HOMEMADE INK FROM TEA EXTRACT

________________

An Investigatory Project
Presented to
Nanuri International School
Taguanao, Indahag, Cagayan de Oro

________________

In Partial Fulfillment of
The Requirements of Grade 10 Science

____________

ROHAYMA P. PANGANDAMAN
September 2015
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The researcher would like to acknowledge the contributions of more

than a few people who helped in getting this study done. They are
the people who helped and contributed much for the success of this
endeavor. A warm thanks to the parents of the researcher for their
endless support and guidance. Also great thanks to the researchers
friends and classmates who helped. Thank you also to the
researchers teacher, Ms. Diosyjeanne Simyunn for teaching the
fundamental of research and investigatory writing and for showing a
great deal of patience. Most of all, to God who is the creator and
who guided the researcher in doing rightful choice in her investigatory
project. Also for the gift of wisdom, and for answering the
researchers prayers in times of need. Without God and the persons
who are involved in this project, this would not be successful. A
million thanks to all!

ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
. Page

1-2

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

.. 3
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

SCOPE AND LIMITATION

.

CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

5-8
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
9-11
CHAPTER IV RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
.. 11-12
CHAPTER V SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
. 13

CHAPTER VI BIBLIOGRAPHY
.... 14

iii

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION
The very ink with which all history is written is merely fluid
prejudice
Ink is such a tiny word, three letters, but it has played such
a huge part on the stage of world history. The original use for ink
was to draw and paint on the walls of caves a lasting legacy of
prehistoric

man.

However,

its

greatest

impact

was

to

spread

knowledge, in the form of the printed word, long before Johann

Gutenberg invented the printing press in Germany in the mid
fifteenth Century. Ink has been a dye since the dawn of man; early
examples were a mixture of soot from wood smoke and oil,
thickened with gelatin from animal skins and musk. There is no
definitive history of ink, ironic really, when it ink was the medium

used to preserve the archives, and historic records that tell us

much of our past.
Ink is everywhere, though we often do not notice it, it has
been used to print

the labels of the food in the supermarket; it

drips, leaks, splodges, and spurts from the faulty ballpoint pen in
2
your pocket. Yet it has a direct impact on our everyday life, it is not
possible to function without touching ink at least a couple of
hundred times a day.
Fraudulent acts have been come to light because of ink
analysis. Ink is a medium that has changed history, written religious
tracts that have lasted for centuries, it has revolutionized our lives.
It has recorded lives, sometimes accurately, sometimes fraudulently,
Konrad Kujau, master forger, nearly pulled off one of the greatest
frauds of the twentieth Century with his forged Hitler diaries in the
1980s. Not many people even know the composition of ink, it must
be one of the most taken for granted substances, despite its daily
effect on our lives. How would be know which brand of cereal we
were starting the day with, without ink being used to print the
label?

All ink has the same basic task it is pigmentation or colorant

to fill the space between lines, but ink has evolved and there are
more than one type of ink. The contents of ink depend where it
comes from the main types of ink are India, Chinese and Sepia
ink. Ink has a wide range of textures and capacities. Some types of
ink are thin and very watery whilst screen printing ink is very thick.
Despite

the

various

types

and

textures

of

ink,

comprised of two components a vehicle and a colorant.

they

are

all
3

Statement of the Problem

Generally, this investigatory project aims to find out if tea extract

can be used to create an ink. Specifically, it aims to answer the
following questions:

1. Can vinegar

strengthen

the

color

of

the

product, ink?

2. Can cornstarch contribute to achieving the right consistency of the

ink?
3. Are the processes boiling and straining efficient in taking the
extract out of the tea bags?
Significance of the Study

This investigatory project will help the community by producing

an

alternative

for

other

inks.

These

other

manufactured

inks

nowadays come quite expensive prices, but since the materials to

be used in this project are common and easy to find and spends
less money. Also, no harmful chemicals will be used in making the
ink. Therefore, it is non-toxic compared to commercially sold inks
which have the tendencies of causing harm to ones health and to
the environment.

