PLAN No. 472. GETTING A START WITH INK POWDERS
A young man whose ambition was to build up a permanent business from a small beginning, as he was practically without capital, concluded to start on one item at first, and gradually add others as he could afford it, so he chose inks—not one, but several kinds of inks. These inks he purposed to put up in the form of powders, leaving only the hot water to be added by the customer. But the different formulas were all so good that from anyone of them an enterprising man could work into a good-paying business, and they are therefore submitted herewith as separate plans.
Here is the formula he used for producing a powder for a writing fluid that is equal to the best inks on the market and better than most of them. And the beauty of it was that he could sell enough of the powder for 10 cents to make a full pint of the very best ink, and realize a very good profit on it over that price:
Nigrosin, 1 ounce; soluble blue or water blue anilin, 2 ounces; salicylic acid, 15 grains; dextrin, 11⁄2 ounces.
This will make from one to two gallons of ink, when dissolved in hot water, according to the shade desired—the more powder the darker the ink. Fine for either ordinary or fountain pen, and sold well.