I’ve been thinking about making my own ink using oak galls and materials from the river for a while and then the other day I came across some oak galls and decided to get started. I couldn’t believe how easy – and miraculous – it was.
Ink made from oak trees has been used since the 12th Century. It is waterproof and gets darker with age. Oak galls occur when a gall wasp lays eggs in buds, acorns or roots and the tree protects itself by enclosing the developing larvae in abnormal growths. Around May, the lava eats its way out and the adult wasp emerges in June/July. The galls I collected had a small hole where the lava had escaped.
Oak gall ink recipe
2 oz crushed oak galls
1 oz ferrous sulphate (available from garden centres)*
1/2 oz gum arabic (available from art shops)
*An alternative to ferrous sulphate can be made by hand by soaking rusty old iron in white vinegar for a few days.
To make the ink, cover the oak galls with water in a pan and simmer for half an hour. The water goes a dark brown. Strain through a piece of muslin or thin cotton and leave to cool. Then add the ferrous sulphate and gum arabic (binding agent) and watch the water turn black! Pure alchemy!**
For my ink I took rusted metal from the river and soaked it in vinegar to get an iron rust solution, and I used river water to boil the oak galls in. The galls came from a tree near the A3 but I hope to find some from oaks beside the river. I want to make paper using river water too and will document my process.
I love the story that this creates and the sense of where everything comes from.
**I have to thank my friend and artist, Lizzie Brewer, who has been making her own ink and paper for her beautiful books for years and gave me the help and confidence to try!!
