Black Scrimshaw Inks

Description

Not all black inks work well for the very fine lines and dots that form a scrimshaw design. Some inks will stain and don’t wipe clean. The best inks for scrimshaw need to be lightfast, water-based, transparent, and have the finest-grained pigment. Over my 30 years of experience cutting scrimshaw, I have tried almost all the available inks; the ones listed below are the best.

The students’ size, India ink 

A professional quality black scrimshaw ink, and one of the best ones for starting out. It is waterproof and cleans up easily. It won’t leave a residue or stain behind, yet it will still give you a consistent dark black. This is high-quality ink, perfect for scrimshaw work. This 1/5 oz. The trial size is also included in the kits and is what I recommend that all my students start with for quality results. Just added a larger size 1 fl. oz. bottle too.

 Higgins Black Magic ink 

Economically priced in a 1 oz. bottle and is a good all-around ink for scrimshaw. This ink won’t stain your material and wipes off cleanly. If the color is not as dark as needed, I recommend leaving the lid off for a few days to reduce the liquid and deepen the black.

Dr. Ph. Martins Hydrus black ink

A 1 oz. bottle is a deep, dark, and intense black ink that I prefer, however, it is not as easy to use as the other inks I offer, so it is not recommended for beginners. This professional-quality ink has great permanency. The pigment is super fine and fills in even the smallest dot. It will not stain or leave behind a ‘ghost’ of shadows like some inks. It is Lightfast Archival, Non-Toxic, and considered a Brilliant concentrate.