Spotting oak galls never gets boring #foraging #irongallink
September 26, 2026 at 3:21 PM
Spotting oak galls never gets boring #foraging #irongallink
A recipe for iron gall ink. Written in the back of a commonplace book sometime between 1695-1720. #bookconservation #limpvellumbinding #conservationispy #irongallink
May 29, 2025 at 8:43 PM
A recipe for iron gall ink. Written in the back of a commonplace book sometime between 1695-1720. #bookconservation #limpvellumbinding #conservationispy #irongallink
Pyramid presents Iron Gall Ink and Quill Carving workshop for Hopkins Journeys: Celebrating the World of Jane Austen at the Baltimore Museum of Art. This workshop is being led by Bookbinding Associate Brittany Murray.
#irongallink #bookbinding #bookmaking #janeausten #pyramidatlantic
#irongallink #bookbinding #bookmaking #janeausten #pyramidatlantic
November 14, 2025 at 11:06 PM
Pyramid presents Iron Gall Ink and Quill Carving workshop for Hopkins Journeys: Celebrating the World of Jane Austen at the Baltimore Museum of Art. This workshop is being led by Bookbinding Associate Brittany Murray.
#irongallink #bookbinding #bookmaking #janeausten #pyramidatlantic
#irongallink #bookbinding #bookmaking #janeausten #pyramidatlantic
I is for… #IronGallInk
Made from oak gall tannic acid and iron salts, this ink was favoured by European scribes for over 1400 years owing to its permanence and ease of manufacture. Over time it can deteriorate, causing a type of substrate loss known as lacing.
#KAconservationAtoZ
Made from oak gall tannic acid and iron salts, this ink was favoured by European scribes for over 1400 years owing to its permanence and ease of manufacture. Over time it can deteriorate, causing a type of substrate loss known as lacing.
#KAconservationAtoZ
![Shown here is part of the will of John Hawke of Garlinge in the parish of Petham, made 1604 and proved 1606 [ref. PRC/32/41]
The scribe used an ink made from the tannic acid of oak galls; growths formed by the tree in reaction to hosting the eggs of gall wasps.
Combining tannic acid with iron salts and a binder creates a dark ink which, today, appears purple/brown-black in colour. Many pre‑20th century manuscripts held by Kent Archives are written in this ink – favoured by European scribes for its permanence, water resistance and ease of manufacture.
However, iron gall ink becomes acidic over time and can oxidise due to excess iron in the ink formulation, causing weakening of the substrate upon which it has been used. At first, diffused halos develop around written text, followed by the ink striking through the document, leaving a shadowy impression on the verso. Eventually, the ink etches into the substrate to such an extent that material loss occurs, often referred to as lacing.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:o3vof7rjobhzoxvub42zxtot/bafkreial6gfdvrxhpvhtjcmpczb5yseiisj2mvgb2w2mpvvo75aszzrbee)
March 26, 2026 at 9:28 AM
I is for… #IronGallInk
Made from oak gall tannic acid and iron salts, this ink was favoured by European scribes for over 1400 years owing to its permanence and ease of manufacture. Over time it can deteriorate, causing a type of substrate loss known as lacing.
#KAconservationAtoZ
Made from oak gall tannic acid and iron salts, this ink was favoured by European scribes for over 1400 years owing to its permanence and ease of manufacture. Over time it can deteriorate, causing a type of substrate loss known as lacing.
#KAconservationAtoZ
The Ink That Wrote History Is Now Erasing It
#IronGallInk #InkCorrosion #Preservation #Conservation #USHistory #Archives #Manuscripts #FactRage #FactRageNews
tglm.us/vnuda
#IronGallInk #InkCorrosion #Preservation #Conservation #USHistory #Archives #Manuscripts #FactRage #FactRageNews
tglm.us/vnuda
The Unseen Scourge of Iron Gall Ink Corrosion on Historical Records
"For 1,400 years, iron gall ink recorded history. Now, its inherent chemical instability is erasing it, posing a critical threat to our past."
tglm.us
August 16, 2025 at 9:43 PM
The Ink That Wrote History Is Now Erasing It
#IronGallInk #InkCorrosion #Preservation #Conservation #USHistory #Archives #Manuscripts #FactRage #FactRageNews
tglm.us/vnuda
#IronGallInk #InkCorrosion #Preservation #Conservation #USHistory #Archives #Manuscripts #FactRage #FactRageNews
tglm.us/vnuda
Working on birds. Still figuring it out, but here's a stab. #calligraphy #flourishing #birds #irongallink #nibs #oldthings
January 26, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Working on birds. Still figuring it out, but here's a stab. #calligraphy #flourishing #birds #irongallink #nibs #oldthings
A perfect exit hole in a marble gall #everydaymiracles #irongallink
November 2, 2025 at 1:41 PM
A perfect exit hole in a marble gall #everydaymiracles #irongallink
There’s lots of knopper galls out on the oak trees at the moment - where gall wasps have laid their eggs inside of developing acorns. These interesting shapes are good for making #irongallink, but they are very sticky!
August 31, 2025 at 12:34 PM
There’s lots of knopper galls out on the oak trees at the moment - where gall wasps have laid their eggs inside of developing acorns. These interesting shapes are good for making #irongallink, but they are very sticky!
But what really caught my eye was the way the iron-gall ink had been so acidic that in many places it had burned right through the thick paper!
#ink #IronGallInk #manuscripts #RagPaper #corrosion
#ink #IronGallInk #manuscripts #RagPaper #corrosion
January 5, 2025 at 1:06 PM
But what really caught my eye was the way the iron-gall ink had been so acidic that in many places it had burned right through the thick paper!
#ink #IronGallInk #manuscripts #RagPaper #corrosion
#ink #IronGallInk #manuscripts #RagPaper #corrosion