Ink Making

Part of Writing & Record Keeping

A survey of all major ink types — carbon black, iron gall, berry, and plant — with practical recipes and guidance on permanence and application.

Why This Matters

Ink is the medium that makes writing visible. Without it, even a perfectly prepared writing surface and a beautifully designed alphabet is useless. Different inks have radically different properties — permanence, color, ease of production, and compatibility with different surfaces — and knowing your options allows you to match the ink to the purpose.

A temporary record of today’s weather or a shopping list can be written with berry juice that will fade in a year. A community’s founding charter, medical knowledge, or legal code deserves the most permanent ink you can produce. Making the wrong choice for a critical document is a loss that only manifests years after it’s too late to correct.

This article covers four categories of ink: carbon black (most permanent, covered in depth in the Carbon Black Ink article), iron gall (the historical standard for European manuscripts and legal documents), natural dye inks (moderately permanent), and emergency inks (temporary but immediately accessible). Each has its production method, strengths, and limitations.

Iron Gall Ink

What It Is

Iron gall ink is the dominant ink of European civilization from roughly 400 CE to 1900 CE. It is a chemical ink: when tannins from oak galls react with iron sulfate, they form iron gallate — a complex that starts as nearly transparent on the page, then darkens to blue-black as it oxidizes. It is not a pigment suspension but a true dye that penetrates paper fibers.

Advantages:

• Extremely resistant to fading (the iron-gallate complex is photostable)
• Penetrates into the writing surface rather than sitting on top — difficult to scrape or wash off
• Flows well from quill and reed pens
• Historically used for legal documents specifically because it resists forgery

Disadvantages:

• Acidic — over centuries, it can eat through paper from the inside (the Leiden problem that damaged many medieval manuscripts)
• Requires oak galls, which are not universally available
• Takes a day or more to reach full darkness

Ingredients

Oak galls (gallic acid source): Galls are the round, woody growths formed on oak trees when gall wasps lay eggs inside the growing tissue. They contain very high concentrations of tannic and gallic acid. Collect in autumn, when galls are fully formed. Crush or grind them.

Iron sulfate (ferrous sulfate): This is the critical chemical ingredient. Sources:

• Old rusted iron soaked in acidic water (vinegar or sour fermented liquid) for several days produces a solution of iron salts — not pure ferrous sulfate, but functional for ink
• Natural mineral springs near iron-bearing rock can contain dissolved iron salts
• Burning iron pyrite (fool’s gold) and leaching the ash with acidic water

Gum arabic (binder): Dissolved tree gum, as described in the Carbon Black Ink article.

Iron Gall Ink Recipe

1. Crush 10 g of oak galls coarsely. Boil in 200 mL of water for 30 minutes. Let cool. Strain out the solid gall material. You now have a dark tannin solution.
2. Prepare iron solution: soak rusted iron in 50 mL of vinegar for 3–5 days, or use 3 g of ferrous sulfate crystals dissolved in 50 mL water.
3. Mix the tannin solution and the iron solution together. A blue-black precipitate forms immediately.
4. Add 10 g of dissolved gum arabic (in 30 mL water) for flow and adhesion.
5. Add 10 mL of vinegar or sour wine to prevent mold and improve flow.
6. Strain through fine cloth. The ink may appear grey or pale green at first; it darkens on the page as it oxidizes.

Adjust if needed:

• Pale or grey: add more gall solution or reduce the gum
• Too thick: add water
• Clogs the pen: reduce gum arabic; strain more thoroughly

Writing with Iron Gall Ink

Allow iron gall writing to dry completely before handling — the ink starts pale and darkens over hours. Do not judge the final color immediately. In humid conditions, allow extra drying time.

Natural Dye Inks

Berry and Fruit Inks

Many berries and fruits contain pigments that make usable, if temporary, ink. These are the most immediately accessible inks in most environments.

Source	Color	Permanence
Elderberries (Sambucus)	Dark purple/blue	Months to years
Blackberries/raspberries	Red-purple	Weeks to months
Pokeberries (Phytolacca)	Deep magenta	1–3 years
Blueberries	Blue-grey	Weeks
Walnuts (green hull)	Dark brown/black	Years (close to permanent)

Basic preparation:

1. Crush fresh or dried berries. Press out the juice.
2. Heat gently (do not boil hard — destroys some pigments) and reduce to about half volume.
3. Strain through cloth to remove solids.
4. Add 1 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of vinegar per 100 mL as preservatives.
5. Add a small amount of gum arabic (5 g per 100 mL) for adhesion.

Walnut ink (most permanent of natural dye inks):

1. Collect green walnut hulls (the outer green covering, not the shell).
2. Simmer in water for 1 hour. Strain.
3. Reduce to a thick, brown-black liquid.
4. Add salt and gum arabic.
5. Walnut ink contains juglone, which polymerizes over time — aged walnut ink actually becomes more permanent. Use old-stock walnut ink for critical documents.

Plant-Based Black Inks

Several plants yield very dark, nearly black inks that approach carbon ink permanence:

Hawthorn bark ink: Boil hawthorn bark in water for several hours, reduce, strain. The concentrated decoction is dark brown-black with reasonable permanence.

Iris root (orris) + iron: A decoction of iris root combined with iron solution produces a good blue-black through the same chemistry as oak gall ink.

Emergency Inks

For situations where permanence is irrelevant and immediate marking is the priority:

Source	How to use	Permanence
Charcoal + water	Grind charcoal, stir in water; add honey to reduce spread	Hours to days (no binder)
Ash + water	Wood ash leached in water — alkaline, grey	Hours
Burnt stick (charred wood)	Draw directly, no liquid needed	Indefinite if not disturbed
Mud (dark clay)	Write directly with finger or stick	Days (dries to a residue)
Blood	Functional if fresh; smells; dries brown	Months to years

For survival-level communication, these are valid options. Never use them for anything intended to last.

Choosing the Right Ink

Document type	Recommended ink	Reason
Permanent legal/historical record	Carbon black or iron gall	Maximum permanence
Working records (accounts, logs)	Iron gall or walnut ink	Good permanence, easier to produce
Correspondence	Berry ink or diluted carbon	Sufficient for months
Temporary notes, calculations	Charcoal water or berry	Disposable
Writing on wood or stone	Carbon black + extra gum	Resists weathering
Writing on leather/vellum	Iron gall	Penetrates surface; resists moisture

Storage and Maintenance

All inks should be stored in sealed clay or glass containers, away from direct light. Organic inks (berry, plant) ferment and develop mold within weeks if not preserved. Salt, vinegar, and tight sealing prevent this.

Carbon black and iron gall inks can last years in sealed storage. Before use, stir thoroughly — carbon settles; iron gall precipitates partially.

If an ink becomes too concentrated from evaporation, add a few drops of water and stir. Never add large amounts at once — overdilution ruins flow properties and adhesion.

The art of ink-making is empirical and regional. Experiment with local plant sources, keep notes on what works, and share recipes within your community. A master ink-maker — someone who can produce consistent, high-quality writing inks from local materials — is as valuable to a literate community as the scribes who use the inks they produce.