Development, characterization of traditional inks for restoration of ancient manuscripts and application on various substrates to understand stability

This work deliberates to provide compatible ink for restoration of faded manuscripts. Four writing inks Virdgris, Carbon black, Almond shell and iron galls were prepared based on traditional formulations. The inks were characterized using FTIR, XRF, UV-vis spectrometer techniques. The color characterization technique was done to ensure color stability of the prepared inks. The elemental data showed potassium as a major component for the almond shell (54.42 wt%) and carbon black (24.01 wt%) whereas copper and iron is major element for Verdigris and iron gall inks (>98 wt%), respectively with Mn, Ca, S and Zn as minor components. The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrum showed different components are present in the prepared inks. The inks were applied on four different substrate birch bark, palm leaves, handmade paper, and papyrus to elucidate their writing efficacy and color stability. The Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage (CIE) L*a*b* color space parameter was applied to measure the color stability for a regular period. The total color differences Delta E* ab was calculated using L*, a*, and b* data. The color index studies at the regular intervals carried to monitor color difference and surface reflectance. All the substrates were further passed through accelerated weathering test and total color difference Delta E* ab, CIE L* a*b* was again calculated using L*, a*, and b* to know the color stability. Based on the analytical data, these natural and stable inks can be recommended for archival manuscript conservation particularly in retouching operation by adjusting other parameters.

Automated summary

This study aimed to provide compatible ink for restoration of faded manuscripts, preparing four different writing inks based on traditional formulations and characterizing them for stability. The inks were tested on various substrates to evaluate their efficacy and color stability, ultimately recommending them for archival manuscript conservation.