Oak Gall Ink
Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2023 11:05 am
With the recent Middle Earth Missive I had an excuse to dig out the jar of ink I made a few years back (as well as a couple of other fun projects that predate my joining this forum) and I thought maybe my recipe for traditional ink may be of use to someone.
Oak Gall ink was used to write nearly all those medieval manuscripts and for nearly a thousand years it was the only thing used to record British law..... Oh, and for those of you 'Over There' your Declaration of Independence was written in it
It is a purple/blue black when fresh and only gets darker as it oxidises..... Until its sat on a parchment for a few centuries where it becomes a nut brown fading to a milky tea colour over the next millennium or so.
There are many ways of making this ink, but this is how I did it. Most of the modern recipes seem to use iron sulphate or iron dissolved with a weak acid (vinegar or lemon juice) but mine uses Iron water which I think is less likely to damage your paper or parchment (and can also be used to stain oak or oak-tan leather a strong colour-fast black).
You will need:
Three lidded jars, at least two roughly the same size. The third is for storing the finished ink, although you could use a bottle you would then need a funnel that you don't mind staining.
Boiling vessel , an old saucepan or large tin (and a pot lifter or pair of pliers to move it when hot) that holds twice the volume of one of your jars.
Heat source for boiling the mixtures
Fine filter, cheese cloth, t shirt or coffee filter...... Nothing you want to keep
Morter & Pestle or some other way to grind/crush the Galls
A handful of rusty steel/iron things, nails, nuts & bolts, wire-wool or WHY.
A large or double handful of oak galls, traditionally Marble Galls, but any should do.
Gum Arabic about a ounce.
Water you want as few contaminants as possible, so rain water or from a natural source rather than tap water or (at least for the Galls) from a steel cistern.
Time at least a week or two, Iron water is a slow process....... I try to keep a jar on the go as I use it for other things
Ok, first of all we're going to get the mixtures steeping.
Take your rusty iron and put it in one jar, cover with clean water stick the lid on and put somewhere warmish that you'll go near at least daily.
Every time you go past, pick the jar up and shake it a bit. At some point you'll get a black or orange sludge forming, this is what you want.
At some point after starting the Iron Water. Crush your Galls and dump them into your boiling vessel, cover with twice as much water to fill the other jar and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and simmer until reduced by half, allow to cool and pour the whole lot into the second jar. Put the lid on and put it next to the Iron water jar, shake them both from here on.
When your Iron water looks utterly foul, strain the Gall mixture into your boiling vessel and place on heat. then add just the liquid (sludge included) from the Iron water jar (you could now refill that jar with fresh water like I do if you want)
Bring to the boil, simmer and reduce by at least half (more then that is better) and allow to cool until you can't quite touch the outside of the vessel (if you go too far just reheat it).
Now strain into the clean jar (bottle or WHY) and add the Gum Arabic, lid on tight and it shake well.
Test to see how strong the ink is, it should be a fairly opaque and the Gum Arabic will make it slightly sticky.
Be Warned, it will stain skin, cloth and pretty much anything it comes into contact with
It works well with a quill or metal nib pens and can be used as a wash on impermeable surfaces to bring out fine engraving (such as scrimshaw )
Shake the jar before use as it can separate over time
Oak Gall ink was used to write nearly all those medieval manuscripts and for nearly a thousand years it was the only thing used to record British law..... Oh, and for those of you 'Over There' your Declaration of Independence was written in it
It is a purple/blue black when fresh and only gets darker as it oxidises..... Until its sat on a parchment for a few centuries where it becomes a nut brown fading to a milky tea colour over the next millennium or so.
There are many ways of making this ink, but this is how I did it. Most of the modern recipes seem to use iron sulphate or iron dissolved with a weak acid (vinegar or lemon juice) but mine uses Iron water which I think is less likely to damage your paper or parchment (and can also be used to stain oak or oak-tan leather a strong colour-fast black).
You will need:
Three lidded jars, at least two roughly the same size. The third is for storing the finished ink, although you could use a bottle you would then need a funnel that you don't mind staining.
Boiling vessel , an old saucepan or large tin (and a pot lifter or pair of pliers to move it when hot) that holds twice the volume of one of your jars.
Heat source for boiling the mixtures
Fine filter, cheese cloth, t shirt or coffee filter...... Nothing you want to keep
Morter & Pestle or some other way to grind/crush the Galls
A handful of rusty steel/iron things, nails, nuts & bolts, wire-wool or WHY.
A large or double handful of oak galls, traditionally Marble Galls, but any should do.
Gum Arabic about a ounce.
Water you want as few contaminants as possible, so rain water or from a natural source rather than tap water or (at least for the Galls) from a steel cistern.
Time at least a week or two, Iron water is a slow process....... I try to keep a jar on the go as I use it for other things
Ok, first of all we're going to get the mixtures steeping.
Take your rusty iron and put it in one jar, cover with clean water stick the lid on and put somewhere warmish that you'll go near at least daily.
Every time you go past, pick the jar up and shake it a bit. At some point you'll get a black or orange sludge forming, this is what you want.
At some point after starting the Iron Water. Crush your Galls and dump them into your boiling vessel, cover with twice as much water to fill the other jar and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and simmer until reduced by half, allow to cool and pour the whole lot into the second jar. Put the lid on and put it next to the Iron water jar, shake them both from here on.
When your Iron water looks utterly foul, strain the Gall mixture into your boiling vessel and place on heat. then add just the liquid (sludge included) from the Iron water jar (you could now refill that jar with fresh water like I do if you want)
Bring to the boil, simmer and reduce by at least half (more then that is better) and allow to cool until you can't quite touch the outside of the vessel (if you go too far just reheat it).
Now strain into the clean jar (bottle or WHY) and add the Gum Arabic, lid on tight and it shake well.
Test to see how strong the ink is, it should be a fairly opaque and the Gum Arabic will make it slightly sticky.
Be Warned, it will stain skin, cloth and pretty much anything it comes into contact with
It works well with a quill or metal nib pens and can be used as a wash on impermeable surfaces to bring out fine engraving (such as scrimshaw )
Shake the jar before use as it can separate over time
