19-07-2026, 01:59 PM
What exactly are tannins?
They are simply tannic acid. Gallnuts contain high levels of it because the oak tree wants to protect itself from sawfly caterpillars.
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Essentially, iron that has been chemically ‘burned’ by tannic acid (or any acid) turns black and can no longer rust. Rust = (iron + oxygen).
When McCrone refers to ‘light grey’ (Lowe Gallink), there is a reason for this.
The recipes state that the mixture must be left to react for at least 14 days.
That is precisely the point. Nowhere is it stated how dark the ink will be after 14 days, or after 21, 25 or 30 days of reaction.
One thing is certain: it gets progressively darker.
That’s also something I’m working on.
This leads me to suspect that the VM drawings, star charts and astrological pages were drawn first.
Because on other pages, the text also gets progressively darker.
Is it a different ink, or was the artist simply impatient?
They are simply tannic acid. Gallnuts contain high levels of it because the oak tree wants to protect itself from sawfly caterpillars.
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
Essentially, iron that has been chemically ‘burned’ by tannic acid (or any acid) turns black and can no longer rust. Rust = (iron + oxygen).
When McCrone refers to ‘light grey’ (Lowe Gallink), there is a reason for this.
The recipes state that the mixture must be left to react for at least 14 days.
That is precisely the point. Nowhere is it stated how dark the ink will be after 14 days, or after 21, 25 or 30 days of reaction.
One thing is certain: it gets progressively darker.
That’s also something I’m working on.
This leads me to suspect that the VM drawings, star charts and astrological pages were drawn first.
Because on other pages, the text also gets progressively darker.
Is it a different ink, or was the artist simply impatient?