. . . long time passing . . .
A scrivener song by Pierre Seeger? Well, undoubtedly not, but an anthem for me this season nonetheless.
Oak gall nuts seem to be missing in action this summer, at least in the Upper Midwest area around the Twin Cities. I don't know if this is due to the weather or climate's effect on the wasps that usually lay the eggs in the oak branches creating the galls or some other cause. Missouri, on the other hand, seems to be having a bumper crop year.
Bees in general have been going missing and although I've seen a few wasps and hornets of late, nothing like former years. Local calligraphers who use the galls to make their ink, too, have been unable to find the galls around here. George Yanagita, from whom I've received a few bags harvested in the backyard marsh, hasn't seen any in his oak trees this year.
A conundrum to say the least.
As a result of my weekend of fur trade interpretation at Madeline Island demonstrating ink making and so on, I am preparing and drying a new batch of ink for powder. Maybe I can salvage something from the summer. If you have oak galls in your backyard and are close enough to make harvesting and transfer to me possible, let me know.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Ink Batches
Amazingly, I have been able to post twice in one month! I need to restrain myself lest expectations rise to unattainable heights.
A new batch of ink is completed and is awaiting the completion of the slow dehydration process in the oven. Unlike batch numbered 3, this ink has a very dark, stout character with a bit of shine. Batch 2 as you will recall seemed a bit timid and not quite as permanently impressed upon the paper fiber as I would have liked, though still quite usable.
So, I should have a completely adequate supply of period correct 18th century ink ready for sale come Spring.
Packaging is set set, with instructions in both period and (inside) modern day wording.
Now, I await the return of Spring, the budding oaks, the busy wasps, and nascent galls ready to be turned into more ink . . .
A new batch of ink is completed and is awaiting the completion of the slow dehydration process in the oven. Unlike batch numbered 3, this ink has a very dark, stout character with a bit of shine. Batch 2 as you will recall seemed a bit timid and not quite as permanently impressed upon the paper fiber as I would have liked, though still quite usable.So, I should have a completely adequate supply of period correct 18th century ink ready for sale come Spring.
Packaging is set set, with instructions in both period and (inside) modern day wording.
Now, I await the return of Spring, the budding oaks, the busy wasps, and nascent galls ready to be turned into more ink . . .
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Putting electronic quill to electronic laid paper
I find myself apparently as constant a correspondent by this means as I was consistent with letter and thank-you writing in my youth. In other words, not so much. I beg your pardon for my lack, though with the steady stream of postings from others I doubt my missives have been sorely missed.
Still, the purpose of this setting seems to be to generate a persistent flow of communication about the subjects of interest to the originator. And to this task I have not stayed true. I could plead that "life intrudes" as it has with work, family, and other commitments. I could as well plead that I had nothing of note, at least to me, that seemed worthy of your ear.
This is not to say your correspondent has not been busy with attention to those things pertaining to the Clerk.
Indeed, since my last missive in November regarding NAVC's Fall Gathering, I have, amongst other endeavors, spent a good deal of time reading a pile of books and journal articles (I won't bore you with a list, you can send me a message if you want a "reading list") regarding 18th century shipping, trade, merchant activity, insurance, and other subjects relevant to 18th century economics. I hope that I can, at a not too future date, put together an article or presentation regarding the understanding I have gained in this area as regards the economic workings of the fur trade. With, I hope, a practical application, such as my workshop "And Take a Receipt", which examines the fairly dry topic of: "the type and use of fur trade documents to figure out the cost and profit on a 2 1/2 point blanket and its comparative value both to trader and Native in the context of 18th century price structure" and presents the information in concrete terms applicable to the interpreter.
That said, I've taken up mixing the latest potion of ink, using the last of my oak galls. I hope these are a better batch than the last one which did not produce a colorfast a liquid as previous concoctions. I will also be using a dried gum Arabic rather than the liquid form more readily available in art stores. I will chronicle that venture in the next "chapter" in our continuing serial. With, it is to be hoped, not such a long gap.
