Blending Solution Recipe for Alcohol Inks
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Blending solution is a specially formulated medium used to activate alcohol ink in an effort to light, lift or create textures. It is a highly recommended alcohol ink art supply.
Substitution for Blending Solution
If you do not have blending solution, you can use straight 91% isopropyl alcohol and a less expensive alternative OR you can make your own alcohol ink blending solution.
Make your own blending solution for alcohol inks.
For those of you who choose to make your own blending solutions, there are a number of recipes for making your own blending solution. The effectiveness of the solution and the amount of glycerine you need to add can differ depending on where you live and the humidity levels. So you should experiment with what works best for you.
Ingredients:
- 91% Isopropyl alcohol
- Glycerine
Below are some portions that have been known to work.
- Glycerine: 3 drops, 1.5 oz. of 91% alcohol
- Glycerine: 3 drops, 1.5 oz of 91% alcohol
- Glycerine: 3 drops, 2 oz of 91% alcohol
Best choice of blending solution for alcohol inks: Tim Holtz® Adirondack® Blending Solution.
What’s in Adirondack Blending Solution?
The ingredients listed on the bottle of the Adirondack Ranger Alcohol Blending Solution include Ethanol; Glycol Ethers and Isopropanol.
What are Glycol Ethers?
According to Wikipedia, “Glycol ethers are a group of solvents based on alkyl ethers of ethylene glycol or propylene glycol commonly used in paints and cleaners. These solvents typically have a higher boiling point, together with the favorable solvent properties of lower-molecular weight ethers and alcohols.” You understood that, right?
Well I did a little research and learned that what they actually use in the Adirondack blending solution is “propylene glycol methyl ether” which is a chemical compound used in many household items such as paints and inks. It’s not something that you can buy over the counter, although I found that you can purchase it on the web in large quantities. Not really practical for making your own blending solutions.
So, for now, we are stuck with the alternative of purchasing the blending solution or making the alternative solutions using the vegetable glycerine mentioned in the recipe.
