So, I decided to give this idea a shot. Got a decent pen with three extra-fine nibs and two bottle of Dr martin Bombay India ink. one of black and one of white. Been experimenting on a scrap blank; one that is raw unfinished graphite. The main problem will be solved with further practice, and a reduction in coffee intake. My question is about the ink itself. When dry, both the black and white ink have a flat, matte finshed look. Not even close to glossy. Is this normal? I'm not liking the look of the inscriptions at this point.

Yes it's "India Ink" and will be flat - but the epoxy over the inscription will be glossy.

Gary,
Yes, perfect. Put a coat of finish on it as Ken stated and it will be great.

By the way, I have used Bombay ink in the past, but now am using "Speed ball" acrylic ink. I seem to have better luck with this type ink.

[www.dickblick.com]

By the way, I have very poor writing skills. Fortunately my wife is a talented artist and does a wonderful job to letter all of the rods that come through the shop.

Take care

I lke Bombay ink. Have only used white, but like its opacity and good flow through the nibs. One thing with all inks that has to be done is to determine what finish products will make it run and which will not. Do your own experiments then write the product to be used on the bottle. For example, if it doesn't run with Flex Coat CP, write FC CP on the bottle so you won't forget.

I agree with previous posts, has to be covered with epoxy, will look glossy.

Thanks gents. One more stupid question. I had to shake the snot out of it to get even results. Is this normal, or did i get some really old stock? It was on sale after all.

Gary,
Before you shake up any ink, get a metal stirring stick and stir it well, frequently lifting the stick to be able to scrape off any solid material that might be sticking to the stick.
Continue stirring, until you can not feel any more deposits on the bottom of the container.

Then, after getting it well stirred, then give it a good shake to insure that all is distributed well in the ink.

Be safe

Correct again, Roger. There was still some material on the bottom of the jar. After stirring well, and a nice shake, the dried inscription looks quite bit more even in appearance. at this point I've written all over the butt end of a Setyr blank I have set aside for myself. I like the white better than black. It just seems to flow better and look smoother. Now to experiment with Cp and finish. I have two kinds of CP and four of finish, so some combination should work.

My handwriting is actually not bad. If I stay off the coffee, that is. It seems to be writing on the curved surface that is giving me fits, but practice will cure that problem.

Thanks to all for the advice.

I like the Dr. Ph. Martin's Iridescent inks. I have used the "Black Sparkle", Iridescent White, Iridescent Silver, Copper, and some others. These inks thin and clean up with alcohol. You don't need CP. The great thing is they really glow in the sunlight.

Mike Bradfrod
R.M.B. Fishing Rods
Nampa, Idaho

Mike Bradford Wrote:
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> I like the Dr. Ph. Martin's Iridescent inks. I
> have used the "Black Sparkle", Iridescent White,
> Iridescent Silver, Copper, and some others. These
> inks thin and clean up with alcohol. You don't
> need CP. The great thing is they really glow in
> the sunlight.

I saw those when I bought the first bottles, and wondered about them. I going back to get a couple of acrylics to try, and now I'll get a couple of those as well. Thanks for the tip.