Ink for scrimshaw

[Glenn Hurley Jr.]

What ink do you use when scrimshawing a horn?  I am currently working on my first horn and would like to use the correct ink.  Any tips about application would be appreciated.  I have read the Sibley's book but wondered what the people on this forum liked to use.
Thanks in advance.

[Mike R]

I have always used artist quality India Ink [for 40 yrs now]; however, some do not use ink at all, but simply stain the grooves in various ways.

[Randy Hedden]

Glenn,

Doctor Martin's Bombay waterproof India Ink is a good ink that a lot of scrimshaw artists use. Just "Google" Doctor Martin's Bombay ink. However, any good waterproof India ink, like Higgins brand India Ink, works  good and is probably easier to find. Just make sure what you buy is waterproof.

When inking your scrimshaw the ink will get into and show every little scratch from sandpaper or filing that you have not removed. Therefore you need to get rid of all the little scratches before inking. I generally hand scrape my horns to profile and then hit the horn lightly with some bronze wool to get the surface I like. If you are going for a more primitive aged look then just leave all the little scratches and allow them to fill in with whatever you are using for the aged look. Oil based stain and powdered tempera is what a lot of guys used o get that heavily aged look.

If you do opt to final sand your horn with sand paper run the sand paper from one end of the horn to the other making sure the sandpaper runs completely off the horn. If you run the sandpaper back and forth over the horn you will get a lot of little "fish hook" scratches in the horn that won't show to bad until you start to color in the scrimshaw.

Randy Hedden

www.harddogrifles.com

[Pete G.]

I have used a "Sharpie" permanent marker and then polish it off the surface with 0000 steel wool. Brown or black both work well. Try brown first and if you don't like the results, go over with black.

[Larry Luck]

Black powder and spit works OK, and was readily available in the period.
The spit can be thinned a little with bourbon.
Merry Christmas.
Larry Luck

[T.C.Albert]

Looking at several carved originals under a good and powerful microscope years ago with Russ Young, he determined and told me that the pigment was comprised of what he thought was "plumbago", at least on the horns he was looking at. The granular structure of the pigment "dust" seemed to indicate it was not a true ink that was used....if I remember correctly. Maybe this would fill and darken the engraved lines with out actually staining the surrounding horn like an india ink would?
TCA 

[Glenn Hurley Jr.]

Thanks to all for the replies.  Larry, your suggestion has to be placed at the top of the list.  That certainly would give the horn flavor!!  ( I know, it's a groaner!)

[Lee]

One last option.... Years ago I was engraving a horn for a fellow at an event and forgot to take my india ink.  So it got me thinking: What would they have done 250 years ago? Lamp black immediately came to mind.  I went over to my old tin lantern and rubbed my finger up inside to get some of that great lamp black on it.  Then I just spit on my finger to wet the lamp black and rubbed it in the cuts on the horn.  It's a consistent black and works great because saliva is thicker than water, so it doesn't run all over the horn (like water based ink does).  I just wiped off the excess with a damp rag.  I liked the results so much, I pretty much quit using india ink (except on the occasional polychrome NY map horn).  Also, it doesn't wash out of the cuts unless you use a pressure washer!

A good black pencil lead will work the same way....

Next time, try leaving a DNA trail on you powder horns - use soot and spit!   

[Mad Monk]

One last option.... Years ago I was engraving a horn for a fellow at an event and forgot to take my india ink.  So it got me thinking: What would they have done 250 years ago?

The standard writing ink up until steel pen points came into use during the Civil War was a mixture of ferrous sulfate and gallic acid.  Purchased as a dry powder and then mixed with water prior to use.

Tannic or gallic acid will turn iron oxide a brownish black or jet-black in color.  When the powder was made wet it formed an iron tannate complex that is not soluble in water.  Eventuaslly the ferrous sulfate turns to an oxide in the wet state.  Once mixed with water it would last up to two weeks before turning into something akin to a sludge.
The ink, when applied to horn or any other form of protein would chemically bind so no binder was needed.

This iron based writing ink was only slightly different than dying fabrics with a mineral pigment dye or staining a gun stock with nitrate of iron.

[Longshot]

All of the mentioned inks and mixes work well, as does artists acrylic, which allows you to swing from black to brown   -depending upon horn color and the specific look you're after.
If you're concerned about the plastic look that often comes with pre-polishing the horn to the point where all random, ink-grabbing scratches, scrape marks or surface texture are eliminated, try the following:
Prepare the horn surface to your satisfaction; draw your scrim lines/images with a soft, sharp pencil; spray the entire scrim area with aerosol hair spray [most is water based]; do your scrim; darken the scrimwork with the substance of choice  -carefully wiping off the excess.  When you're satisfied, wipe down the horn with a water-dampened cloth, which removes the hair spray while leaving the color  where you want it.
The hair spray also allows you to more comfortably handle the horn during the scrim work, without smearing the image.
~Longshot

[R. Hare]

I've always used soot off the inside of the stove door, and rubbed on with a bit of deer tallow.
Just plain dirty greasy fingers darken things down, and the grease is nice to fill the cuts with, and rubs off where you don't want it really easily!

R.

[Wild Willy]

I like to use Higgins Engrosing or Eternal.  Some folks like to use ashes mixed with oil.  (Lamp Black) All of these work well.  Never use shoe polish or latex paint unless your going for single line on a dark horn.  I use ink and dyes when I do polychrome and they have lasted many years.

[Glenn Hurley Jr.]

Willy!
Welcome to ALR.  I also checked out your website and the horns etc look great.
Glenn