Purpose of the Study

This research is being done to find out the potency of the
extract of the leaves from the plant Camellis sinensis as an ink.
Nowadays, ink is a pigment in a liquid or paste form used as
colorants and dyes. Also, they are becoming more and more
expensive because of their increasing purposes.
This research aims to produce this ink as a cheaper alternative
to those commercial ones. Compared to the ink we are aiming to
create, commercially produced inks are toxic and can be hazardous
to a persons health once there is an inappropriate contact with it. To
match with the color and consistency of other inks, we will be

adding other substances, specially vinegar and cornstarch, which are

common and easy to find.

The research and experiments are only limited to making a

simple ink as a colorant. It does not include inks that are used in
machines such as printers, copiers, etc. Also, this study includes the
effects of vinegar and cornstarch on the product. To have accurate
Scope
and Limitation
observations,
the researcher created two

set-ups:

an

ink

without

vinegar and cornstarch and one with vinegar and cornstarch.

CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Making Ink out of Charcoal
Charcoal, one of the earliest known forms of ink, was used as
early as 3,500 BC. The first of its use was documented in the
continent of Europe. It may be a primitive to these modern times
but still very useable for those who want to try it . The recipe of
making

it however is similar to those inks made by ancient

civilizations such as the ink used by the Ancient Egyptians. This

study is made to make charcoal ink as a statement to the increase
of those in the Philippines who are experiencing poverty. Since the
materials being used was very cheap and easy to acquire and this

will help make a substitute for pens and other writing materials. The
procedure itself is also very basic and is moderately easy to make
as

long

as

the

guidelines

is

followed

correctly

to

provide

satisfying ink. According to UKAgriculture.com, people

have

making

because

burns

and
cleanly

using charcoal

since

and efficiently.

about 3,500 BC

Charcoal

has many

been
it

uses, from

smelting copper to making ink. (Dulfo, Ortega and Gaspacho et. al,
2008)

6
Alugbati Seeds Juice as Marker Ink
The main objective of the researcher is to make a unique and
extraordinary experiment that will discover new knowledge about the
uses of different substance which has not been known useful. In
making

this

one-of-a-kind

experiment,

different

minds,

skills,

knowledge and efforts combined to produce the product. This product

will benefit each and every individual in different way and uses. The
researchers chose to make ink in order to supply ink due to
scarcity of inks of markers. And also to save a lot of money for its
cheaper than the usual ink which is being sold in the market and it

is safer for the substance used in making the ink is not chemical
unlike those in markets with chemicals on it. The researcher come
up with a plan of making Alugbati ink as a substitute for the
scarcity of supply on ink in todays society. (Almonte, P. Atienza and
Miranda et. al, 2008)

7
India Ink
India ink (or Indian ink in British English) is a simple black ink
once widely used for writing and printing and now more commonly
used for drawing, especially when inking comic books and comic
strips. India ink is also used in medical applications. (Wikipedia).
India ink has been in use in India since at least the 4 th century
BC, where it was called masi, an admixture of several substances.
Indian documents written in Kharoshi with this ink have been
unearthed in as far as Xinjiang, China. The practice of writing with
ink and

sharp-pointed needle in Tamil

and

other Dravidian

languages was common practice since antiquity in South India, and

so several ancient Buddhist and Jain scripts in India were compiled

in ink. In India, the carbon black from which India ink is formulated
was obtained indigenously by burning bones, tar, pitch and other
substances. (Dr. Bombay P. et. al ,2007)
The Potential of Banana Sap Dye
A study was carried out to explore the potential of banana sap
as a dye for the Adinkra industy in Ghana. Pseudostem extract of
banana and stem bark extract of Brideliamicratha were compared as
dyeing stuff. A consumer preference study was also conducted to
assess the acceptability of the products developed. The results
revealed that a combination of banana sap and B. micratha dye
ensures a high levelness on fabrics. It also

