Konrad constantly improves his inks and systematically introduces minor changes to their recipe, but the basics of it has not changed significantly. A while back, i published a post describing my experiences with iron gall ink and how one specific ink ate a pen and a spare nib. So in case it wasnt clear by now, iron gall ink is a freakyold recipe. It also modifies the viscosity, and therefore the flow of the ink from the writing instrument. No matter what youre looking for or where you are in the world, our global marketplace of sellers can help you find unique and affordable options. Iron gall ink damage to a medieval illuminated manuscript as a historian, i find iron gall inks both fascinating, and worrying. Iron gall inks have a long history as they were the most commonly used inks in medieval europe and remain popular to this day.
Old world iron gall ink 2 oz, black a very black iron gall ink. It was easily made at home and it was permanent, which explains its popularity. Making iron gall ink sca college of arms on the web. Good for work that will be reproduced as it is quite dark. Etsy is the home to thousands of handmade, vintage, and oneofakind products and gifts related to your search. If you dont leave the ink in the pen long and certainly not long enough to dry, you wont have any problems with most iron gall inks including traditional essri and. Lamy 2000, any twsbi, parker sonnet, etc and keep them away from pens much harder to dissemble eg. Iron oak gall ink was used for hundreds of years until modern archival inks arrived.
Its the darkest black color ive ever seen it looks like black soot on paper. This ink is made from recipes dating back hundreds of years, using all natural ingredients. Pdf analysis of the current research into the chemistry. This binder was used very early in iron gall ink manufacture. A historical form of ink dating back to the roman empire, iron gall inks offer great water resistance and dramatic shading.
Because old world is an iron gall ink, it is very acidic. The result is that blue litmus paper turned red only for the second ink. Light in color when it was applied, the ink darkened as it oxidized to an intense purplish black. Historically, scribes made this ink by extracting tannic acid from oak galls caused by gall wasp larvae on trees, mixing it with iron sulphate and binding it with gum arabic there are variations on this recipe. After a few weeks or so the ink will considerably darken,and a black precipitate of the ink will collect in the bottle. There are many recipes for this ink and many laws the scribe. Another way to apply ink to a writing surface is the use of a quill pen. Brown, 57, 73 various other sources such as pomegranate rinds, horse chestnuts, hemlock and pine bark, can be used, but they will yield less durable green toned ink, rather than the characteristic blue black of high quality iron gall inks. Prior to the 20th century, iron gall ink igi was the most common ink in the western world and a plethora of recipes from which to produce the dark, permanent ink can be found starting from the middle ages. Iron gall ig ink has been around in some form or fashion for about 2,000 years, and it has been widely used since about the fifth century. It is a watersoluble ink made by blending ingredients derived from plants such as tea leaves wtih iron.
But theres something to be said for the artistic variety and richness of the shades of irongall ink and how it has oxidized with time. Making the invisible visible repairs on iron gall ink. The oak galls contain galllotannic and gallic acids which were extracted by soaking the galls in water or. It was the standard ink formulation used in europe for the fourteenhundredyear period between the 5th and 19th centuries, remained in widespread use well into the 20th century, and is still sold today. Ig is a permanent ink made from combining iron salts with tannic acid often extracted from oak galls. To start off, most recipes call for vinegar to dissolve the ferrous iron in. Page 1 of 2 how to make iron gall ink posted in inky recipes. I dont do calligraphy and is my first and only iron gall ink. However, iron gall ink is unstable and can corrode over time, resulting in a weakening of the paper sheet and the formation of cracks and holes.
The observed bands have been ascribed to iron gall ink peaks at 558 and 1485 cm. If you havent read it, id recommend doing so before reading this post. It penetrates the paper and solidifies due to oxidation. The historical recipes have three basic ingredients in common. Kwz inks iron gall inks are manufactured by hand in poland. I would only put iron gall ink in a pen whose nib unit can be easily taken apart for cleaning eg. Ive been a fountain pen user since 1986 and recently acquired a dip pen a couple of weeks ago. Heck, the dead sea scrolls were written with iron gall ink. Old world iron gall ink is a handcrafted rich black ink prefect for copperplate, spencerian or other calligraphy arts.
Iron gall ink was a versatile black ink, more permanent than carbon ink, which was used for centuries but which can cause severe paper degradation including haloing, strikethough and. Discover the unique items that hugoswritingsupplies creates. At etsy, we pride ourselves on our global community of sellers. The declaration of independence and the hand of time.
