Platinum Mix Free Ink Recipes

[radellaf]

That CP2:EB4 looks like a good one. I don't like plain browns, do like red, but find most of them, even Widowmaker or Antietam a bit light or bright for small journal writing.

It is a challenge for us indecisives. I have the inks nicely set out, printed an 8x10 of the color chart (they didn't include one I'd call "full size"), and have a few empty pens ready. But, what color? <eyes glaze over> bottles of ink... shiny...

 

Another problem is I really love the 1BSB:2CG:2H2O mix I'm using in a clear noodler's flex right now.

[Woliaj]

QB+SP looks like Bay State blue... not sure how bright and vivid it is, but it has similar tones... and I'm assuming it won't stain everything it comes into contact with

[gregamckinney]

To my eye, the Aurora Blue mix is not purple enough- needs a skosh more SP maybe?

 

Regards, greg

[JefferyS]

This thread is about a thousand times more revealing than trying to evaluate the screen version of the mixing chart Platinum provides. I was hoping that Platinum would provide a high quality color JPG or PDF file of their mixing chart, but this page (above) is letting me know that my 6-year-old Mac screen can still produce some pretty vivid colors.

 

I am unworthy.

[padams2359]

Thanks for the posting. I got a sample kit, but I was waiting for a bunch of chinese pens to start. The pics are great. My son is taking two of the pens to school. We were planning to mix up a couple that he thought would make his notes a little more interesting. Maybe the 2 SY/ 1 LG Primary, and the 1 CP/ 1SY to highlight.

[gregamckinney]

I don't have a way go get a good scan at the moment, but I've found an orange mix I really like. Actually, one I like ok, and another I REALLY like.

 

For a vermillion-ey reddish orange, 4FR:3SY.

 

For a great, bright orange- somewhere between Yu-Yake and Diamine Orange, 3FR:4SY.

 

Regards, greg

[dizzypen]

 

*slinks off to buy a sample kit*

 

Curse you all!

[JefferyS]

Psssst. Figure out how to make Galileo Manuscript Brown, and get back with us. I'm not sure what you'll use as a guide...it's the one highly-touted ink that I've never seen.

[radellaf]

For the money I was surprised there was no little dish, or largeish mixing chart. $4 and the JPG off the web got me a decent print next day web ordered from a major camera chain store. Glad I didn't run into copyright restrictions. It's not half as useful as what's here but does look pretty in an acrylic stand/frame behind the row of ink bottles.

Now trying to make a dark edelstien jade and a Lierre Sauvage imitation.

[JefferyS]

If there was ever a good reason for starting a blog, it is being an alchemist with Platinum mix free inks, lots of money, lots of time to experiment. But I sure would visit that blog often.

[Lady Spencerian]

I don't have a way go get a good scan at the moment, but I've found an orange mix I really like. Actually, one I like ok, and another I REALLY like.

 

For a vermillion-ey reddish orange, 4FR:3SY.

 

For a great, bright orange- somewhere between Yu-Yake and Diamine Orange, 3FR:4SY.

 

Regards, greg

 

Thanks, greg, for taking the time to toss those two recipes out. The sheer number of possibilities afforded by the kit left me paralyzed with indecision.

 

In an attempt to pick something to try, I had been wondering what ratio of FR to SY to try to produce a red-orange like that of the nasturtiums round the front door. Seemed like a great 'hot' color for August. 4FR:3SY is probably a good place to start; I can tweak it from there.

 

Any problems with staining of converter or pen? or have you used only dip pens? I've been hesitant to try this in a good pen, but all my lower end ones have other colors in them.

 

Suzanne

[WinBagel]

What Platinum should do is to write a program that would allow you to do Pantone color matching with their inks. Just pick a color and it would tell you which inks to mix and the quantities.

 

 

+1

 

I WANT!

[SamCapote]

Saving a copy of this thread.

[radellaf]

If you truly want to do something like that, the main thing you'd need is a colorimeter (reads a limited number of primaries) or photospectrometer (full spectrum data) like is used to calibrate a printer or scanner. It'll give values in a known colorspace and you can compute estimated combinations. Photoshop has a built in module for that with printing inks (or did) but I imagine the formulae aren't too hard to find. You could only estimate, in case the colors don't combine linearly. Reading the results of a mix would certainly tell you which way to go to get closer, though.

