You might have seen our popular handmade Wyndham walnut ink in store, and we wanted to show you the process of making it!
Here’s Chris taking the husks off the walnuts, the part used for the dye. We do have a giant black walnut tree in our yard but it doesn’t produce much more than the squirrels can take and bury. I did find a wonderful haul down the street, where a neighbour had raked all of theirs beside the curb. With a few big buckets I easily harvested all we would need. If you want to do this, put the word out to your community, people are usually keen to get rid of theirs.
The walnuts when they first fall have a husk that is bright lime green. It is best to let them sit for a while and turn dark. As the husk softens and ripens it’s staining ability will increase. It is also easier to remove the husk for making ink when it is a bit rotten.
We rented a couple of propane burners and giant pots from Roy-al rentals, shared the husks between the two pots and put enough water in each to cover the husks with water. This was brought to a boil and then we took turns stirring the mixture for hours, until we felt that the liquid was becoming a good rich brown.
Chris stirring the pots to keep the husks from burning, with Sam and Caro watching.
Chris adding rusty bits and pieces of metal to the dye while it’s cooking. The iron helps the ink deepen and oxidize.
Jay and Sandy stirring the ink!
We kept dipping cotton paper scraps into the pot as a test to see how dark the ink was getting.
Straining through mesh to get rid of any large bits of grit.
After the husks were boiled and we were left with the raw ink, we added a small amount of 99% isopropanol to act as an antifungal and a little bit of gum arabic for dispersion and flow. Each bottle also contains a couple of cloves to improve the aroma and as an added antifungal agent.
The final product! Available in 1oz, 2oz, or 4oz sizes, with labels designed by staff member Gillian.
This ink is water-based and can be treated like liquid watercolour. The colour ranges from a deep sepia to a light brown, depending on application and layering.
Walnut ink drawing from staff member Cass! 🦌
The colour is somewhat staining and granular, as we have left a small amount of fine particulate in the mixture to help with colour depth. The shelf life of this ink can vary, depending on conditions. If after a year or so it develops an odour, adding some more alcohol can help to preserve it. Make sure to keep the lid of the jar tight to help with both the shelf life and evaporation.
While our ink does not have a lightfastness rating, walnut ink is widely understood to have a very durable colour.
Happy drawing, writing, painting, staining or…something different.
Share your adventures with us!
WAS Staff