Neutralising Acidity In Home Made Iron Gall Ink

[domnortheast]

Hello,

A couple of quick questions for those who have experience making their own ig inks.

 

I have recently got my first batch of galls set to ferment and have been looking into the rest of the process while I'm waiting.

 

It seems, from reading around, that the resultant ink will be somewhat acidic and may benefit from having its acidity neutralised. Two methods appear to be available for this. The first is adding hydrochloric acid until the ph is up to around 6-8. This method seems straightforward but I think I will have difficulty obtaining hydrochloric acid.

 

The second method requires adding calcium carbonate to raise the ph but I believe this causes a chemical reaction while doing so, similar to that produced when slaking quicklime.

 

My questions then are how violent is the reaction and how much calcium carbonate to add at a time?

 

Thanks

Dom

[tfwall]

First, let me assure you that the addition of hydrochloric (muriatic) acid will lower the pH, making your ink more acidic.

 

Calcium carbonate can be used, but without knowing the starting pH, it is difficult to advise you on how violent the reaction will be and how much you can add at a time. Start small, wear face protection and observe the reaction.

[domnortheast]

Thank you Chemyst. The addition of more acid seemed odd but is suggested in the comments at the base of this article:

 

http://travelingscriptorium.library.yale.edu/2013/03/21/iron-gall-ink/

 

Anyway I will stick to adding calcium carbonate a little at a time.

[tfwall]

Thank you Chemyst. The addition of more acid seemed odd but is suggested in the comments at the base of this article:

 

http://travelingscriptorium.library.yale.edu/2013/03/21/iron-gall-ink/

 

Anyway I will stick to adding calcium carbonate a little at a time.

 

Well, that is the risk of taking scientific advice from the internet comments section.

 

P.S. The irony of trusting random FPN members, which is essentially a giant internet comments section, is not lost on me.

[domnortheast]

 

Well, that is the risk of taking scientific advice from the internet comments section.

 

P.S. The irony of trusting random FPN members, which is essentially a giant internet comments section, is not lost on me.

 

Quite.

On the plus, side buying quantities of hydrochloric acid over the internet is relatively difficult thus preventing ham-fisted dabblers in arcane alchemy such as myself from doing too much damage to themselves or their kitchens. You'd kind of hope a comment on an article from Yale would have some veracity.

[tfwall]

On the plus, side buying quantities of hydrochloric acid over the internet is relatively difficult thus preventing ham-fisted dabblers in arcane alchemy such as myself from doing too much damage to themselves or their kitchens.

 

Should you need dilute hydrochloric acid in your experiments, it is available in your local gardening center. It is labeled "muriatic acid" and sold to clean exterior concrete.

[domnortheast]

Ah yes, cement stain remover, of course. Have used that before to clean quarry tiles. Thank you.

 

I think the hydrochloric acid confusion may have something to do with the process described by 'pharmacist' on the thread below:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/37325-home-made-ink-mostly-ig-tips-and-tricks/?p=1647499

[Husar]

Hello Stanley. It is hard to neutralize the pH of an iron gall ink, because the low pH keeps the inkas a solution. When the ink is transferred to the paper, the hydrochloric acid evaporates and it stain the paper. You can read this in the book "Inks, their composition and manufacture", available free at project Gutemberg or here. I suggest you than you use that ink in a cheap fountain pen or with a dip pen. I made some of the Pharmacist's Urkundentinte last year and I write with that every day with a dip pen and it is great. I used it with a Noodler's Ahab and it doesn't corrode the pen. You can clean the pen with lemon juice or a solution of 10% ascorbic acid.

 

Cheers!

[domnortheast]

Thanks Husar,

Yes, I have now realised a certain level of acidity is required as you say. I guess, as long as there is not too much excess iron in the mix, then the the ph shouldn't be acidic enough to corrode the paper over time.

 

Not having a set of scales to hand when I set the galls to ferment, I don't know the weight of galls I used (a large fist sized amount when wrapped in a tea towel and beaten to a powder with a rolling pin). I will therefore have to estimate how much iron sulphate to add to obtain the correct ratio of gallotannic acid to iron sulphate.

 

Am aiming just to use this stuff in my dip pens, my favoured writing tool at home. Will keep the ESSRI & Diamine Registrar's for the FPs.

 

Dom

Edited August 28, 2015 by Stanley Howler