Hello,
Unless there is a film or standing water on the wood's surface, in ice or liquid form ok, to be clear, the viscosity of the ink can be altered to suit different conditions - a little more, a little less water in the ink pot increase or decrease the relative concentration of ink. And the wetter the wood the more care/skill needed. I mean, on good dry wood I can work relatively carelessly but with wetter wood I am sure to lift the edge of the square off the wood so it won't draw the ink and smear the line and I'll pull the pen more slowly with more pressure. Ok let it be understood that is within certain boundaries. If you were to mark on iced wood common sense tells us that the ink will run once the ice begins to melt - Green wood in and of itself, sawn, newly planed surface or planed, doesn't make the dipped ink pen less effective. And whether the wood is ring porous or ring defuse would also be considered in mixing the ink but neither would preclude its use.
I will just repeat, what for me has been another plus, that since and when I use this method there is always a little additional pause to rethink before making any line.
I have sought, even on this forum, a recipe for making the ink myself and have experimented with water, pigment and rabbit glue, but not with success till now. I can get the flake sent here and its cheap and keeps indefinitely. I also use one with no glue that is less indelible.
The wood from the picture was for an inside project but we should probably not discuss further the quality of native softwoods available here. If you want to discuss elm I'm willing...
You know there are other refinements to the basic technique I describe to deal with smearing and tippages and things, I'm just being a bit primitive here at this point.
Greetings,
Don Wagstaff
