Coffee Ristretto, Just Because

[Intellidepth]

Ok, so a poster elsewhere on FPN asked about coffee as ink, in particular, ristretto (short espresso). It was freshly shot through a semi-commercial machine with the right grind.

 

I tried it in a dip pen but would never put it in a FP due to acidity, caramelisation, solidification, and oils. I was going to leave it there, however it ended up having a sheen/shine that was unexpected so thought it might be of interest to inky recipe makers.

 

It didn't feather on Rhodia at all. It did bleed through but didn't seep on to the next page. It has a certain amount of permanence - wetting the page and rubbing across it with my finger caused an initial light smear but then the paper wore away before the 'ink' did.

 

The ristretto was too fluid really. I put some in a vial and added a xanthan concentrate I use experimentally for viscosity adjustment but it caused a synergistic reaction I've never seen before that turned it into a thick gel. Unexpected. Perhaps acacia might work better to increase viscosity if anyone ever got that curious.

 

edit: forgot to mention that the 'ink' is completely dry in these pics. That's sheeny/shiny dry ink.

 

Here are the pics I posted elsewhere.

Edited March 14, 2015 by Intellidepth

[musicman123]

Very interesting! I accidentally made one of my inks like that by adding (involuntarily) trace amounts of sugar. The ink ended up being sticky to the touch. What about yours?

[Intellidepth]

No added sugar. Didn't feel sticky, or oily, just smooth and firm. Surprising.

[rudyhou]

the color reminds me of Noodler's golden brown, though this one has a much more shading ability.

[EarlGreyTea]

Looks almost gold in the picture- appearance is great!

[Intellidepth]

It is shiny rather than sheeny. Although, I could have added gold luster to it had I thought outside the box, then posted it in the glitter thread .

[Frank C]

So, now I can have my morning cup and fill my pen at the same time. I doubt that coffee is more acidic than some inks. I still would be reluctant to fill a pen with it. I do use Platinum Preppies for ink testing, though—they are disposable fountain pens.

[stevesurf]

I would be very careful with even a fine espresso grind as the brew can precipitate, or form fine solid particles as the temperature lowers.

 

I could see a nibmeister having a puzzled look on his face when he later works on your pen, "somehow I smell coffee here."

Edited June 3, 2015 by stevesurf

[inkstainedruth]

It's too bad that this isn't FP safe. I LOVE the sheen you're getting.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth