This pages will give a short overview of iron gall ink, its historical significance, method of manufacture and main ingredients, and an introduction to the chemical formation of the pigment. Recommended reading follows this discussion for those who would like to know more about this ink.

Today iron gall ink is manufactured only on small scale but it is still relatively easy to make on your own. This website also contains several historical recipes, including those from a Booke of Secrets, which will be expanded regularly. You will also find an introduction to the interpretation of old recipes in source literature. Some of the brown ink we see today in old manuscripts and drawings was initially black. Such color change is very often a signal that the ink is undergoing chemical changes which can harm the paper or the parchment on which it was applied. There are many factors that determine the rate and extent of the degradation process. A detailed description of these processes can be found at iron gall ink corrosion.

Iron gall ink is primarily made from tannin (most often extracted from galls), vitriol (iron sulfate), gum, and water. Because iron gall ink is indelible, it was the ink of choice for documentation from the late Middle Ages to the middle of the twentieth century. Iron gall ink was also easily made; the ingredients were inexpensive and readily available. Good quality iron gall ink was also stable in light. It was very popular with artists as a drawing ink, used with quill, reed pen or brush. The coloring strength of iron gall ink was high and it had, depending on its manufacture, a deep blue-black, velvety tone. The range of objects that contain iron gall ink is enormous. Iron gall ink is found on manuscripts, music scores, drawings, letters, maps, and official documents such as wills, bookkeeping records, logs, real estate transactions, etc. Images of different objects containing iron gall ink can be found throughout this site.

For questions or comments, please contact:
Elmer Eusman
Conservation Division LM-G38
Library of Congress
101 Independence Avenue, S.E.
Washington DC 20540
Tel. (202)707-5838
Fax. (202)707-1525
Email: Elmer Eusman