Sealing India Ink finish

[Dengue]

Wanting to make a black piece of timber for a lid, I found Speedball India Ink to give the darkest finish. But it is not suitable as an unprotected finish. Tends to wash off when applying shellac.

Can anyone please suggest a good way of sealing or “fixing” this India Ink coating to make it strong and suitable as a finish?

[jack620]

When I restored my gramophone I used spirit stains to correct the colour of the faded areas. I ended up spraying super blonde shellac onto it with an airbrush. It worked well.

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

I know that historically shellac was occasionally mixed with India Ink as a binder to give a more durable finish... but I have no idea about proportions.

It has me wondering if perhaps you could make a dark wash with shellac/ink and apply that over the inked surface as a sealer, then untinted shallac over that for protective coats.

Got scraps to experiment on?

[Dengue]

Thanks SD, I have a small scrap of the timber I am using, so will give it a go. Just discovered the India Ink I am using is shellac based, so that should mix OK with shellac