Traditional Iron Gall Ink
Recently, my partner and I went about creating an all-purpose black Craft Ink and, having had great success with it, I decided that it would be something worth sharing here.
We decided to make use of a traditional technique that utilizes Oak Galls and Iron to create, what was once, the standard black ink formula throughout Europe for over a millennia
The first step in creating this ink was to make a ferrous solution by place a mixture of rusty Curch Nails and Coffin Nails into a sealed vessel of white vinegar, which was then left to steep from Dark Moon to Full Moon.
The next step of the process was to create a Tannin-Rich, Oaken Solution. To achieve this, we went about gathering galls from a great Oak tree, which we propitiated with offerings of Wine and Biscuits, fed into a hollow at its base. Once we had gathered a sufficiently large supply of them, we proceeded to pulverize the appropriate amount of galls using a mortar and pestle, and then steeped the oaken powder in equal parts water for one day (this step should be undertaken on the day before the Full Moon.)
Finally, under the auspices of the Full Moon, both the ferrous solution and the oaken solution were thoroughly strained into a pair of flasks. Thereafter—having raised our power in a pertinent fashion—the two solutions were combined in a consecrated vessel, which was fumigated and incanted over. A black ink base was formed from the chemical amalgamation of the iron oxide and tannic acid, which was then stirred and fortified with Gum Arabic, to improve the texture and efficacy of the ink, before being bottled and stored for later use in a cool, shaded location.
With Iron Gall ink having served as the customary black ink in Europe for over 1,400 years–only declining in usage during the 20th century—it’s a very solid ink formulation to make use of, and one that is both fascinating and relatively simple to undertake yourself. What’s more, with Oak being a highly magical and significant tree, this recipe lends itself perfectly to the Craft.