Cooley's Cyclopædia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I

by Arnold James Cooley; Richard Vine Tuson

2. Malt wort, 1 pint; evaporate it to the consistence of a syrup, and then dissolve it in good black ink, 1¹⁄₄ pint.

3. Solazza juice, 2 oz.; mild ale, ¹⁄₂ pint; dissolve, strain, and triturate with lampblack (previously heated to dull redness it a covered vessel), ¹⁄₄ oz.; when the mixture is complete, add of strong black ink, 1¹⁄₂ pint, mix well, and in 2 or 3 hours decant the clear.

Obs. After making the above mixtures, they must be tried with a common steel pen, and if they do not flow freely, some more unprepared ink should be added until they are found to do so.

Ink, Gold. From gold in the state of a impalpable powder, ground up with a little gum water. The brilliancy of the writing performed with this ink is considerable, and may be increased by burnishing.

Ink, Green. 1. From sap green dissolved in very weak alum water.

2. A strong solution of binacetate of copper in water, or of verdigris in vinegar.

3. (Klaproth.) Verdigris, 2 oz.; cream of tartar, 1 oz.; water, ¹⁄₂ pint; boil to one half, and filter.

4. (Winckley.) Bichromate of potassa, 3 parts; hot water, 8 parts; dissolve, add of rectified spirits, 4 parts, mix, and further add of sulphuric acid, q. s. to liberate the chromic acid, avoiding excess; next evaporate to one half, dilute with water, filter, and add to the filtrate rectified spirit, 4 parts together with 3 or 4 drops of sulphuric acid (if required), to precipitate any remaining potash salt; lastly, decant and preserve the liquid until it assumes a rich green colour.

5. A solution of recently precipitated hydrated oxide of chromium in liquor of ammonia, diluted with distilled water, q. s. A magnificent dark-green liquid, perfectly anti-corrosive.

Ink, Horticultural. Prep. Chloride of platinum, ¹⁄₄ oz.; soft water, 1 pint; dissolve, and preserve it in glass. Used with a clean quill to write on zinc labels. It almost immediately turns black, and cannot be removed by washing. The addition of gum and lampblack, as recommended in certain books, is unnecessary, and even prejudicial to the quality of the ink.