Some Exciting News About My Iron Gall Ink Experiments

[spot]

Does the ink contain preservatives for preventing mold etc.?

Considering the acidity of the ink, does it eat through the paper over time?

What is the shelf life of the ink?

thanks.

[pharmacist]

Hi Spot,

 

The ink contains phenol, the most powerful preservative for ink, which also perfumes the ink giving it a distinctive "vintage" smell. Thus the ink can be kept for many years without spoiling. I also boil my water for several minutes to degass it and most importantly to kill off most microbs/fungi, extending shelf life considerably, because the initial contamination is very low to none. The added phenol finishes the microbe killing job.

 

Acidity: Some old formula used sulphuric acid to acidify the ink, but this is very destructive to paper, because it concentrates overtime when the water evaporates from the paper surface and will eat holes in your paper. I use hydrochloric acid: this is actually a dissolved gas, which evaporates away from the paper when the ink dries, thus the writing is relatively neutral after drying. Note: adding acid is compulsory for iron gall ink to keep the iron ions reduced to its safe bivalent form (Fe (II)).

 

Best regards

[pharmacist]

Hi All,

 

There seems to a pretty large demand for my home-brewed Iron Gall ink, that my current brew is sold out. Because of the effort, high costs of the used ingredients/chemicals to produce the ink, no more ink will be brewed for the coming weeks or maybe months. So individuals interested to grab one or two bottles of this ink, should consider this. I am open to suggestions and if there is enough demand for me to produce a new batch and can PM me to be placed on a list.

 

Meanwhile I will wait for the user reviews and how they experience the ink in either fountain or dip pens. For me and others this is a learning experience how vintage iron gall inks behave in modern fountain pens.

 

I am still using the ink my several fountain pens: from the cheapest Papermate to my MB Meisterstuck fountain pen and all of them love this ink and people unfamiliar with this type of this ink are really mesmerized by the blackening of this ink and can not believe this ink is so resistant to water. The only problem seems to be very fine nibs, where the ink has some difficulty of flowing.

 

Those, who grabbed a bottle of my latest batch, must also try the ink with a dip or calligraphy pen and experience the behaviour of this ink on paper. The darkening is significant, because a larger amount of ink is put onto the paper and becomes a really dark soot black. This behaviour is special for an ink: most fountain pen inks do not work well with dip pens, as the ink is too fluid. Somehow I managed to produce an ink that flows easily from almost any fountain pen and sticks firmly on dip pens without immediate dropping on paper. .

 

 

[Lloyd]

As it appears that your not doing this to make money, have you considered explaining how to make this ink so that members in varying countries could make and enjoy it for less money? To make money, could you charge a percentage of sales to a few individuals that volunteer to make & distribute it in their locale.

[gmrza]

Hi All,

 

There seems to a pretty large demand for my home-brewed Iron Gall ink, that my current brew is sold out. Because of the effort, high costs of the used ingredients/chemicals to produce the ink, no more ink will be brewed for the coming weeks or maybe months. So individuals interested to grab one or two bottles of this ink, should consider this. I am open to suggestions and if there is enough demand for me to produce a new batch and can PM me to be placed on a list.

 

Meanwhile I will wait for the user reviews and how they experience the ink in either fountain or dip pens. For me and others this is a learning experience how vintage iron gall inks behave in modern fountain pens.

 

I am still using the ink my several fountain pens: from the cheapest Papermate to my MB Meisterstuck fountain pen and all of them love this ink and people unfamiliar with this type of this ink are really mesmerized by the blackening of this ink and can not believe this ink is so resistant to water. The only problem seems to be very fine nibs, where the ink has some difficulty of flowing.

 

Those, who grabbed a bottle of my latest batch, must also try the ink with a dip or calligraphy pen and experience the behaviour of this ink on paper. The darkening is significant, because a larger amount of ink is put onto the paper and becomes a really dark soot black. This behaviour is special for an ink: most fountain pen inks do not work well with dip pens, as the ink is too fluid. Somehow I managed to produce an ink that flows easily from almost any fountain pen and sticks firmly on dip pens without immediate dropping on paper. .

 

 

 

I think I can't overemphasise how grateful I ,and probably all the others who have ordered your ink, are that you have been prepared to share the fruits of your labours with the rest of us.

 

One of my primary interests in this ink is because I have been looking for inks suitable for one of my pens which is a very wet writer, and also because at work I tend to use cheap paper - so I have been hunting for inks which perform well on cheap paper (without feathering or bleeding) and which work well in a wet writer.

 

I can only say that I am waiting impatiently for the shipment of 6 bottles of ink that pharmacist posted to Melbourne yesterday! (I am sure that goes for the other recipients of the ink in the shipment!)

 

 

 

[pharmacist]

Hi gmrza,

 

I must say my home-brewed IG ink is rather wet . I am not sure it will be a good combination with your wet writer, but give it a try. Most commercial IG inks are very dry to the pen, but mine is very free flowing (in german: ausserordentlich dünnflüssig). I never experienced any clogging in my fountain pens, some even kept with the cap right up (at my work).

 

I am not sure to go commercial, because the price would jump up considerably, because the used ingredients are way to expensive to do it on a commercial basis. The reason is the ink requires very pure ingredients to obtain a stable, free flowing ink. I have tried cheaper ingredients and the results were desastrous, making writing a not so comfortable experience at all .

