Help please!! Which ink to use in scrimshaw????

[canislatrans54]

This question is for anyone who has any knowledge about doing scrimshaw work.

I am in the process of doing some scrimshaw on a cow horn howler.
Always before, any time that I did engraving on a call, I either filled in the engraving lines with paint, or left it "natural".

However, on this particular horn, the engraving is more like scrimshaw (smaller/thinner lines), with more detail than my normal work.

That being the case, I am wanting to use ink, instead of paint, for the line filling.
But I don't know what to use.
Can I use a good quality ball point pen (with black ink)?

Or should I go to the local Hobby Lobby store, & see about buying a small bottle of ink, & something to place it into the lines with.

{I'm really NOT wanting to just pour ink everywhere, and wipe the excess off. With the paint, I just sand away the excess after allowing it plenty of curing time. But, this is an off-white horn, and I am afraid that the excess ink will soak into the horn to quickly...even if I immediately wipe it off...and will stain the horn in places that I don't want it to.}

Any and all help/suggestions will be greatly appreciated!!!!!!!!!!

 

[catwhacker]

Will, I know a couple of guys that do scrimshaw work and they rub over the lines with a no.2 lead pencil. Then they would just wet there thumb and go over the work. Always seemed to work well.

 

[Alaskan Yoter]

India Ink, color of your choice. It's what scrim'rs I know, use.

 

[canislatrans54]

Thanks

 

[John243]

I did some art on a powder horn polished it first a then scratched my name a bear and a buck on it and then wiped Indian ink on and the ink only stuck in the scratch marks.