Digital BW, The Print

TEA is cited in Epson ink patents as a suitable pH modifier both by
itself and in conjunction with or substituted by others such as
metallic and ammonium hydroxides. It's generally referenced as under
1% by weight total. 

Regards
Duane



--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "pr_roark"
<pr_roark@...> wrote:
>
> 
> My reading indicates that electrostatically stabilized pigment
> dispersion approaches are pH sensitive.  That is, if the pH is off too
> much, the pigments may not stay suspended as well.  I believe this form
> of stabilization approach is used by Eboni (some speculation here) and
> the HP Vivera pigments (HP in combination with steric stabilization).
> 
> My cheap new pH meter indicates that Eboni and HP Grey inks are close to
> pH 8 (HP perhaps a bit above and Eboni just below).  The bases I most
> often use today are closer to pH 6, if not a bit less. I think that
> increasing the pH of the base we use to dilute the carbon inks might
> improve the ink mixes we make.
> 
> Triethanolamine (often referred to as TEA) is, according to Wikipedia,
> often used as a "pH balancer in cosmetic preparations in a variety of
> different products - ranging from skin lotion, eye gels, moisturizers,
> shampoos, shaving foams etc."  The HP Vivera MSDSs disclose that it is
> used in them.
> 
> TEA has been used for some time in photographic applications and is
> available at Photographers' Formulary.  See
>
http://www.photoformulary.com/DesktopModules/StoreProductDetails.aspx?pr\
>
oductID=588&tabid=0&tabindex=0&categoryid=0&selection=0&langId=0&Search=\
> triethanolamine
>
<http://www.photoformulary.com/DesktopModules/StoreProductDetails.aspx?p\
>
roductID=588&tabid=0&tabindex=0&categoryid=0&selection=0&langId=0&Search\
> =triethanolamine>
> 
> Just a few drops of TEA in 10 grams of C6 base
> (http://www.paulroark.com/BW-Info/Ink-Mixing.pdf
> <http://www.paulroark.com/BW-Info/Ink-Mixing.pdf> ) takes the pH up to
> 8.  Cheap Litmus paper makes it easy to mix and measure, slowly, until
> the pH test strip indicates that pH 8 has been reached.
> 
> TEA might be a contender for the next ink mixing base.
> 
> (Again, I'm not a trained chemist, and all comments are most welcomed.)
> 
> Paul
> 
> www.PaulRoark.com <http://www.PaulRoark.com>
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>