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Thread: Walnut ink

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    Senior Member FredRydr's Avatar
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    Question Walnut ink

    I was watching a video on addressing envelopes in a vintage style. The writer was using a dip pen with "walnut ink" and mentioned her preference for walnut ink "because it is vintage." I am not familiar with this ink.

    Is there a fountain pen ink that is the color of "walnut ink"?

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    Senior Member Wile E Coyote's Avatar
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    Default Re: Walnut ink

    Made from the green outside husks of black walnut. Wear gloves and a tyvek suit if you decide to try. It will stain anything it touches and if left on your skin will burn your skin. Please don't ask how I know this.

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    Senior Member silverlifter's Avatar
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    Default Re: Walnut ink

    Recipes, if you decide to go all in: http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/fo...fe-walnut-ink/
    Vintage. Cursive italic. Iron gall.

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    FPG Donor ♕ Chrissy's Avatar
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    Default Re: Walnut ink

    Maybe Noodler's Walnut might be the right colour without the need for gloves and a tyvec suit?
    Regards, Chrissy | My Review Blog: inkyfountainpens

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    Senior Member Paddler's Avatar
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    Default Re: Walnut ink

    I published my recipe for walnut ink in this forum some time ago. The stuff is lightfast and very water resistant, although hot distilled running water will wash it out of paper. I have never had it burn my skin, however.

    Hint: if you leave the husks outside in the weather, but out of direct rain, the microbes will come and eat the sugar that is in the sap. Without these sugars, the liquid ink can be dehydrated down to crystals and you will not have to worry about adding things like biocides and preservatives.
    "Nothing is enough for the man to whom enough is too little." -Epicurus-

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    Senior Member FredRydr's Avatar
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    Default Re: Walnut ink

    No, I'm not gonna turn my kitchen into an alchemist's toxic nightmare.

    I hoped someone here might have already matched a fountain pen ink to walnut drawing ink. (Thanks for the Noodlers suggestion, Chrissy, but I steer clear of the stuff. I saw what it did to an ink pump from a Parker pen at the Ohio show last week.)

    Here's some online images I found for color. I'll use Anderson's ink swatch webpages to find a match. If it's the same color as Waterman's Havana, I'm already there. But perhaps it's just brown.






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    Senior Member FredRydr's Avatar
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    Default Re: Walnut ink

    The results: I started with Noodlers Walnut, and spent a few minutes coming up with four more inks to compare (five is the maximum on one page of the Anderson ink tool).

    Screen Shot 2019-11-09 at 100307AM.jpg

    IF the color of Noodlers Walnut can serve as the touchstone for fountain pen walnut, and IF the Anderson ink tool is accurate, I can pat myself on the back because Montblanc Toffee has been one of my favorite inks for EF full flex nibs when writing vintage postcards, and it appears to be a perfect match to "Walnut." I have bottles of MB Toffee!

    De Atramentis Black-Brown also seems a good match. I was looking for a Diamine match, too, and Maccassar seems to fit the bill. Assuming Absolute Brown is the same as Waterman's old Havana Brown, my Havana ink will not do as a faux walnut. There are other matches, such as Akkerman No. 23, 3 Oysters Gogung and Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-guri Wild Chestnut. There are many other browns to wade through.

    So, my bottles of Montblanc Toffee will continue to do nicely (that is, until I find out Noodlers Walnut isn't walnut).
    Last edited by FredRydr; November 10th, 2019 at 06:22 PM.

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    FPG Donor ♕ Chrissy's Avatar
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    Default Re: Walnut ink

    I agree. I also like Montblanc Toffee Brown and Diamine Macassar out of those inks.

    DeAtramentis has a vague hint of purplish hue to it and Waterman Absolute Brown is starting to go a bit red for a walnut colour.
    Regards, Chrissy | My Review Blog: inkyfountainpens

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    Senior Member azkid's Avatar
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    Default Re: Walnut ink

    I really like Diamine Macassar. Flows nicely, writes well in whatever I've tried it in.

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    Senior Member AzJon's Avatar
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    Default Re: Walnut ink

    I find J Herbin Lie de The has a very similar color to walnut ink.

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