Iron Gall Ink

Lila Goldenberg and Olivia Clemens
Date and Time:

2016.April.11, 2:30pm

Location: Chandler 260
Subject:Production of Iron Gall Ink

Background

Iron Gall ink was the standard ink used in Europe from the 5th to 19th centuries. It's two central components are tannic acid and iron sulfate. Gall nuts were the most common source of tannic acid because they had the highest concentration of the compound; however, the compound can be found in smaller quantities in other nuts, pomegranates, and wine. Gall nuts (also referred to as oak apples) are the large nut-like wound created around wasp larvae in Oaks. Iron Sulfate (also known as green vitriol) was sourced from mines and thus required trade with relatively industrial portions of Europe. The ingredients when mixed in a liquid (water, vinegar, or wine) form a compound which is water soluble and thus can penetrate deeply into parchment or paper. Over time, the ink oxidizes into a a substance which is not water-soluble and becomes deeply embedded within the substrate.

Recipe

We used the recipe for Iron Gall ink found in J.C. Thompson's Manuscript Inks. While it is a modern book, it relies on historical recipes for its reconstructions. His recipe is the following,
"Heat liquid+galls until reduced by 2/3. Filter and squeeze through cheesecloth. Dissolve gum. Mix in iron sulfate. Use ink."

The recipe required the following ratio:

• 1 part gum arabic
• 2 parts iron sulfate
• 3 parts oak galls
• 30 parts liquid (water, vinegar, or wine)

Uses for MsFr640

While MsFr 640 does not have any recipes which make ink, there are several recipes which require ink for writing or drawing such as Drawing Mathematic Figures (19v). Additionally, the author-practitioner used iron gall ink in the production of MsFr 640 so it is crucial to understand how iron gall ink is made both from a conservation perspective as well as a bibliographic one.

Materials

• Gum Arabic (0.66g)
• Red Wine (20 mL)
• Iron Sulfate (1.3 g)
• Chopped Gall Nuts (2 g)
• Tools
  • Hammer
  • Plastic Bags (2)
  • Mortar and passel
  • Scale
  • Towel
  • Small plastic container
  • Hotplate
  • 600 mL beaker (2)
  • Cheese cloth

Safety:

None of these materials are hazardous and can be thrown away or put down the drain. We wore gloves and lab coats because the ink stains skin and clothing (as it is intended to do).

Procedure

We removed a small gall nut and measured on scale. We found one that weighed slightly more than 2 g (to account for loss upon crushing): ours weighed 2.43 g. We put the gall nut in one plastic bag and then put that bag inside of another bag. We covered the bags with a towel to muffle the noise before hitting it with a hammer. Once the nut had been crushed into large chunks (it does not need to be powder because the pieces are strained later), place chunks into small plastic container. We weighed the chopped gall nuts and ensured that they were apx. 2 g.

We measured out 20 mL of red wine into a beaker and placed the beaker on the hot plate. The hotplate was set to "3" and we allowed it to reach a steady boil. We put the gall nuts into the beaker and heated until 1.33 mL of wine and gall nut mixture to remain before removing the beaker from the hotplate.


We then folded a small piece of cheese cloth over itself to create a strainer. We covered another beaker with the cheese cloth. We strained the wine and chopped gall nut mixture through the cheese cloth to remove the small pieces of gall nut.

We squeezed the cheese cloth pouch's liquid contents by hand to catch the maximum amount of liquid in the beaker.

We opened the pouch to ensure that it did not contain any liquid and threw it away in the commingle garbage.

We measured out 0.66 g of gum arabic on the scale. The gum arabic acts as a binder and thickens the ink. More can be added later by the writer if the ink is deemed too watery. We mixed the gum arabic into the strained liquid; the result was a thinker liquid, but did not have a change in color.

We measured 1.3 g of iron sulfate and mixed it into the ink mixture. The ink, which had been maroon, became black and cloudy. The liquid became blacker over several minutes due to oxidation.

We labelled the container with the ink and capped it. We then disposed of or cleaned all materials conventionally. No materials were hazardous or toxic.