Walnut Ink

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WALNUT INK

Walnut ink is made from actual walnuts and comes in a concentrated crystal form.

It's worth noting that walnut ink is a natural product, and therefore is not acid free, although there are several acid neutralising sprays available on the market if this is a worry to you.

Mix with warm water as necessary, or mix the entire quantity and store in a cool dark place (for a shelf life of at least 6 months). As a rule of thumb, mix 2 parts crystals to 1 part warm-to-hot water. I like to add mine to a spritzer bottle and then shake to mix it.

Always shake it up before using the next time, especially if it's been standing a while, and the ink has settled to the bottom. If the nozzle clogs, run under very hot water (or leave it to soak if it's been months since you last used it).

FUN WITH WALNUT INK

Paint a tag with it.

Try dividing up this mixture into several containers, adding more water each time.

Paint one tag with each mixture, allow to dry, and see the difference in colour (mark the back of each tag for future reference).

Depending on the amount of crystals to water, shades of walnut ink can vary from biscuit through sepia to almost black.

Paint light cardstock or a manila tag with Lumieres or other acrylic paints - then spray walnut ink over it and let it puddle wherever it wants to. Great effect!

Crumple up paper or a tag, then spray or paint walnut ink over it. Let it dry naturally and see how the ink pools in the low points.

Walnut ink is wonderful for creating "foxing" (those brown marks and age spots seen in very old books) and is therefore great for Altered Books. See how here.

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