Still, the purpose of this setting seems to be to generate a persistent flow of communication about the subjects of interest to the originator. And to this task I have not stayed true. I could plead that "life intrudes" as it has with work, family, and other commitments. I could as well plead that I had nothing of note, at least to me, that seemed worthy of your ear.
This is not to say your correspondent has not been busy with attention to those things pertaining to the Clerk.
Indeed, since my last missive in November regarding NAVC's Fall Gathering, I have, amongst other endeavors, spent a good deal of time reading a pile of books and journal articles (I won't bore you with a list, you can send me a message if you want a "reading list") regarding 18th century shipping, trade, merchant activity, insurance, and other subjects relevant to 18th century economics. I hope that I can, at a not too future date, put together an article or presentation regarding the understanding I have gained in this area as regards the economic workings of the fur trade. With, I hope, a practical application, such as my workshop "And Take a Receipt", which examines the fairly dry topic of: "the type and use of fur trade documents to figure out the cost and profit on a 2 1/2 point blanket and its comparative value both to trader and Native in the context of 18th century price structure" and presents the information in concrete terms applicable to the interpreter.
That said, I've taken up mixing the latest potion of ink, using the last of my oak galls. I hope these are a better batch than the last one which did not produce a colorfast a liquid as previous concoctions. I will also be using a dried gum Arabic rather than the liquid form more readily available in art stores. I will chronicle that venture in the next "chapter" in our continuing serial. With, it is to be hoped, not such a long gap.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
North American Voyageurs Council Fall Gathering
Some of you are already acquainted with NAVC, but for those that are not here is a look at how history interpreters learn and have fun in the Upper Midwestern US:
NAVC Fall Gathering photo gallery
Enjoy.
NAVC Fall Gathering photo gallery
Enjoy.
Monday, October 26, 2009
A friend reaches the final portage
Most of his friends and acquaintances will have undoubtedly received the news in other forums, but I must also comment here, though I have been remiss in timely postings on other matters.
Mike Ameling, "that grumpy old blacksmith out in the Hinterlands", has died at age 56.
I first met Mike when we took the "Grand Portage Choir Boys" tour van to DeChartres Spring Frolic a number of years ago. The thirty-somethings through fifty-somethings piled into the Timmerman's van (the "Otter" family van for those of you who know Tim and Brenda) and headed south.
It was, to say the least, a rollicking good time, and has been every year since. Although only two of us in that crew could be considered "liberal" or other left-leaning labels, and we definitely did not agree on any number of political issues, we became nonetheless close friends and comrades.
Mike was a blacksmith, and more. Amongst his other skills and areas of knowledge, his study of the firesteel, an integral part of anyone's interpretation of our time period, was comprehensive, spanning Roman times to now. His artifacts were fascinating and his reproductions were amazing. His reproductions now reside in various interpretive centers. Many camps have any number of his fire steels, metal pipes, rat spears, chisels, knives, and more.
Beyond that, Mike was a really nice guy. That "grumpy" epitaph was just a label he liked, I suppose because he really did live in the hinterlands. But he was kind and generous, and like many Midwesterners, ever self-effacing.
Mike, you deserve all the compliments and honors and love your family and friends around the world are pouring out to you.
Godspeed, Mikey, and we'll see you further down the portage.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Ink takes a powder
And so another month has passed; how time flies and how fleeting the enterprises and intentions of man . . .
In the while, though, amongst life's other endeavors your correspondent has found time to continue the exploration of 18th century inks, the creation of ink powders, and the formulations necessary to create a powdered ink suitable for reenactors and others interested in this the task of writing in this time period.
In the past month, I have found my way through at least 4 to 5 works on ink, ink of the 17th and 18th century, and chemical composition of such ink, not to mention other works related to the function of the clerk. I am indebted to a large extent to Jack Thompson of Thompson Conservatory, mentioned in previous postings, for leads to a number of the works--either through his direction or found amidst reading such.
