- How to make a three cent ink.

Back in the 1800's ink was a major commodity.  Every paper transaction relied on ink and there were dozens and dozens of types of ink that could be purchased.

Everybody who was schooled had their own favorites.  Each ink was slightly different; in how well it flowed, in the color it was, in how well it held its color and in how expensive it was.

Good inks were compared and  savored like wine is today.

For people outside the cities, who were settling the country's frontiers, it made more sense to make their own ink.

The settler and pioneer guides of the period feature many pages of recipes for different types of ink.

One of the simplest is this recipe for blue to black ink. It was cheap to make then and it still is today.

"Take 1/2 an ounce of extract of logwood and 10 grains of bi-chromate of potash, and dissolve them in a quart of hot rain water.  When cold, pour it into a glass bottle, and leave it uncorked for a week or two.  Exposure to the air is indispensable...  The ink is at first an intense steel blue, but becomes quite black."

The two ingredients can still be had today.

Extract of logwood comes from the red heartwood of a Central American tree - Haematoxylum campechianum - which was first reported as a source of good dye in 1500 by Portuguese traders. It is still used today for dying cloth.  It can by purchased online.  US$7.75 for two ounces of extract.

Bi-chromate of potash is also known as potassium dichromate. It's a red powder that is often used for aging and dyeing wood.  You can buy 8 ounces for US$10.60 online.  You'll only need 10 grains of potassium dichromate and there are about 440 grains in an ounce.

So while this ink cost about three cents to make in the late 1800's, today it will cost you closer to US$1.96.  It's still cheap by anyone's standards.

Potassium dichromate needs to be handled with caution.  Don't breathe it and keep it off your skin.  You can neutralize it with vinegar if you have a spill.

This recipe for ink comes from the Home Mechanic book of 1896 and can be downloaded for free at PioneerHandbooks.com.

Even if you never expect to make your own ink, you can still hit the Facebook Like button below and save this how-to from disappearing into history

It's easy enough to do and a great way to keep this knowledge alive.