Greatings. Thank you so much for this video. I am in fact in the process of making oak gall ink. I have the solution in the sun for over a week but after watching this video i am going to speed up the process by boiling the mixtute of water and oak gall. The recepi i have calls for rain water. Makes it more mistic ;). Thank you once again for all the alchemy you have been sharing with us. All the best.
Oh thank you so much sir! I'm very pleased to watch this video. I'll try it out in September, right when the oak galls will be here in the place I live. Thank you again so much! Wish you a nice day!
It's still alive and well today, I think I have 7 different modern iron gall inks in my cupboard. In history, it's the most permanent ink. While Indian ink (soot with shellac) and Chinese ink (soot wit animal glue) are perfectly stable and lightfast, they can wear off, erode. Iron gall penetrates deep, because it's a liquid until the insoluble iron oxide molecules form. It's acidy also modifies the paper or vellum. With time, the black iron oxide may transform into red iron oxide, resulting in red-brown text. Paper degradation is probably an effect of acidity having been out of control in the past (just like it is in your ink 😉). The Gum Arabic is unnecessary and could be more of a problem than benefit for the ink. It basically boils down to the viscosity and wetness you want in the ink. Today, iron gall inks are probably rivaled for ultimate permanence by the brand new, high tech nano-carbon inks. But most 'document-inks' today are just highly lightfast, cellulose reactive, dye based inks, so will only work on paper and will also fade away eventually (even though some of them are so stable they could probably survive +1000 years if protected from light). Still, I believe some document entries are still required to be made with Iron Gall ink. And by the way: Your videos are so much fun to watch, since I share your interest in the history of art materials and historical pigments (which I wouldn't use myself, because they're crap compared to modern pigments 😉) - So thank you! Thank you for all the information and entertaining hands on videos! ❤
Thanks so much, I'm a pigment and watercolour paint nerd, so am thrilled to have found it, I'm completely hooked, and slowly working my way through your fascinating content...
Did I know oak gal ink was not made like it is in the Secret of Kells? Yes. Is the lack of green smoke and such still always a mild disappointment, also yes. It's a really cool ink, beautiful to see it develop into a darker shade. Thank you for another informative video.
Great thanks. Would monks doing manuscripts make their own ink or get it from specialist suppliers. How were the necessary relevant chemical procedures understood in the first place?
Ooo! I've been considering which of your less toxic videos I want to try this fall when it's too cold to be outside, and I think this is it!! Have you ever made black walnut ink? It may not be as light fast, but it's such a lovely color. I admit it's been so long since I made it I'm going to have to relearn how!
I have really been wanting to make walnut ink but I need to find fresh walnuts with the outside flesh still on them as I believe it is key to making the ink.
So you are a little queasy about slaughtering 🐐 and fur seals for vellum? So am I TBH. I wonder if papyrus stands up to acid? I've seen pen ink that has actually burnt through paper I drew on 40 or more yrs ago as a student with the gallate fountain inks then more commonly available. The paper was no doubt already quite acidic and thin. Many of today's art and craft and many computer printing papers are ph buffered to the alkaline somewhat or at least fairly neutral.
@@rickh3714 well, in this modern time I'm pleased we don't need to kill anything to write on, at least I guess they would eat the meat of the animal and then made parchment. If they had paper in really ancient times, I wonder what their reaction would have been to see it burn through paper as they applied the ink to the surface, maybe they would have thought it to be some kind of bad magic. Thank goodness no animals have to die for art or communication nowadays. And even ink can be recycled, which is what I buy, it's called dirty ink and it's made in Melbourne Australia and for my purposes it works really well on my home made recycled paper, yep I'm a hoarder, I recycle or reuse, I enjoy paper making, and I enjoy learning how things would have or may have been made. I made lamp ink once, yep only once, very time consuming and dirty really dirty, however, it's really good ink though so I was pleased with my efforts. Cheers!
@@ajarofpotentialThank you for a reply, I actually do have a bottle of lousy ink from Melbourne and its very good and reasonably priced. However, I'm also interested in the process of making ink, paint, dry and oil pastels, when I finally do have an area for creative pursuits, I'd like to give it a go and see what results I have. Financially it will help me out if I can make my own art supplies as I don't have a lot of money. Cheers from Tasmania!
Next time don’t put the gum in wait put alcohol in the solution a black precipitate will come out filter it put more alcohol and mix the gum with it. An if you don’t have iron sulfate put a iron rod and put lemon juice inside
Found oak galls in Oklahoma last year and followed your instructions and made awesome ink. Thank you for your channel. I LOVE it!!!!
Always the go to channel for historical pigments, thanks.
Greatings. Thank you so much for this video. I am in fact in the process of making oak gall
ink. I have the solution in the sun for over a week but after watching this video i am going to speed up the process by boiling the mixtute of water and oak gall. The recepi i have calls for rain water. Makes it more mistic ;). Thank you once again for all the alchemy you have been sharing with us. All the best.
