mixed ink (carbon ink and a non-vitriolic iron-gall ink)

Ingredients

carbon ink, non-vitriolic iron-gall ink, iron, manganese

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

A mixture between two different inks: iron-gall ink and carbon ink. The author suggests it might have been 'created by dipping accidentally a contaminated quill in an inkwell containing another ink type' (p. 117).

Evidence

"The ink used by Yefet b. Hillel to sign T-S 13J1.9 is therefore a mixed ink, consisting of a mixture between a carbon ink and a non-vitriolic iron-gall ink, as can be seen in Figure 4.23."

Remarks

In manuscript T-S 13J1.9, the main text is written with non-vitriolic iron-gall ink, while the signature of Yefet b. Hillel is a mixed ink. Unlike pure iron-gall, it does not disappear under NIR light, yet it contains a large amount of iron in the XRF spectrum. It lacks copper and zinc, and only shows insignificant traces of manganese, consistent with non-vitriolic iron-gall production (p. 111).