Forty Centuries of Ink: Or, A chronological narrative concerning ink and its backgrounds, introducing incidental observations and deductions, parallels of time and color phenomena, bibliography, chemistry, poetical effusions, citations, anecdotes and curiosa together with some evidence respecting the evanescent character of most inks of to-day and an epitome of chemico-legal ink.Carvalho, David Nunes
History
Forty Centuries of Ink: Or, A chronological narrative concerning ink and its backgrounds, introducing incidental observations and deductions, parallels of time and color phenomena, bibliography, chemistry, poetical effusions, citations, anecdotes and curiosa together with some evidence respecting the evanescent character of most inks of to-day and an epitome of chemico-legal ink.
Carvalho, David Nunes
Ink
The "Arnold" brand of inks possesses a worldwide
reputation, although not always known by that
name, beginning A. D. 1724 under the style of R.
Ford, and continuing until 1772, when the firm name
was changed to William Green & Co. In 1809 it became
J. & J. Arnold, who were succeeded in 1814 by
Pichard and John Arnold, the firm name by which it
is known at the present day. This last named concern
located at 59 Barbican, on the site of the old
City Hall in London, and later moved to their present
address, No. 155 Aldersgate street. The inks made
by the "fathers" of the firm were "gall" inks WITHOUT
"added" color. At the commencement of the nineteenth
century we find them making tanno-gallate of
iron inks to which were added extractive matter from
logwood and other materials to form thick fluids for
shipment to Brazil, India and the countries where
brushes or reeds were used as writing instruments.
For the more civilized portions of the world similar
inks but of an increased fluidity were supplied, that
the quill pens might be employed. The demands for
still more fluid inks which would permit the use of
steel pens, resulted in the modern blue-black chemical
writing fluid, the "added" blue portion being
indigo in some form. It was first put on the market
in 1830. They manufacture over thirty varieties of
ink, but only one real "gall" ink without "added" color.
In the early part of May, 1824, Thaddeus Davids
started his ink factory at No. 222 William street,
New York City. His first and best effort was a
strictly pure tanno-gallate of iron ink, which he
placed on the market in 1827 under the name of
"Steel Pen Ink," guaranteed to write black and to
possess "record" qualities. In 1833 he made innovations
following the lines laid down by Arnold and
also commenced the manufacture of a chemical writing
fluid, with indigo for "added" color. Many
more "added" colors were employed at different
periods, like logwood and fustic, with the incorporation
of sugar, glucose, etc. In the early fifties the
cheap grades of logwood ink after the formula of
Runge (1848) and which cost about four cents per
gallon was marketed, principally for school purposes;
it was never satisfactory, becoming thick and "color
fading." Mr. Davids made many experiments with
"alizarin" inks in the early sixties but did not
consider them valuable enough to put on the market.
In 1875 the firm introduced violet ink made from the
aniline color of that name. Experimentations in 1878
with the insoluble aniline blacks and vanadium were
unsuccessful; but the soluble aniline black (blue-
black) known as nigrosine they used and still use in
various combinations. During this long period their
establishments have been in different locations. From
No. 222 William street it was changed to Eighth
street, with the office at No. 26 Cliff street. In 1854
the works were removed to New Rochelle, Westchester
county, N. Y. In 1856 the firm name was
Thaddeus Davids and Co., Mr. George Davids having
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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