Oak Gall Ink
I have just ordered my oak galls from John Neal Bookseller so that I can make my own oak gall ink for my new A&S project.
The page, which I will hopefully not mess up, is folio f 37. It has a illusionistic border with flowers, fruit, and insects (I have place the following link to the Digital Scriptorium where there is an image of the folio under MS Typ 252.) I will be using Vellum, gold leaf, shell gold, period pigments, a quill and brush that I will make myself, and oak gall ink.
Making my own oak gall ink will be very interesting. I have been looking at recipies from Ink Corrosion Web site and hopefully with some luck ... when I am done ... I will have usable ink.
The ingredants
I just received my Oak galls! YEA! I have the gum arabic and wine. The recipe I have selected calls for wine. I am sure water would work but since this is for an A&S project, I am going to stick to the recipe. Now I just have to find the Iron Sulfate. According to the Ink Corrosion Web site, I should be able to get it at any garden store because it is a common fertilizer. Hmmm - we'll see. 
I just ordered my Iron Sulfate from the science store, thanks to Ian the Green. He has a wonderful website by the way. Check it out! Ian's SCA Hobby Page
Making the Ink
We did it! My Laurel, Maol Mide ingen Medra, two house sisters, (Finneadan and Gwen) and another friend (Mistress Genevieve La Rousse) came over to help. It was great and not that hard. 
We started by crushing the oak galls and measuring the gum, iron and wine. I used a white organic wine. The idea was to lower the chance of a modern chemical interfering with the process. There was some debate with my on-line fellow appreciates on whether to use distill water instead of wine. Modern wine may not be the same as period wine. The concern was modern chemicals interfering which maybe found in modern wine would interfer with the ink making process. Some period recipies do call for distill water but others wine. Now I know that there are wine makers who follow age old traditions when making their wine but there are some that store there wine in metal vates so becareful in your selection.
I heated the wine and added the ingredants. Once the iron hit the wine the black ink started showing up.
from left to right - gum arabric, oak galls, iron and White wine.
all measured and ready to go
heated wine
All in the pot
Look what happen to the spoon
drain through cheese cloth
Look we have INK!
Go make some ink. 