Ink · 50 ml
Gall Black
The oldest ink we make. It goes onto the page a quiet blue-grey and turns black as the iron in it meets the air.
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Gall Black on Rag
A swab and a word on Rag, written live.
Iron-gall ink was the ink of letters, ledgers and treaties for centuries, made from oak galls and iron. It does not sit on the paper like a dye. It bites in, and it darkens as it oxidises.
Write a line and it looks soft and grey-blue. Come back the next day and it is black. On the desk, the “a day later” slider shows you where it ends up.
It is the most permanent ink we sell. Use it in a pen you clean, not one you forget in a drawer.
On each paper
- Rag Best
Bites into the cotton and stays put. The line spreads a little and darkens evenly.
Drying: about 4 s
- Glaze
Sits on the coating, so the grey-blue lasts longer before it turns. Slow to dry.
Drying: about 10 s
- Washi
Soaks straight through. The back of the sheet darkens with the front.
Drying: about 2 s
Details
- Bottle
- 50 ml, glass
- Colour
- Blue-grey, darkens to black
- Sheen
- None
- Shading
- Light
- Water
- Very resistant once dark
Care
Iron-gall is acidic. Flush your pen once a month and before storing it. Do not leave it to dry in a pen for weeks.