This is my favorite channel on youtube
Oh thank you so much sir! I'm very pleased to watch this video. I'll try it out in September, right when the oak galls will be here in the place I live. Thank you again so much! Wish you a nice day!
It's still alive and well today, I think I have 7 different modern iron gall inks in my cupboard. In history, it's the most permanent ink. While Indian ink (soot with shellac) and Chinese ink (soot wit animal glue) are perfectly stable and lightfast, they can wear off, erode. Iron gall penetrates deep, because it's a liquid until the insoluble iron oxide molecules form. It's acidy also modifies the paper or vellum.
With time, the black iron oxide may transform into red iron oxide, resulting in red-brown text. Paper degradation is probably an effect of acidity having been out of control in the past (just like it is in your ink 😉).
The Gum Arabic is unnecessary and could be more of a problem than benefit for the ink. It basically boils down to the viscosity and wetness you want in the ink.
Today, iron gall inks are probably rivaled for ultimate permanence by the brand new, high tech nano-carbon inks. But most 'document-inks' today are just highly lightfast, cellulose reactive, dye based inks, so will only work on paper and will also fade away eventually (even though some of them are so stable they could probably survive +1000 years if protected from light).
Still, I believe some document entries are still required to be made with Iron Gall ink.
And by the way: Your videos are so much fun to watch, since I share your interest in the history of art materials and historical pigments (which I wouldn't use myself, because they're crap compared to modern pigments 😉) - So thank you! Thank you for all the information and entertaining hands on videos! ❤
Thanks so much, I'm a pigment and watercolour paint nerd, so am thrilled to have found it, I'm completely hooked, and slowly working my way through your fascinating content...
Did I know oak gal ink was not made like it is in the Secret of Kells? Yes. Is the lack of green smoke and such still always a mild disappointment, also yes.
It's a really cool ink, beautiful to see it develop into a darker shade. Thank you for another informative video.
Great thanks. Would monks doing manuscripts make their own ink or get it from specialist suppliers. How were the necessary relevant chemical procedures understood in the first place?
Ooo! I've been considering which of your less toxic videos I want to try this fall when it's too cold to be outside, and I think this is it!! Have you ever made black walnut ink? It may not be as light fast, but it's such a lovely color. I admit it's been so long since I made it I'm going to have to relearn how!
I have really been wanting to make walnut ink but I need to find fresh walnuts with the outside flesh still on them as I believe it is key to making the ink.
@@TheAlchemicalArts Thanks the heads up on this point! I'm very interested in seeing that come about.
That is very interesting
I use iron (ll,lll) acetate and indian almond leaf solution and it's good
Thank you!
Thank you for this video! Is it possible to make paint pigment with alum from oak galls or wallnuts? And is it any good?
thank you
So could you make the ink out of a less acidic substance like tea, so that it doesn't destroy paper or rust pen nibs. Cheers!
So you are a little queasy about slaughtering 🐐 and fur seals for vellum?
So am I TBH. I wonder if papyrus stands up to acid? I've seen pen ink that has actually burnt through paper I drew on 40 or more yrs ago as a student with the gallate fountain inks then more commonly available. The paper was no doubt already quite acidic and thin.
Many of today's art and craft and many computer printing papers are ph buffered to the alkaline somewhat or at least fairly neutral.
@@rickh3714 well, in this modern time I'm pleased we don't need to kill anything to write on, at least I guess they would eat the meat of the animal and then made parchment. If they had paper in really ancient times, I wonder what their reaction would have been to see it burn through paper as they applied the ink to the surface, maybe they would have thought it to be some kind of bad magic. Thank goodness no animals have to die for art or communication nowadays. And even ink can be recycled, which is what I buy, it's called dirty ink and it's made in Melbourne Australia and for my purposes it works really well on my home made recycled paper, yep I'm a hoarder, I recycle or reuse, I enjoy paper making, and I enjoy learning how things would have or may have been made. I made lamp ink once, yep only once, very time consuming and dirty really dirty, however, it's really good ink though so I was pleased with my efforts. Cheers!
@@howlingwind1937perhaps you mean "lousy ink" in Melbourne 🙂
@@ajarofpotentialThank you for a reply, I actually do have a bottle of lousy ink from Melbourne and its very good and reasonably priced. However, I'm also interested in the process of making ink, paint, dry and oil pastels, when I finally do have an area for creative pursuits, I'd like to give it a go and see what results I have. Financially it will help me out if I can make my own art supplies as I don't have a lot of money. Cheers from Tasmania!
@@ajarofpotential yes that's the ink I mean,😄😄😄😄
Next time don’t put the gum in wait put alcohol in the solution a black precipitate will come out filter it put more alcohol and mix the gum with it. An if you don’t have iron sulfate put a iron rod and put lemon juice inside
Yes but is that authentic to medieval methods