Hello,

Tim, I would have loved to answer your question, before it became a hostile attack, as far as my experience overlapped your demanding qualifications. I guess now you, or others will have to just give it a go to see how it suits your work. But my meaning was actually that over time and in various outdoor conditions these lines are relatively durable, i.e. they don't wash away, they don't fade and they don't rub off.

Maybe that's one drawback or maybe it is an extra incentive to think clearly before putting ink to wood.

Greetings,

Don Wagstaff

Don, I was not being hostile, only clarifying my lackluster question. As far as not paying attention I did not ask how it held up to the weather, I gleaned that from your post. So please don't dissolve this opportunity for learning. Jim's post limited my question only to green wood, it was meant to encompass all wet wood, green included. We don't always have dry wood to work with.

Is this ink home made?

And the photo, that is a lot of sap wood hope it is an interior piece. a fast growing pine?

We all process differently, one reason I only use pencil and even then make mistakes that are a little regrettable. Scribbled out lines, hand planed at times to wash away any traces of confusion, even feeble attempts with big erasers. I sometimes amaze myself with my results, I think "wow, that was close". As and example, while sitting on the boring machine and clarity came, I end up with some heavy chisel marks(end of mortices) and one half bored hole. I could have finished the whole thing, but stop. I have seen my share of finished but unused mortices. Part of the art is the ability to over come this in creative ways.

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

Have you tried walnut ink? A strong ink can be made by soaking walnut husks, and then cooking down that water until thick. There may be more to it that that, but as I understand it walnut ink is pretty easy to make and more or less fool proof.

Then there is iron gall ink, a little more challenging to make, and probably not worth the extra efforts as its benefits over walnut ink are not a factor when marking joints (it is more stable in color, and is black instead of intensely dark brown)

But the question is, is European walnut suitable for ink? I'm not so sure it is...

Walnut ink is cool to make and use, but IIRC from my time in art school it faded quickly when left if sunlight. Maybe not a bad thing...

add rusty nails to the mixture, and the tanins from the walnut will react wit the iron and enrich the ink, also making it bolder.

All this sounds very complicated. Home made ink with walnuts and rusty nails...lol
I think I will stick to pencils. As far as keeping them sharp, there are an abundance of sharp tools laying about to keen the edge when required.

Thane

Complicated? Not at all.

Greetings,

Don Wagstaff

When I started marking the timbers with an awl I experienced a change in attitude about layout, I felt everything was more specific and had more focus and commitment with every stroke. I also felt I was acting in closer agreement with tradition since old frames in my area were marked with awls and cutting gauges. I liked the fact that striking lines left witness to the process of layout and over strikes and mistakes became "part of the story" in the words of Rudy Christian. I ink the marks only after checking, so nothing gets cut without ink and checking.

Well said Roger and I respect everyone's methods of marking. I was only thinking of the future generations 100 years from now. Pencil marks left on my frames will let them know that it was made at a much later time period then the frames with the knife marks. I'm only thinking of the future people by not confusing them.