I DID IT!!! Part 3 OAK GALL INK SUCCESS.

                  Oak Gall Ink Success
            By Lady Symonne de la Croix
                         March 2020


So today I decided to be brave and try to make the oak gall ink that I had been soaking to help get the tannic acid out if it.
After a lot if research I decided to use Ian the Green's recipe so I could get an idea of the ink making process before I tried a more complicated period recipe.
Below is the basic process that I followed.

1. I boiled the oak galls which made the fluid a brown colour though not as dark as I thought would happen.



2. Then I sieved the galls out using a natural material. In period linen would have been used. The galls were very soft and squishy.


3. Then ferrous sylphate was added which instantly turned the ink black. A good sign.





4.  I added the powdered gum arabic which basically makes the ink stick to the substrate.


5. Lastly I decanted it into jars. 
I am very happy to say that I only dropped one. And even more happy that it missed my pure white Bichon Frise puppy.


The ink is a little thin but goes a very deep black when exposed to air.
I have been told that I can add extra gum arabic or leave the lid off to evaporate a little will fix that problem.
I was impressed with the amount of ink produced from not a lot of oak galls.

I am very happy with the outcome. 


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