I think I have arrived at a suitable ink which I can render in powdered form and which I will be making available in a period packet shortly.
A few remarks, however, are necessary as a result of the my various readings, especially so given postings regarding inks on other bulletin boards.
1. Iron gall ink, other postings elsewhere not withstanding, is the proper writing ink to be used for our time period of the 18th century. It goes back much further, probably at least to the 9th century though carbon inks were also in use early on. In the class of carbon ink is included the "logwood" or "lamp black" inks. These carbon based ink were not desirable in that they did not meet the test of suitable ink:
To wit, "The requisites of a good black writing ink or black writing fluid require it to flow readily from the pen, to indicate in a short time a black color and to penetrate the paper to an appreciable degree, and more important than all the rest, to be of great durability. When kept in a closed Bessel no sediment of any account should be precipitated, although such will be the case in open ink-wells, and this the quicker the more the air is permitted to get ot it. If it is to be used for record or documentary purposes it must not be altogether obliterated if brought into contact with water or alcohol, and should depend for permanency on its chemical and not on its pigmentary qualities. . . ."
(David Carvalho, "Forty Centuries of Ink", Banks Law Publishing: NY, 1904, p. 132; plus a variety of other authors including Mitchell, "Inks: Composition and Manufacturing", Griffin and Co.: London, 1924; and Barrow, "Black Ink of the Colonial Period" in American Archivist, 11:4 plus the bibliographic references contained in these works).
2. The point made in all the works I have read agree that the image produced by the action of writing with ink is best when the ink penetrates the fibers of the material written upon, not a surface image (which is what carbon inks accomplish). In other words, when you write on paper with iron gall ink, the image is produced not by the application of opaque material upon the page but by the chemical reaction of the gallate tannin in the ink actually absorbing into the fibers chemically and changing its composition and hence color.
This is the reason why the various calligraphy inks and so called "period" inks sold by various companies are inadequate. In the experiments I have done, those little packets sold with or without a quill produce a nice, shiny, black ink that runs, smears, or otherwise is obliterated when wet.
If you examine period writing, especially period fur trade journals which underwent some serious abuse in their time of use, and then later storage, you will not that even under the insult of liquid of various types they are still legible, not having run or smeared.
3. Other inks, such as "India ink" or "Japan ink" are not and were not considered appropriate ink for writing as they "clumped" up or otherwise impeded the use by quill, being better suited to the brush of Chinese and Japanese (and Indian) writing. Such ink was better suited of artistic endeavor.
4. Powdered inks, contrary to the surmise of the archivist I quoted in an earlier post, seem to have been made from dehydrated or dried ink rather than a package of the various dry ingredients finely powdered, mixed, and sold to be later constituted with water. In the various reading mentioned, all mentioned this latter to be undesirable, creating a very pale image unsuitable for writing (perhaps if left long enough for the tannin to leach . . .).
At the same time, however, powdered inks were found to be inferior to the ready made ink "from scratch". In the "wet" ink, the pigment is held in the solution while the process of drying and reconstituting takes away this property and holds particles in suspension rather than solution.
I have found this to be the case in comparing my "wet" and reconstituted inks. And yet, the ink from powder, though seeming to be applied as a thin and pale solution to the paper, turns a dark black upon the paper as the ink dries and oxidation takes place (this oxidation being the cause of the dark image on paper created by iron gall ink).
Based upon those considerations, and more, the ink I have formulated meets the tests of readily flowing and penetrating the writing surface fiber to create a permanent, black record.
Given the choice of ink made from ingredients (that is, purchasing "wet" ink) or ink made from powder, I would probably opt for buying a bottle of prepared ink, from my readings and my own experience with making ink.
