• How to make your own ink

    If you want to make your own ink then it is vital that you understand aseptic techniques. Once you know this you can use the following instructions for making your own ink. If you don’t know aseptic technique you will need to learn it from a professional who does.

    You will need the following equipment and material; safety equipment which should include gloves and face mask, dry pigment, vodka, medical grade propylene glyrol, vodka, sterile ink bottles, a blender, and glycerin.

    Steps for making your own ink

    1. Wear latex gloves with a mask and use sterile materials,
    2. First blend a 7/8 quart of vodka with once tablespoon of propylene glycol and one tablespoon of glycerin; blend these together until they are clear.
    3. Add 2 inches of powdered pigment to the blender jar and enough liquid (from what you have blended) to form a slurry.
    4. You will then mix all this on a low speed for a quarter of an hour and after this increase the speed to medium for a further hour. When you have finished you will pour the mixture through a funnel into your ink bottles which are sterilized. If you add a sterilized marble to each of these bottles it can help it mix better.
    5. It is important that you store the mixture away from florescent lighting or sunlight because this can alter the pigments due to ultraviolet light.
    6. Recording the amounts of powdered pigment and liquid you use will keep colors consistent.
    7. You will need to ensure that you use the correct the correct amounts of propylene, glycol, and glycerin.  Too much glycol makes a brittle, hard layer on the top of the ink while too much glycerin makes the ink oily.

    As already mentioned above, you should always buy your inks made unless you are 100% competent with aseptic techniques.

    Useful hints

    Buying dry pigment from a chemical supplier can be difficult so always purchase it from a tattoo retailer. You can use Listerine or witch hazel instead of vodka; a lot of people only use distilled water but this isn’t antibacterial.  Although pigment is not toxic you should still use a mask because the particles can damage your lungs. Never sterilize the pigment with heat because this can make the pigment turn toxic due to chemical changes. You should avoid using methanol or rubbing alcohol.