Mrs. Stewarts Concentrated Liquid Bluing

[McFortner]

The part of me that is always wanting to experiment and the part that is .... er, cheap , got to have some fun and try out something new. Mrs. Stewarts has been mentioned here before as a possible blue ink and that got me wondering just how well it would work out. So now that I got a Morriset Model B inkwell to use with my Esterbrook desk pen, I decided to try it out. I figured if it didn't work out, I could always keep using it in my laundry. Here are the results of my test. I used cheap copy paper since that is what I have. I'm rather fond of how it turned out.

 

http://mrsstewart.com/wp/wp-content/fpngallery/home-page/msb-and-whitetowels.jpg

I got my bottle at Kroger for $2.95 an 8oz bottle. Very economical if you ask me. So how did it work?

 

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8242/8530674248_e3a50f5c01_b.jpg

 

Quite well, actually. No bleed-through, no feathering, and nice shading. After drying it didn't wash away after 30 seconds under running tap water. The only drawback is that it is a little wet and does take a little bit longer to dry, but not a problem if you aren't in a hurry or are right handed. Lefties may have a bit of trouble using this ink. So what's my final verdict?

 

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8235/8529561017_1d99d335fb_b.jpg

 

I think that says it all for me. Cheap, easy to get a hold of, and pretty well behaved. Two thumbs up! :thumbup:

 

 

[ehemem]

Uh, uh... Do you know what the pH of this is? Does it at all smell kind of like bleach?

[Tweel]

I have a bottle. There's no smell, and it's pH-neutral.

 

I tried it in an ink mix one time, and don't have enough experience to add anything regarding its overall performance as an ink. However, AIR the blue is a pigment (some crazy compound of iron and copper) rather than a dye, and I know it can stain and leave a residue on things, so I'd be careful about clogging.

 

Also, I've used it as a biostat in a birdbath, and know that, when in solution, it will fade pretty quickly in the sunlight. I don't know if the same thing would happen dry.

 

-- Brian

[DorothyGale]

My mother used to put bluing on my sister's hair to make it more blonde. No wonder the poor girl had to be in Special Ed all through school. Glad I am a brunette.

LOL

[hoppes no9]

Note to self:

 

Do not buy fountain pens from McFortner.

[Freddy]

Good evening everybody.... .

 

Deja vu.... .

 

Amazing.... .

 

Fascinating.... .

 

Fred

listening to.. Fooled Around and Fell in Love..Elvin Bishop..

 

Say good night..

Good nite..

[Alexandra]

Nice color and it has good shading too. Let us know if there's any clogging after extended use.

[McFortner]

The desk pen it's being used in is no big loss if it is damaged. There are a bazillion Estie desk pens out there and they are still cheap.

Edited March 6, 2013 by McFortner

[Alexandra]

I wonder how it would do in a fade test.

[JonSzanto]

Isn't there anything cheaper you could use? I mean, wasting a couple bucks on some laundry product?! Good grief, people just throw their money away these days...

[psfred]

Bluing is very finely divided ferro-prussate, properly known as ferrocyanide. It is in fact the original Skrip "Writing Fluid", with was abandoned because it cause eventual severe clogging of pens.

 

It is a pigment, and can solidify if not completely flushed out, making a real mess. Under the proper conditions, it can continue to precipitate, forming insoluble solid masses in the feed of your pen. Use with caution, it's not intended as ink.

 

Peter

[McFortner]

Well, based on what I know now I'd have to say I have a good ink for a dip pen then. I've washed out my inkwell and the pen and will just wait until I have a good dip pen before using the Mrs. Stewarts again. Good thing I use it in my laundry as well! :roflmho:

[Edwaroth]

.

Edited March 6, 2013 by Edwaroth

[amper]

Funny, I was just thinking about this today, and here's a recent thread. Mrs. Stewart's is just Prussian Blue, Ferric Ferrocyanide. It's totally safe to touch, because the cyanide ions are so tightly bound to the iron that it's actually used as an orally-delivered remedy for thalium and cesium ingestion, among other things.

 

Now, the thing I can't remember is, why we stopped using Prussian Blue as a pigment to begin with. I'm sure it's not the most lightfast pigment in the world, from what I remember of my pigment studies, but that means a different thing to painters than it might mean to those of us more interested in legibility, rather than color accuracy.

 

I think I'm going to pick up a bottle today. Fred Meyer carries it, and that will give me an excuse to go by the Container Store for a couple of small bottles to use as inkwells. Also, I just *might* but a little of that bluing in my hair.

[amper]

Here's the MSDS for Mrs. Stewart's. It's just Prussian Blue, Water, and Ethandionic Acid, which is just a form of oxalic acid. According to the MSDS, the solution is neutral pH. The only real caution is that you shouldn't mix it with acids, bases, or oxidisers, because that can lead to the release of ammonia or hydrogen cyanide gas.

 

http://www.mrsstewart.com/pdf/msbmsds.pdf

[amper]

Here's Bob Gamblin's description of Prussian Blue. I trust Bob.

 

http://www.gamblincolors.com/artists.grade.oils/blues/

 

Prussian Blue: First synthetic color of the Industrial Revolution, discovered by accident in 1704 while a chemist was trying to formulate artificial crimson. Cool blue with more muted tint than Phthalo Blue. It has a high tinting strength, is lightfast, and is especially beautiful in its transparency.

 

Pigment: Ferri-ammonium ferrocyanide (PB 27:1)

Vehicle: Alkali refined linseed oil

Lightfastness I, Series 2, SEMI-TRANSPARENT

[amper]

Now I want some shellac, some gelatin, some Prussian Blue, and some lamp black...blue-black India ink...yum...

[wastelanded]

Reminds me of Kon-peki.

[amper]

Here's an interesting engineering journal article from 1940, from Robert Casey of Sheaffer, for those with access. The first few paragraphs are available at the link:

 

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/ie50372a014

 

I bought two bottles of Mrs. Stewart's today. I've mixed up 1 g Knox gelatine with 30 g Mrs. Stewart's, and I'm letting it dissolve...

[Frank C]

Here's an interesting engineering journal article from 1940, from Robert Casey of Sheaffer, for those with access. The first few paragraphs are available at the link:

 

http://pubs.acs.org/...021/ie50372a014

 

I bought two bottles of Mrs. Stewart's today. I've mixed up 1 g Knox gelatine with 30 g Mrs. Stewart's, and I'm letting it dissolve...

 

The article says that water solutions of soluble Prussian blue can dissolve 14 kt. nibs. No thanks.

 

(Edited to add "of" to the quotation.)

Edited April 7, 2013 by Frank C