KWZ Iron Gall Inks

About

The recipe KWZ (pronounced Ka Veh Zeh ) Ink uses to produce Iron Gall was developed in the first half of 2013. Konrad constantly improves his inks and systematically introduces minor changes to their recipe, but the basics of it has not changed significantly. There have been no cases of corrosion or blockage due to precipitation in fountain pens which were inked with KWZ Iron Gall inks for their standard use. PLEASE NOTE: leaving Iron Gall ink in an unused pen for a very long period of time could cause corrosion to occur in pens with stainless steel nibs. Nibs made of gold, titanium, palladium, platinum, silver, etc. are generally resistant to corrosion and it is not possible under any circumstances to have corrosion by the Iron Gall inks or any other type of ink. Iron Gall inks are waterproof and require compliance with a number of recommendations. Following these guidelines will protect and prevent any problems that might occur during the use of Iron Gall inks in fountain pens. Iron Gall inks are a specific group of inks – brief description of the processes that take place in the ink goes beyond this short tutorial. User should be aware that well stored Iron Gall ink is a true solution, there is no solid residue suspended in the ink. Only after application of Iron Gall ink on a substrate (ideally paper) and evaporation of most of the water; reactions occur which gives a water-insoluble complex of iron with an intense dark color. The same reactions which are responsible for darkening and formation of water insoluble complexes of iron are also unfortunately possible in the interior of a fountain pen. This can happen if a fountain pen is left unused for long time or if a fountain pen has the tendency to quickly dry out. Cleaning dried Iron Gall ink is not especially difficult, but it requires a lot of time and patience (especially if you do not want to disassemble the pen). Iron Gall inks should be used in fountain pens that are used regularly. Do not use Iron Gall i