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Cochineal Purple Ink
Cochineal Purple Ink
Cochineal ink, 1 oz.
Designed for Dip Pen and Quill
Our cochineal ink is made from the dye compound extracted from cochineal insects.
Each batch of ink begins by boiling harvested cochineal insects, to which mixture we add alum to bring out a deep jewel toned purple. After straining we add historic preservatives (thyme and clove oils), and a number of other ingredients historically used to achieve a consistent texture and viscosity. This ink is a deep purple color, lovely and bright. It is relatively lightfast and permanent for a historic colorant.
Historically, cochineal was primarily used as a dye compound for fabrics and fibers. It was used as a pigment and dye by the Aztecs. Before European contact with Aztec culture, the same colorant compound was used in medieval Europe, but it was extracted from a related bug, the kermes insect. Since the kermes insect is currently a threatened species in Europe, cochineal makes an appropriate chemical substitute for medieval inks and pigments. Cochineal was not used in Europe until the Renaissance era, after the Spanish began importing the harvested insects from the New World.
Our historic inks are formulated using period recipes and analysis of period inks. These inks are designed for use with genuine quills and dip pens, NOT fountain pens, as they will not work correctly in fountain pens, and will either corrode or clog (or both) the inner workings of a fountain pen.
As these are made using historic recipes and techniques there will be some variation between each batch; however, the flow of every batch of ink is tuned by hand to give proper behavior from a quill.
Each of our historic inks come in a 1 oz bottle with a screw-top lid that has been dipped in wax to give it a more authentic style.