 

I didn't want to put up the cash when I was trying to print inkjet photos at home, but just saying, it's doable for a few $100.

 

I'm still stuck in indecision mode with my set. Haven't opened a bottle yet...

[MicheleB]

WOW! This is a very informative thread. Is anyone else searching for the MB British Racing Green duplicate (I know Okami is)? Sequoia et al., doesn't do it for me.

[Lady Spencerian]

My main reason for wanting to plunge into the mix-free colors was that I found that I was inadvertently beginning to order colors that were almost an exact match for colors I already owned. Diamine Asa Blue, for example, which is a less saturated version of Noodler's Midway Blue.

 

So, I began with Greg's 4FR:3SY combination, in pursuit of an orange approximating nasturtium. Nice, but it lacked punch, so I added another unit of Flame Red. Now we have 5FR:3SY which looks like....Dragon's Napalm! (sigh) There I go again, duplicating what I already have and love. Discouraged, I added one more unit of Sunny Yellow, which resulted in a very bright orange. I'm going to write with it for a couple of days and then perhaps tone it down with some of the diluting formula. Or, I could add a touch of Earth Brown...

 

So, those of you who are still casting sidelong glances at the newly-arrived box of inks and wondering why you ordered them, take the plunge! Play and experimentation are the order of the day.

[padams2359]

Does anyone else find this ink to be fairly thick? Almost gel like? I find there are issues with smaller nibbed pens.

[McFortner]

I finally decided to play with my Super Sampler set from Goulets tonight. First I went looking for something online to give me some ideas. I found this site for color conversion between different color formats. The CMYK is what is at the heart of the Platinum Mix Free set, so I started there. I played around with the hex values for web pages and had it convert that to CMYK. For those who don't know, the RGB hex values go from 00 (black) to FF (full intensity) for each color, giving you a hex value like #123456, with 12 red, 34 green, 56 blue, that yields a denim color (see here). So the hex value I entered was #BB0B82. Reading the CYMK gives you (I rounded up) 0 parts cyan (qb), 10 parts magenta (cp), 3 parts yellow (sy), and 3 part black (sb). I then added about 18 parts water to thin the ink down and aid drying times.

 

Here is what it looks like:

 

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7172/6450845725_22ca3fdd38_z.jpg

Image location at Flickr

 

It scans a little more pinkish than in real life with the swab, but the writing is fairly close to spot on. I think the use of the web tool makes it easier to get an idea of the color you want before you mix it. More recipes to be posted as I make them!

 

This page lets you see some colors on the screen. Click on the name and it takes you to the CMYK conversion page for the ratios. This should be a good place to give you some ideas on where to start. You can probably find similar pages by searching (my search-fu is weak at times).

Edited December 4, 2011 by McFortner

[TMLee]

Awesome mixing you doing here. !!

 

I want a green like Britsh Racing Green.

 

I was looking at your mix of EB + LG.

That appears a shade darker than BRG, do you think by reducing the amount of EB, one can achieve a shade closer to BRG ?

What's your opinion?

 

Or should one use SB + LG ?

Does it give the same shade of BRG ?

I mean to the naked eye, brown pigments or black , can't be readily perceived.

Or am I wrong?

[TMLee]

I tried mixing LG (Leaf Green) with EB (Earth Brown)

 

LG 2:1 EB

 

(the chart showed 1:1 mixing colours and i felt the 1:1 ratio too dark, so I took a guess and modified that ratio )

 

Written on Tomoe River paper 52g , Cream.

 

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/FP/STUBS/Pelikan%20M400%20White%20Tortoise/001.jpg

 

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/FP/STUBS/Pelikan%20M400%20White%20Tortoise/002-1.jpg

 

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/FP/STUBS/Pelikan%20M400%20White%20Tortoise/003.jpg

 

 

I think the results will be better with SY (Sunny Yellow) which i dont have :-(

Edited June 11, 2013 by TMLee