[Rockhounds] Ink coloring minerals

[Kitty & Bill Heacox]

This isn't very profound, but the clay-rich soils of Hawaii make very 
permanent dyes, as in Red Dirt Shirts
   (  http://www.dirtshirt.com/  ).  I imagine red soil would exist 
in other places, and anyone who has tried to launder such dirt stains 
from clothing would attest to their effective permanence.  Should 
work for ink as well for a rich reddish brown.

Aloha, Kitty

At 10:15 AM 10/4/2007, Larry Rush wrote:
>I have an artist friend who is experimenting with home-made inks. 
>She asked me for mineral samples which she could grind up to provide 
>the coloring agent for these inks. I know the Native Americans used 
>Hematite and Limonite to make "ochres", but the other colors they 
>used for clothing dyes seem all to be organic and plant based. I 
>have also heard of some minerals used for facial decor, such as 
>eye-shadowing and rouge in the Middle Ages. But I couldn't come up 
>with any soluble minerals that could color inks.
>
>Any suggestions?
>
>Thanks....Larry Rush