeast comes in.) Is it possible that contaminants in your jars sparked the fermentation?
I have had mold grow in my jars, in thick mats that I could pull out. It was gross, but didn't affect the ink quality and didn't smell. Once I started adding a little denatured alcohol to the ink, that problem went away. Have you tried adding alcohol? It's pretty easy. I try to keep it at 5% or a little less, which to me means adding about a teaspoon to a small jar of ink.
I've never frozen it, but I don't see why not. I'm sure refrigeration would help, too.
Good luck - if you find anything else out, please let me know.
Um....yes, it is possible that the bottle itself caused the problem. Um...d'oh. It was one of those giant table chianti bottles. I'll bet it wasn't completely clean and had contaminants that caused the fermentation. Thanks for thinking of that!
Just from looking at the photos, that's what I would have guessed.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful drawing; beautiful house, too.
ReplyDeleteJust beautiful. I went back and looked at all of your walnut ink sketches and they're just amazing. Your ink is so rich and wonderful!
ReplyDeleteI just looked at your recipe. I wonder if you know why mine always ferments when I store it? I make ink every few years and it's just fine in the little one ounce bottles I put it up in, but I store the leftovers in a large dark green glass bottle with a screw top. Every year the ink in the little bottles is just fine, and the ink in the large bottle ferments. When I unscrew it there's a little poooooffff as the gases release from the bottle, and the smell is horrible! I use the same recipe you use. Do you have any ideas? How do you store yours? Can you freeze it? Sorry for so many questions, I'm excited to find someone else who makes it!
Jess
Hi Jess,
ReplyDeleteI don't know if I can be of much help. I haven't had a fermentation problem, but I haven't made lots of ink; just a couple of batches, and not in huge quantities.
I've stored mine in small jars (small jelly jars, baby food jars, and those little jars baking yeast comes in.) Is it possible that contaminants in your jars sparked the fermentation?
I have had mold grow in my jars, in thick mats that I could pull out. It was gross, but didn't affect the ink quality and didn't smell. Once I started adding a little denatured alcohol to the ink, that problem went away. Have you tried adding alcohol? It's pretty easy. I try to keep it at 5% or a little less, which to me means adding about a teaspoon to a small jar of ink.
I've never frozen it, but I don't see why not. I'm sure refrigeration would help, too.
Good luck - if you find anything else out, please let me know.
Mark
Um....yes, it is possible that the bottle itself caused the problem. Um...d'oh. It was one of those giant table chianti bottles. I'll bet it wasn't completely clean and had contaminants that caused the fermentation. Thanks for thinking of that!
ReplyDeleteJess