Scribal Ink Base

י"ח באלול תשס"ז

As an alternative to archival black India ink as a base for my original Temple Pathways scribal ink recipe, for spellwork I am going to handmake my own black ink base as well. The black ink base takes some time to prepare, so in the meantime I will use the one made with an India ink base.

Here is a basic sofrut ink recipe modified from here:

3 grams gum arabic
3 grams ground gallnuts (source of tannic acid)
1 gram kankantum (vitriol - i.e. iron or copper sulphate)
1/8 liter distilled water
1/8 liter blackberry Manischewitz wine

To the above recipe, I'll add:

tsp. of vinegar (helps retain color, magickal healing property)
tsp. of salt (inhibits mold growth)
tsp. ground pomegranate rind (another source for tannic acid)
remaining ingredients as described in Temple Pathways ink recipe

crush, cook over open flame to residue, strain, wait 6 months

Some other basic ink recipes:

How To Make Ink
Ink Recipes 1
Ink Recipes 2
Ink Recipes 3
Ink Recipes 4
Ink Recipes 5
Ink Recipes 6 - bizzare, interesting recipe
Ink Recipes 7 - from the sixteenth century Booke of Secrets
Ink Recipes 8 - from the sixteenth century book, The Arte of Limming