Once these areas develop cracks, they become highly sensitive to further mechanical damage. He would have dipped his quill pen into iron gall ink, the kind typically used in matlacks day. Iron gall ink also known as common ink, standard ink, oak gall ink or iron gall nut ink is a purpleblack or brownblack ink made from iron salts and tannic acids from vegetable sources. Im about to be experimenting with iron gall ink, and i have so many questions relates to so many aspects of it. It binds the ink at the paper surface, producing a greater brilliance and deeper color. Its only made from a few relatively inexpensive ingredients but if made in the wrong proportions it can cause a lot of damage to paper or parchment substrates. Iron gall ink was the standard writing and drawing ink in europe from the 5 th century to the 19 th century, and was still used in the 20 th century. Iron gall ink, the kind typically used in matlacks day, included tannic acid from oak galls, iron from nails or iron scraps, a binder often gum arabic, and sometimes a colorant. This is the same ink used to sign the declaration of independence and to. Last week the graduate book students learned how to make iron gall ink, a common writing ink from the middle ages through the 20th century. Iron gall ink was in popular use from about the 12th century up until new technologies made it obsolete in the 19th century. When first applied the ink is a light brown or sepia color, but as it dries it turns purplishblack. Its a solid performer on all types of paper ive tried it with even cheap copy paper. Iron gall ink corrosion is the result of two different degradation processes that interact and feed off each other.
Recently we tried making iron gall inks iron gall ink is produced by the reaction of tannic acid extracted from galls, a type of growth on trees especially oak, with ferrous sulphate feso 4 this ink has been the most common type in the western world from the 9 th century until the 20 th century, but a lot of historical manuscripts written with this ink suffered. Iron gall ink is found on manuscripts, music scores, drawings, letters, maps, and official documents such as wills, bookkeeping records, logs, real estate. The ingredients list for iron gall ink is therefore fittingly mysterioussounding. Old world ink is simply the best calligraphy ink you can buy. Iron gall inks are made from iron salts and tannic acids from plants. It was a big hit at iampeth and is highly recommended by michael sull as a dense black ink for pointed pen work. By supporting hugoswritingsupplies, youre supporting a small business, and, in turn, etsy. The canadian conservation institute is pleased to host the iron gall ink. Mccafferys ink due to the chemical nature of irongall ink,mccafferys black ink will actually appear as a greyblack or greyblue when used from a new bottle. Each etsy seller helps contribute to a global marketplace of creative goods. Water, oak gall nut, gum arabic, soot, logwood, copper sulfate or iron sulfate. So i guess the dubious ink weather has not irongall or has little quantity. The coloring strength of iron gall ink was high and it had, depending on its manufacture, a deep blueblack, velvety tone. Iron gall ink is now enjoying something of a calligraphic revival, but recipes can vary considerably.
See more ideas about ink, iron and medieval manuscript. So there must be, and are, several factors coming together to cause the problem, it isnt just the ink. It was the traditional ink used by master penmen during the american golden age of ornamental penmanship circa 1850 1930 and was an essential medium in the copy print process invented by james watt of steam engine fame. The recipe kwz pronounced ka veh zeh ink uses to produce iron gall was developed in the first half of 20. Montblanc 146, parker 51, etc its mostly for peace of mind. Ultimately, this leads to loss of valuable fragments. These galls can then be harvested, soaked in water and mixed with iron salts to produce a fine ink. Using a dip pen, paint brush, or quill pen and some paper perhaps in your handsewn book. Once applied to paper, the iron in the ink begins to oxidize, making the ink darker and impossible to. Irongall ink was used for about 1400 years and only lost favor in the mid 1800s when india ink replaced it because it was cheaper and easier to make and produced a more consistent, longer lasting black. The quality of ink is perhaps the main reasons a scroll will last 2,000 years or 100 years. Old world style iron gall ink by hugoswritingsupplies on etsy.
In the last 20 years or so, a tremendous amount of resources and research has been poured into understanding and treating iron gall ink corrosion. The main ingredients for ink acceptable in writing torah scrolls and other articles that have the same standard are. The range of objects that contain iron gall ink is enormous. This method was popular until the 19th century but has its roots back in the 6th century. Oak galls are large, round growths commonly found on many species of oak trees. Old world iron gall is a very black ink for pointed pen work. How to make iron gall ink inky recipes the fountain. Iron gall ink was made from, well, oak galls galls being, according to uni of kentucky entomologists, irregular plant growths which are stimulated by the reaction between plant hormones and powerful growth regulating chemicals produced by some insects. Daniel smith walnut ink mccafferys ink mccaffery penmans black ink 4oz mccaffery glossy black ink 4oz old world iron gall ink 2 oz, black walnut ink jar walnut ink crystals, 1 oz walnut ink crystals, 2 oz walnut ink crystals, 4 oz walnut ink crystals, 8 oz walnut ink crystals, 16 oz walnut drawing ink, 2.
Jetpens is accepting and shipping us orders, but due to covid19, free shipping is not available. This is going to be a long, photoheavy article, so im not going to rehash the initial story, which has proven to be really popular. I know this is a subject of controversy surrounding many inks and as a newbie, so far i have not owned any iron gall inks i dont use black ink. It beats all my fountain pen inks in terms of quality. This advanced professional development apd workshop will incorporate 20 years of international research in the chemistry, degradation and treatment of metallogallic inks and use this research as the basis for. Testing for irongall inks chemistry stack exchange. In an ink it functions as a suspension agent for the insoluble pigment particles. The constitution of the united states was drafted with it. In medieval europe, ink was used to write on parchment. Historic manuscripts and drawings made with iron gall ink on paper often contain weak areas caused by local corrosive action of the ink.
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