Bright red berries punctuate the high moor of Dartmoor in the autumn, their little clusters like polka dots on the tree. The most versatile of our inks, the rowan berry can be transformed into red, green, and dark grey inks. All different, and beautiful in their own right.
This ink has been transformed using iron to create the softest grey-black ink.
This product is part of our Acorn & Mire give-back line. A portion from each sale is donated back to environmental charities supporting hedgerow regeneration and peatland restoration.
Details
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Colour: grey-black - rowan cooked in alum with iron added (Fe2Su). The ink will be purple when wet. It will not stay this colour.
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Size: one 15mL vial of gorse ink
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Use with: Small paint brushes; you can also use a dip pen, but it's very light when wet and difficult to see
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Suitable for fountain pens? No.
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Light fast rating? 1-2. The ink should not be left exposed to direct sunshine.
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Ingredients: Rowan berries, Dartmoor rainwater, iron (Fe2Su) gum Arabic, preservative
- Rowan berry ink has a limited shelf life. We do our best to ship within 2-3 weeks of the ink being made. This means we don't always have ink on hand and there may be a slight delay if we need to make a fresh batch.
The Perfect Gift For
- Artists and calligraphers.
- Eco-conscious individuals.
- Nature Lovers and Foragers.
- Writers and Journal Keepers.
- Historians and Vintage Enthusiasts.
- Minimalists.
- Botanists and Gardeners.
Usage Tips
This is a natural product with a limited shelf life. Best used within a few weeks or months of making. We make our ink with a goodly amount of gum Arabic. If you find it's too thick, you can add a little water. Shake well before use. This ink is not as thick as our oak gall ink. If you prefer a reddish-black thicker ink, choose the oak gall ink instead.
How it's made
Rowan berries are harvested by hand from low-hanging branches. We gather only enough for what we need during the autumn harvest; however, the trees are abundant on the moor. The ink is green; however, this ink is adjusted using iron sulphate (Fe2Su) to make a soft grey-black. This ink will fizz if mixed with soda decocted ink (i.e., the red rowan ink). Sometimes this mixing will result in an interesting grey-purple colour when dried.
About the colour
Your vial of ink will include the year it was made, and a sample on the label. The ink usually changes colour a little bit as it dries and is exposed to air. It may be darker, or it may lighten. Use the label as your guide for the colour.