But, given the mess that carrying around ink prior to use, especially prior to sale, ink powder seems to be a good avenue. The product does not seem to suffer from the drying process, though shininess is not evident any longer. This really doesn't seem to be an impediment as a shiny line doesn't seem to have been a prerequisite of period ink, and ink powder was a common product.
It seems that those wishing a shinier ink can merely add a bit of sugar, or even mix the powder with white wine rather than rain water (both period formulae). Though vinegar is sometimes suggested in period recipes, vinegar has been found to be detrimental to paper.
One other note to this rather long exposition, period recipes call for the boiling or at least use of warm water to process the gall nut. In the course of reading, I have found that the better method, found later (but possibly used by some??), should have been a cold soaking.
Ultimately, the cold water method is what I have ended up using by default and without a thought. After the cold water soaking for a few days, or possibly allowing soaking in the warm sun, I have usually strained and then reduced the concoction by boiling it to half before adding the other ingredients.
I hope to see some of you at the NAVC Fall Gathering at which time I hope to have some sample ink powder packets for perusal. For those of you wondering what is this NAVC Gathering and what goes on, click on this link to see our Fall Gathering Preview newsletter. Having Adobe Reader 9 will provide best viewing of all PDF documents.
Next time.
In the while, though, amongst life's other endeavors your correspondent has found time to continue the exploration of 18th century inks, the creation of ink powders, and the formulations necessary to create a powdered ink suitable for reenactors and others interested in this the task of writing in this time period.
In the past month, I have found my way through at least 4 to 5 works on ink, ink of the 17th and 18th century, and chemical composition of such ink, not to mention other works related to the function of the clerk. I am indebted to a large extent to Jack Thompson of Thompson Conservatory, mentioned in previous postings, for leads to a number of the works--either through his direction or found amidst reading such.
I think I have arrived at a suitable ink which I can render in powdered form and which I will be making available in a period packet shortly.
A few remarks, however, are necessary as a result of the my various readings, especially so given postings regarding inks on other bulletin boards.
1. Iron gall ink, other postings elsewhere not withstanding, is the proper writing ink to be used for our time period of the 18th century. It goes back much further, probably at least to the 9th century though carbon inks were also in use early on. In the class of carbon ink is included the "logwood" or "lamp black" inks. These carbon based ink were not desirable in that they did not meet the test of suitable ink:
To wit, "The requisites of a good black writing ink or black writing fluid require it to flow readily from the pen, to indicate in a short time a black color and to penetrate the paper to an appreciable degree, and more important than all the rest, to be of great durability. When kept in a closed Bessel no sediment of any account should be precipitated, although such will be the case in open ink-wells, and this the quicker the more the air is permitted to get ot it. If it is to be used for record or documentary purposes it must not be altogether obliterated if brought into contact with water or alcohol, and should depend for permanency on its chemical and not on its pigmentary qualities. . . ."
(David Carvalho, "Forty Centuries of Ink", Banks Law Publishing: NY, 1904, p. 132; plus a variety of other authors including Mitchell, "Inks: Composition and Manufacturing", Griffin and Co.: London, 1924; and Barrow, "Black Ink of the Colonial Period" in American Archivist, 11:4 plus the bibliographic references contained in these works).
2. The point made in all the works I have read agree that the image produced by the action of writing with ink is best when the ink penetrates the fibers of the material written upon, not a surface image (which is what carbon inks accomplish). In other words, when you write on paper with iron gall ink, the image is produced not by the application of opaque material upon the page but by the chemical reaction of the gallate tannin in the ink actually absorbing into the fibers chemically and changing its composition and hence color.
This is the reason why the various calligraphy inks and so called "period" inks sold by various companies are inadequate. In the experiments I have done, those little packets sold with or without a quill produce a nice, shiny, black ink that runs, smears, or otherwise is obliterated when wet.
If you examine period writing, especially period fur trade journals which underwent some serious abuse in their time of use, and then later storage, you will not that even under the insult of liquid of various types they are still legible, not having run or smeared.
