Blood is an indifferent substitute for ink. To make 12 gallons of good
common writing-ink, use 12 lbs. of nut-galls, 5 lbs. of green sulphate of
iron, 5 lbs. of gum, and 12 gallons of water. (Ure.)
Lampblack.--Hold a piece of metal, or even a stone, over a flaring wick
in a cup of oil, and plenty of soot will collect.
Sympathetic Ink.--Nothing is better or handier than milk. The writing is
invisible until the paper is almost toasted in the fire, when it turns a
rich brown. The juice of lemons and many other fruits may also be used.
(See "Substitutes for Paper.")
Gall of Animals, or Ox-gall to purify.--To make ink or paint take upon
greasy paper, a very little ox-gall should be mixed with it. It is very
important to know this simple remedy, and I therefore extract the
following information from Ure's 'Dictionary.' I have often practised it.
"Take it from the newly-killed animal, let it settle for 12 or 15 hours
in a basin, pour the liquid off the sediment into an earthenware pot, and
set the pot into a pan of water kept boiling until the gall-liquid
becomes somewhat thick. Then spread it on a dish and place it before the
fire till nearly dry. In this state it may be kept, without any looking
after, for years. When wanted, a piece the size of a pea should be
dissolved in water. Ox-gall removes all grease-spots from clothes, etc."
Wafers, Paste, and Gum.
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