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How to Make Gallotannate Ink Old Writing/Drawing Ink Old Ink Recipes Old Ink Notes Old Ink Appendix

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Evan Lindquist, Artist-Printmaker

First Artist Laureate for the State of Arkansas

Old Writing and Drawing Ink

At least as far back as the Middle Ages, there were two kinds of black ink in common use. One type is still
being used today, the other is generally not available from ink manufacturers.

Carbon inks

A very old type of permanent ink that is often used today by artists is best known by such names as
"India" or "Sumi". It consists of carbon pigments in suspension in a weak gum or glue solution which
acts as a binder.

Since the Middle Ages, the carbon pigment that has generally been used is soot, or lampblack. It is
made by scraping up fine particles of soot and mixing them with gum or animal glue dissolved in
water. While this type of ink is regarded as being a permanent ink, some examples of documents and
drawings have been found in which the binder has failed to hold the ink particles firmly to the paper
or parchment.

Gallotannate inks

The other type of ink commonly in use since before the Middle Ages is not often used today. It is a
suspension of an inorganic salt of iron which may be mixed with a solution of other salts. This forms a
liquid which turns black after application. This kind of ink may be called "iron-gall" or "gallotannate"
ink.

The best ink begins with gallnuts, preferably from Syria (Aleppo) or China. The gallnuts are created as
a result of certain insects stinging and laying eggs on the leaf stems of oak trees. Soon afterward, a nut-
like swelling will form. When the galls are collected and immersed in water, tannic and gallic acids
may be soaked out. If a solution of an iron salt is mixed with it, the liquid will turn darker, acquiring
its darkest color as it oxidizes after being applied to paper or parchment.

Many substitutes for gallnuts have been tried, with excellent results being derived from some and
failure from others. Many experiments have involved various kinds of bark, nut shells and leaves as
sources of tannin.

The dark color which finally appears is a result of oxidation, a kind of "slow burning" which is taking
place in the fibers of the paper. Our word "ink", the Italian word "inchiostro", and the French "encre",
are all derived from the Latin word "incaustum", meaning "burnt in".

A temporary coloring agent was always mixed into the clear (or perhaps light-colored) ink so the
writer would be able to see what was being wri en.

This is the kind of ink our grandparents and great grandparents used, and they probably knew it as
"blue-black" ink. Through the centuries, documents wri en with these iron-gall inks have usually
retained their crisp legibility; but occasionally, some drawings or documents turn up in which the inks
have faded, changed to a yellowish color, or even burnt holes through the paper, suggesting that
something might have gone wrong in mixing the inks. Or perhaps the documents might have been
stored under adverse circumstances.

This advertisement for "Pure Egyptian Black Ink", a carbon-based ink, was published about 1870. It
describes carbon inks as being superior to iron-gall inks and lists several reasons to use carbon ink (most
people knew it by the name of "India ink").

After people began to use

fountain pens (early in
the 20th century) they
discovered that carbon
ink was not good to use
in the expensive new
fountain pens, but carbon
ink continued to be used
by artists and illustrators.
"The Egyptian Ink" is not
a special type of ink. It is
simply a brand name for
the carbon ink sold by
this merchant or agent in
Michigan.

A Definition of Ink

In 1890, Schlu ig and Neumann, ink chemists of Dresden, Germany, wrote what is in many respects
the most important book on iron gallotannate inks: O. Schlu ig, and G.S.Neumann, Die
Eisengallustinten [The Iron-Gall Inks], (v. Zahn & Jaensch, Dresden, 1890)

Their definition, in nearly literal translation, is presented here:

By ink we mean a liquid, suitable for writing, which

1. Is a clear, filterable solution, not a suspension;

2. Is mobile and keeps for a considerable time; that is, it flows easily from the pen, and neither clogs,
drops off, nor spreads on the paper;

3. Has good keeping quality in glass; that is, in the inkstand it forms
(a) A slight deposit only slowly,
(b) No skin-like deposit, on the surface or on the walls, and never any mold;

4. On a good pen it forms only a slight, varnish-like, smooth coating, but not a loose, crusted one;

5. Has no pronounced odor;

6. Is not too acid and does not penetrate through good paper;

7. Has an intense color, which does not become paler nor bleach out entirely in the liquid or on paper
(in the la er case judged after the complete drying of the writing, for moist lines always look darker
than dry ones);

8. Gives writing that is not sticky after drying.

Every good ink, whether writing, or combined writing and copying, should have qualities. There is no
sharp boundary between the two kinds, but if the ink is intended only for writing, it should in
addition:

9. Give writing that, after drying for eight days, is not removed by water or alcohol -- even by
treatment for days -- to such an extent that it becomes illegible.

Finally, if the ink is intended for imperishable records, it must have:

10. A definite minimum content of iron,

11. And enough tannin; that is, it must give writing which after drying becomes deep black within
eight days, and which, even after treatment for days with water and alcohol, still retains a certain
degree of blackness.

From Circular of the National Bureau of Standards C413, "INKS"

U.S. Department of Commerce, Issued December 28, 1936
By C. E. Waters

The paper is part of the equation.

Any comparisons between early inks, later inks, and modern inks should consider the surface on
which the ink was to be used. There are major differences to be found in the variety of writing surfaces.
An ideal ink for parchment or vellum might miss the mark on paper. A good ink for early 19th century
paper might be too acidic for 20th century paper, and through the centuries many types of paper have
been in use. Various inks had to behave suitably for wood, metal, cloth, leather, glass, celluloid, ivory,
etc.

I am not an authority on ink. I have used lots of ink and have an appreciation of its different qualities. I
have often wondered about the changing nature of various commercial inks during recent decades. By
publishing these recipes and notes, I hope to interest other people in the old kinds of ink and
encourage them to study the fascinating subject of inks used by our ancestors.

This is the second of five pages of information about old ink.

Let's look at some old ink recipes.
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All content © Evan Lindquist

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