3. Other inks, such as "India ink" or "Japan ink" are not and were not considered appropriate ink for writing as they "clumped" up or otherwise impeded the use by quill, being better suited to the brush of Chinese and Japanese (and Indian) writing. Such ink was better suited of artistic endeavor.
4. Powdered inks, contrary to the surmise of the archivist I quoted in an earlier post, seem to have been made from dehydrated or dried ink rather than a package of the various dry ingredients finely powdered, mixed, and sold to be later constituted with water. In the various reading mentioned, all mentioned this latter to be undesirable, creating a very pale image unsuitable for writing (perhaps if left long enough for the tannin to leach . . .).
At the same time, however, powdered inks were found to be inferior to the ready made ink "from scratch". In the "wet" ink, the pigment is held in the solution while the process of drying and reconstituting takes away this property and holds particles in suspension rather than solution.
I have found this to be the case in comparing my "wet" and reconstituted inks. And yet, the ink from powder, though seeming to be applied as a thin and pale solution to the paper, turns a dark black upon the paper as the ink dries and oxidation takes place (this oxidation being the cause of the dark image on paper created by iron gall ink).
Based upon those considerations, and more, the ink I have formulated meets the tests of readily flowing and penetrating the writing surface fiber to create a permanent, black record.
Given the choice of ink made from ingredients (that is, purchasing "wet" ink) or ink made from powder, I would probably opt for buying a bottle of prepared ink, from my readings and my own experience with making ink.
But, given the mess that carrying around ink prior to use, especially prior to sale, ink powder seems to be a good avenue. The product does not seem to suffer from the drying process, though shininess is not evident any longer. This really doesn't seem to be an impediment as a shiny line doesn't seem to have been a prerequisite of period ink, and ink powder was a common product.
It seems that those wishing a shinier ink can merely add a bit of sugar, or even mix the powder with white wine rather than rain water (both period formulae). Though vinegar is sometimes suggested in period recipes, vinegar has been found to be detrimental to paper.
One other note to this rather long exposition, period recipes call for the boiling or at least use of warm water to process the gall nut. In the course of reading, I have found that the better method, found later (but possibly used by some??), should have been a cold soaking.
Ultimately, the cold water method is what I have ended up using by default and without a thought. After the cold water soaking for a few days, or possibly allowing soaking in the warm sun, I have usually strained and then reduced the concoction by boiling it to half before adding the other ingredients.
I hope to see some of you at the NAVC Fall Gathering at which time I hope to have some sample ink powder packets for perusal. For those of you wondering what is this NAVC Gathering and what goes on, click on this link to see our Fall Gathering Preview newsletter. Having Adobe Reader 9 will provide best viewing of all PDF documents.
Next time.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Back to the countinghouse
After a month hiatus, the Clerk returns. Lest you should think your humble Clerk has been lacking in industry, this past month has been occupied with travel to Grand Portage to participate in the Annual Rendezvous and greet visitors to the post in the countinghouse.
Beyond that trip, the days have been taken up in my "other life" as a puppeteer in performance and in building characters for a company in northern Minnesota.
However, I have returned.
During this period my experiments with ink have continued. I have taken the greater part of the ink I have produced in the past and dehydrated it producing a powdered ink. I had earlier stated that I wasn't enthralled by the produced outcome, the product having much particulate residue and seemingly quite thin.
I was wrong!
After using this reconstituted ink, I found that it worked quite well. The liquid applied quite nicely to the paper. At first contact the ink was quite a faint gray, but within seconds as it dried, the ink took on a dark complexion. This is possibly due to the tannin etching in the paper's linen/cotton fibers, but perhaps the iron sulfate play some part.
I have yet to strain the reconstituted ink to remove the particulates as some instructors of the 18th century advise. They claimed that the particles interfere with the flow of the ink but I have not found that to be the case.