showed that banana

sap could serve as a good mordant. The result on consumer

acceptability showed that produce from
sap and 50% of B.
manufacturersThe

micratha

50% by volume of banana

recorded a good

acceptance by

sensivity of browning differs between

cultivars

(Jayaraman, et al.., 1983). It is a common phenomenon to get your

dress stained with banana sap when your work on the plantation.
The stain is often permanent and cannot be removed by any
detergent or soap. It is evident that the staining does not often
appear but becomes conspicuous when the fabric is washed with
water. This characteristic shows that the sap has the potential as a

dyestuff. As dyestuff, the molecule of banana sap is able to adhere

to cloth that makes it stain very well. The use of banana sap as a
cloth dye is eco-friendly. Nowadays, people are consiuosly concern
about their health and the environment, so they require safe and
healthy product (Ali et al, 2008). With the use of synthetic dyes, during
hydrolysis

or

redox

reduction,

some

arylamine

compounds,

carcinogic or allergic to human beings are released (Bhattacharya, et

al 1992)
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY
Materials:
7 teabags
1 cups of water
1 tablespoon of vinegar
cup Cornstarch
Strainer and fork
Bottle

Procedure:

Place the 7 teabags in 1 cups of boiling water.

Create the tea for 6-8 minutes

Remove the teabags from the boiling water. Use a strainer and a

fork to remove all the extracts.

While stirring the tea, add a tablespoon of vinegar.
Continue to stir it. Add as much dissolved cornstarch as you need

to have your desired consistency.

Remove it from the heat and let it cool. When done, store in a
bottle
Result of Set-up A

10

Figure 1

Set-Up B
Controlled Set-up
Materials:
7 teabags
1 cups of water
1 tablespoon of vinegar
cup cornstarch

 Strainer and fork

Bottle
PROCEDURE

Place the 7 teabags in 1 cups of boiling water.

11
Create the tea for 6-8 minutes
Remove the teabags from the boiling water. Use a strainer and a

fork to remove all the extracts.

Remove it from the heat and let it cool. When done, store in a
bottle.

Result of Set-up B

Figure 2

CHAPTER IV: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

During the procedure itself, the researcher observed that the
boiling

is

an

effective

process

of

extraction.

Right

after

the

researcher has placed the teabags in the boiling water, the change
of color is very noticeable. During this step the mixture had a very

strong smell form the tea. While following the procedures for the
set-up A which included the placing of vinegar, there was no
immediate change in color as expected. Instead, the vinegars effect
12
was seen when the researcher tried to paint the two Inks on paper.
While applying the ink on paper, it was harder to use Ink B
because its consistency was very watery. Thus it became runny
and scattered unlike ink A.
After letting them dry, it was seen that ink A had darker color
while ink Bs writings faded. The addition of vinegar and cornstarch
in making an ink can result to a thicker consistency and consistent
color which is better for the usage of the ink. The observation prove
that adding vinegar to the mixture can be made into an ink because
without the vinegar there would be no consistency on the mixture
and it will be less seen.
Results

Figure 3

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CHAPTER V: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
There are many different kinds of ink. In our experiments we
will use tea bags as the main component of ink. Having two
different set-ups will provide the chance to compare the colors and
consistencies. Cornstarch is an efficient additive to have the right
consistency of the product. Vinegar is also efficient, though there is
no obvious change in color, it was seen that it gave the ink a
consistent color whether were dry.
It is therefore concluded the one can create an improvised ink
using the extract from tea bags. This will be very convenient and
cheap because the ingredients to be used are commonly found
around the house. Also, the said processes, boiling and straining,
are can be easily done.

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CHAPTER VI: BIBLIOGRAPHY
Almonte, P. Atienza and Miranda et. al, 2008 Alugbati ink as substitute
for the scarcity supply on ink in todays society
Bhattacharya, et al 1992- The use of synthetic dyes, during hydrolysis
Dr. Bombay P. et. al ,2007- India ink has been in use in India since at
least the 4th centur BC
Dulfo, Ortega and Gaspacho et. al, 2008- Charcoal

has many

uses,

from smelting copper to making ink.

Jayaraman, et al.., 1983- Analysis of banana sap using (HPLC-ESI-MS)
indicated the presence of phenolic and aromatic compounds
Wikipedia- India ink