New Contributions to Iron Gall Ink Inspection Protocols Using Open Source Surface Analysis and Digital Imaging

Abstract The research addresses the problem of degradation of documents with iron gall inks and the use of Fiji’s ImageJ software to analyse corrosion. This program is considered a valuable tool to complement inspection protocols by allowing quantitative analysis of support losses and halos in inked areas. With the use of the DStretch plug-in effective results are achieved in the recovery of illegible texts, even in very degraded documents. The methodology is applied to sixteenth century documents in the Archivo Histórico Provincial de Santa Cruz de Tenerife, obtaining both qualitative and quantitative data on degradation. The results obtained indicate the need for periodic inspections and document restoration actions. The use of this software complements the information in the inspections to make decisions about the affected documents.