More as it develops.
On a related theme, I have also been exploring what form actual period powdered ink took. In my search, I found the following information which I posted in another forum:
Whilst searching out information on forms of powdered ink, having gone the dehydrated route, I found this series of abstracts from Smithsonian workshops. The particular one that caught my eye was Elissa O’Loughlin's on Powdered Inks.
"Powdered iron gall inks are not reconstituted inks. . . The packets, usually made of paper, allowed the user to carry large quantities of ink without the bulk of the liquid. The ink was mixed with water as needed, and presumably formed a dark writing ink within a short period of time."
Which caused my question about the time element since "a short period of time" was defined.
"Erasmus is said to have carried powdered inks with him on his travels. One could assume that they were in common use when writing materials went “on the road” with officials such as circuit court judges. Colonial American records contain many references to these inks. Benjamin Franklin sold them in his shop in Philadelphia, and the Congress of the United States purchased large quantities of the ink in paper packets."
This is an interesting note on the actual types of the ingredients, as opposed to the commonly used materials:
"One extant sample of powdered iron gall ink in the U.S. National Archives (c. 1830) exhibits some properties which suggest that the form of the iron was chosen carefully. The powder is light brown-gray in color, appears finely divided (not clumped) and the particles of gum are glassy and brittle."
Apparently, rather than the ferrous sulfate (iron sulfate) obtainable from chemical houses (school supply warehouses), the type used possibly used was pure heptahydrate, not hygroscopic and so does not readily oxidize in air.
Another thread to pursue.
Beyond that trip, the days have been taken up in my "other life" as a puppeteer in performance and in building characters for a company in northern Minnesota.
However, I have returned.
During this period my experiments with ink have continued. I have taken the greater part of the ink I have produced in the past and dehydrated it producing a powdered ink. I had earlier stated that I wasn't enthralled by the produced outcome, the product having much particulate residue and seemingly quite thin.
I was wrong!
After using this reconstituted ink, I found that it worked quite well. The liquid applied quite nicely to the paper. At first contact the ink was quite a faint gray, but within seconds as it dried, the ink took on a dark complexion. This is possibly due to the tannin etching in the paper's linen/cotton fibers, but perhaps the iron sulfate play some part.
I have yet to strain the reconstituted ink to remove the particulates as some instructors of the 18th century advise. They claimed that the particles interfere with the flow of the ink but I have not found that to be the case.
More as it develops.
On a related theme, I have also been exploring what form actual period powdered ink took. In my search, I found the following information which I posted in another forum:
Whilst searching out information on forms of powdered ink, having gone the dehydrated route, I found this series of abstracts from Smithsonian workshops. The particular one that caught my eye was Elissa O’Loughlin's on Powdered Inks.
"Powdered iron gall inks are not reconstituted inks. . . The packets, usually made of paper, allowed the user to carry large quantities of ink without the bulk of the liquid. The ink was mixed with water as needed, and presumably formed a dark writing ink within a short period of time."
Which caused my question about the time element since "a short period of time" was defined.
"Erasmus is said to have carried powdered inks with him on his travels. One could assume that they were in common use when writing materials went “on the road” with officials such as circuit court judges. Colonial American records contain many references to these inks. Benjamin Franklin sold them in his shop in Philadelphia, and the Congress of the United States purchased large quantities of the ink in paper packets."
This is an interesting note on the actual types of the ingredients, as opposed to the commonly used materials:
"One extant sample of powdered iron gall ink in the U.S. National Archives (c. 1830) exhibits some properties which suggest that the form of the iron was chosen carefully. The powder is light brown-gray in color, appears finely divided (not clumped) and the particles of gum are glassy and brittle."
Apparently, rather than the ferrous sulfate (iron sulfate) obtainable from chemical houses (school supply warehouses), the type used possibly used was pure heptahydrate, not hygroscopic and so does not readily oxidize in air.
Another thread to pursue.
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