50ml OF TRADITIONAL
HOMEMADE OAK GALL INK.
ACCURATE FOR 6TH to 19TH CENTURY WRITING
THIS BATCH WAS PREPARED ON NOVEMBER 15TH 2021.
It's important to state this as every batch is different depending on
the age of the galls used.
In my work as a professional Historical Interpreter, it can often be difficult, if not impossible, to source materials that will allow me to recreate the past accurately in a living history setting. Working with schools, colleges, and the general public at various museums and events around the country, I am often asked by other re-enactors and historical interpreters if I could make them some traditional Oak Gall Ink as they are sick of paying the £38 per 25ml bottle that high-end art shops will charge them.
My ink is prepared using a primary source recipe from the 16th century. It will write perfectly from a quill and also from reed pens, steel nibs, writing brushes etc, but should not be used in fountain pens. The gum arabic used as a thickener will clog fountain pens and stop the ink from flowing.
This ink behaves in exactly the way that should be expected of traditionally prepared oak gall ink. It writes in a 'washed' black, which quickly oxidises as it dries to a much darker black. Thereafter the ink will cure on the page to a dark brown. (The reason many old documents appear to be in brown ink rather than black.)
After several years, (which could be decades or even centuries depending on how the page is stored), the ink will become a deep red. Again, this is typical of traditional oak gall ink.
As this ink is prepared by hand and contains no artificial
ingredients at all, it is also suited for use by practitioners of Wicca and
other disciplines which demand purity and simplicity.
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