If you were to google “oak gall ink” a bazillion links turn up. Videos, message boards, recipes, historical documents are revealed to the unwary. In particular, there are two ways in which oak gall ink – also known as “iron gall ink” – may be made. One involves the simple crushing of oak galls and then steeping them in water (distilled is probably the best choice as there are no chemicals to interact with the galls), and the other is a 2-month long ferment which gets (eww, gross) all moldy. I’m not sure the latter is up to my tastes, but I will give it a shot nonetheless. Today, though, is the “short version” – perhaps a process lasting a week or less.
There are two sites which I think give a good indication as to the process I plan to use. The first is this video from the British Library:
This next link is from the Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies, out of the University of Pennsylvania Libraries. I rather like the description, the detail, the grey kitty Chloe, and the historical evidence of a cat with inky paws on a manuscript. Both are good reads, so take the time to travel a bit.
Receipt for Iron Gall / Oak Gall Ink
- Oak galls: 80 g.
- Distilled water: 300 g.
- Ferrous Sulfate: 50 g.
- Gum Arabic: 25 g.
Crush oak galls into small pieces or grind into powder using a spice or coffee mill. Place into jar and cover with 300 ml. of distilled water. Place in sunny window 3-7 days (depending on your life and schedule). I plan to do 3 as per the recipe from the Schoenberg Institute. After 3 days, there should be a dark murky liquid in the jar.
On Day 3, add 50 g. of Ferrous Sulfate to oak gall mixture; replace in sunny windows for another day. On Day 4 add the Gum Arabic and leave for another day. On Day 5, strain the liquid into a clean vessel and voila, ink!
Thoughts and Concerns
My first concern is I am using ferrous sulfate heptahydrate, which is apparently a hydrated form of ferrous sulfate that dissolves more readily in water than the normal. My next concern is the ratio of oak galls to ferrous sulfate – it is 8:5, or much closer than the 5:1 and 3:1 ratios I have seen in other recipes. The more acidic the ink, the more destructive to pen nibs, quills, and paper. However, at this point, I’ll take it as the ferrous sulfate heptahydrate may not create such a strong acid.
Ink, Yarn & Beer 
I used to do a lot of calligraphy back in the day, luckily here in the motherland we can buy ink readymade in bottles and don’t have to go through all that palaver! 😂
Heheh. Life in the colonies is tough. 😏