Saturday, September 5, 2015

An Addendum to Yesterday's Post

My endorsement of Delicata Golden Glitz ink yesterday prompted several questions, so today's post gives a fuller account of the ink and how I use it.





Delicata ink is a pigment ink...and most definitely NOT the fast-drying kind (like Brilliance or VersaColor). For those who haven't used ordinary pigment inks (a common brand is ColorBox), here are a few characteristics you need to know.

1. Pigment inks are thick, creamy, and opaque.

2. They tend to be archival, color-fast, and suitable for scrapbooking.

3. They dry very slowly on porous paper (like Papertrey, Neenah Solar, and such), making them ideal for heat embossing as they stay wet and hold the embossing powder very well.

4. They may NEVER dry on coated or smooth paper (like vellum or Gina K's white card stock or SU's whisper white). And I mean never. Especially the metallics. I've let them sit for weeks on coated papers to dry and still had them smear. They simply must be heat embossed on smooth papers.

5. There are several really cool techniques, for those inclined to techniques, that can only be done with pigment inks and take advantage of their creamy texture, slow drying time, and blendability. I do not do these techniques myself, being generally technique-challenged, but there are surely hundreds of videos on YouTube to help you explore their virtues.


The card I posted yesterday, made with Papertrey's porous white card stock, sat undisturbed for over a day before I checked it and found the Delicata had, indeed, dried. In excessively humid environments, drying time might be even longer. Had I used Brilliance Galaxy Gold, however, the card would have been dry and ready to handle in a manner of minutes. It would not have been quite as golden-glitzy. I keep this drying time in mind when I make the choice of which gold ink to use, and it's nice for my purposes to have both.

I hope this helps you either a) use your Delicata more effectively or b) make a decision about whether you must have one of your own. I love mine, and am willing to wait for it to dry because of its beautiful, bright shimmer. But when I'm rushed, I stick with Brilliance.

Once again, I have demonstrated how we can NEVER have too many ink pads.

Happy stamping!

3 comments:

  1. Love my Delicata Gold! And the Silver!

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  2. That's one of my all time favorite inks! I second that motion - well worth every dime anyone would spend on it! Thanks for sharing Susan! Please come visit us in Seattle, I would so love to stamp with you! Hugs, Audrie

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  3. I have, indeed, had experience with metallics NEVER drying! Thanks for the tips. I should dig mine out and try them on PTI to see if that works. They were a disaster with SU white.

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Thank you so much for taking time to comment!