I have heard of two other cases of biological activity in the generic clear base I use, but that's it -- from all over the world. I strongly suspect it is contaminants, most likely in the distilled water. Be sure that the glycerol is the 99.7% purity glycerol to start with. See my footnote 9 at http://www.paulroark.com/BW-Info/Ink-Mixing.pdf for what I recommend and have used for years with never any sign of biological activity. Note that I do store the chemicals in my "darkroom," but I have two small windows that let in some north light, only covering them when I process film, which is past history. I might also add, relating to the water, that while a use store-bought distilled water (not just "purified" water), a chemist I consulted with did not trust store bought distilled water. She felt the "double-distilled" water was the best.
Paul
On Tue, Sep 18, 2018 at 4:52 PM Sean M Puckett seanmpuckett@gmail.com [DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint] <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
Hi,
I’ve been mixing my own inks for a few years, generally with distilled water, PhotoFlo and glycerine (plus a full strength pigment in the appropriate ratio). Problem I have is mold growth. Glycerine is edible, especially when diluted, and without something to suppress growth, I get cruft in my ink tanks and probably up in my printheads. Usually I can blow it out with patience but I’d rather just have something that doesn’t support life.
Any thoughts on either an additive or replacement for glycerine to get the right viscosity? I’m otherwise very happy with the results.
Thanks.
-s