 

I think doing it on a commercial basis the price must be doubled or the same price for just 50 ml's...I do not think there are many of you willing to pay that price. The current price I charge, is already considerable mostly due to the high shipping costs.

[Uncle Red]

Pharmacist, First I think that if you did make the ink commercially that economics of scale would reduce your costs. Second, 10 EUR for 50ml is about half the cost of Iroshizuku isn't it? Third, Shipping from you would be like shipping from Akkerman but your ink is unique.

 

Having said that; keep this a hobby or it'll stop being fun.

Edited March 4, 2012 by Uncle Red

[pharmacist]

Hi Uncle Red,

 

thanks for the advise: yes it must stay a hobby, otherwise the pressure to produce for economics will take too much attention away from my actual profession .

[Lloyd]

 

I am not sure to go commercial, because the price would jump up considerably, because the used ingredients are way to expensive to do it on a commercial basis. The reason is the ink requires very pure ingredients to obtain a stable, free flowing ink. I have tried cheaper ingredients and the results were desastrous, making writing a not so comfortable experience at all .

 

I think doing it on a commercial basis the price must be doubled or the same price for just 50 ml's...I do not think there are many of you willing to pay that price. The current price I charge, is already considerable mostly due to the high shipping costs.

 

See this?

[raging.dragon]

For what it's worth this is the only iron gall ink that I've considered buying. I like that it's based on a traditional recipe, and that it has a far higher iron gall content than modern iron gall inks.

 

Pharmacist, First I think that if you did make the ink commercially that economics of scale would reduce your costs. Second, 10 EUR for 50ml is about half the cost of Iroshizuku isn't it? Third, Shipping from you would be like shipping from Akkerman but your ink is unique.

 

Having said that; keep this a hobby or it'll stop being fun.

 

Not to mention the Hakase Sepia ink, which is made using a traditional squid ink recipe. I believe it costs even more than Iroshizuku, and can only be ordered from Japan, making shipping just as much of an issue as it is for pharmacist.

Edited March 4, 2012 by raging.dragon

[MaikeruS]

Here in Australia, 50ml for 10€ is about what you'd expect to pay in a B&M store for most inks. Caran d'Ache costs 21€ per bottle, making 10€ for a bottle seem like a good deal, even with shipping. Given how good your ink looks, I'd be willing to pay $13AU for a 50ml bottle.

 

Anyways, looking forward to trying your ink when it arrives here.

[Patrician]

Congratulations, a brave, brilliant initiative. Simply, bravo. I'll try to be a customer for one of your coming batches. The color reminds me of the mid 20th Century Blue-blacks, and given the characteristics, and that I really find ferrogalic inks the true king of inks, yours is a must. Thank you for the work behind it.

[gmrza]

Hi gmrza,

 

I must say my home-brewed IG ink is rather wet . I am not sure it will be a good combination with your wet writer, but give it a try. Most commercial IG inks are very dry to the pen, but mine is very free flowing (in german: ausserordentlich dünnflüssig). I never experienced any clogging in my fountain pens, some even kept with the cap right up (at my work).

 

I'll go for the approach that the best way to find things out is to try them ;-) I have generally found that with IG inks, even if a pen puts loads down on the paper, most still behave well in that they don't feather and bleed. Ultimately, if your ink proves too wet for my Waterman Expert, I have all the Lamy nibs from EF to M and 1.1i and 1.5i - so I am bound to find something that works. ;-)

 

 

I am not sure to go commercial, because the price would jump up considerably, because the used ingredients are way to expensive to do it on a commercial basis. The reason is the ink requires very pure ingredients to obtain a stable, free flowing ink. I have tried cheaper ingredients and the results were desastrous, making writing a not so comfortable experience at all .

 

I think doing it on a commercial basis the price must be doubled or the same price for just 50 ml's...I do not think there are many of you willing to pay that price. The current price I charge, is already considerable mostly due to the high shipping costs.

 

As they often say, the best way to destroy a perfectly good hobby is to turn it into a business. My wife runs a photographic studio from home, and I have seen first hand that it is primarily hard work! And you have to deal with all the overheads of keeping a business registered, liability and insurance, marketing etc. You really have to be sure that you want to do it!

 

As for price, 10 Euros for 100ml is relatively cheap, I believe, compared say to Diamine Registrar's Ink.

Edited March 4, 2012 by gmrza

[gmrza]

Here's a comparison of a few different IG inks, including pharmacist's Urkundentinte. Of the others I have, the closest to pharmacist's ink, in terms of saturation are the R&K inks. MB Blue-Black is decidedly chalky by comparison. I've just included R&K Cassia as a colour comparison. The paper is Clairefontaine 90gsm. Pharmacist's ink shades a lot on the Clairfontaine. It's also interesting that Salix lays down a thicker line on the same paper with the same nib.

 

Just arrived in Melbourne, and last seen together this evening - 6 bottles of Urkundentinte have made their way Down Under.

 

[pharmacist]

Hi gmrza,

 

It looks like you have distribute the bottles to all the individuals who ordered a bottle from you . Did you already tried to write with a dip pen with my ink and also with the other inks ?

[gmrza]

Hi gmrza,

 

It looks like you have distribute the bottles to all the individuals who ordered a bottle from you . Did you already tried to write with a dip pen with my ink and also with the other inks ?

 

the bottles are boxed and ready to go! I'll be off to the post office first thing tomorrow morning.

 

I actually don't own a dip pen, so I'll have to skip that test.