Re: The Vinland Map's Ink

On 16 Apr 2005 11:25:50 -0700, "Ken Towe" <ken.towe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

>>It wasn't that it was thought that he had made a mistake but that
>>there were practical limits to what he could achieve with optical
>>microscopy.
>
>Ermmm, Eric-
>Ken is the actual person who was initially called upon to check whether
>the
>McCrone team could possibly have made significant mistakes...
>
>David is again correct. I wrote a critical analysis of the original
>McCrone report and submitted it to the Yale Beinecke Library in October
>of 1982. It was written after my visit to Chicago where, with McCrone's
>blessing, I examined much of his original XRD, TEM and SAED data.
>Cahill et al. cite this report in their 1987 paper...ref. no. 5. By the
>way, that's one of the reasons I say with confidence that McCrone's
>x-ray films are sharp and the anatase peaks are without spottiness...I
>studied them myself.
>
>Mr. Marcus is also correct in his analysis of Mr. Stevens' comments. It
>is disappointing to see that we cannot obtain either a pro forma
>scenario for authenticty or a proposed hypothesis which can be tested
>from any of those who are adament that the VM is genuine. The tired
>excuse that we don't know enough (everything?) about the ink is really
>weak. As I have tried to explain, there are a number of things that we
>DO know and these things have been confirmed in several ways by
>independent researchers with different approaches and techniques.
>

The reason why you and I seem to be slowly becoming at loggerheads is
that we seem to have different standards for reaching conclusions. For
example, your criticism of those who argue that the VM is genuine
(and, once again, for the record, I am not one of them) can be applied
equally well to those who argue that the VM is a fake. Consider -

It is disappointing to see that we cannot obtain either a pro forma
scenario for forgery or a proposed hypothesis which can be tested
from any of those who are adament that the VM is a forgery. The tired
excuse that we don't know enough (everything?) about the ink is really
weak. As I have tried to explain, there are a number of things that we
DO know and these things have been confirmed in several ways by
independent researchers with different approaches and techniques.

The strongest argument for forgery (based on the ink) is probably the
identification of a modern form of anatase. Unfortunately, all that
does is establish that the anatase is modern. It does not establish
that the anatase is an original part of the ink. i.e. it does not
exclude the possibility of contamination. We do know that the ink was
not any form of iron-gall or a related ink. We do not know what the
ink is. There are at least two main hypotheses as to its application,
neither of which has any substantial evidence to support it, as far as
I know.

The argument would be much simplified if we could identify a
constituent to the ink matrix which is essential to the main body of
the ink and is a modern product. There have been suggestions as to the
presence of an alkyd resin but I am not aware that there is any solid
evidence to this effect. Identifying PVA would be nice.




Eric Stevens

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: The Vinland Maps Ink
    ... >>>kaolin clay sediment to explain the anatase in the underlying ink, ... >>>this natural anatase have not been able to do so. ... >>You accept the anatase is modern, and then proceed to state that Olin's ... The difference is, that when I make a mistake, I admit it. ...
    (sci.archaeology)
  • Mr Towe libelling
    ... > Repeated requests have been made to those who cling to Vinland Map ... > The Renfors Facts? ... The Cahill PIXE analyses found anatase, not only in the ink ...
    (sci.archaeology)
  • Re: The Vinland Map Find Or Fraud?
    ... that has NO RELEVANCE to anything at all being discussed. ... "Anatase particles having all of these properties can only have been ... relevance to the Vinland Map inks." ... content of nanogram flakes of the yellow ink itself, ...
    (sci.archaeology)
  • Re: The Vinland Map Find Or Fraud?
    ... > idea as deriving anatase for the VM ink from clays. ... > then appear in an ink on the Vinland Map. ... > anatase without kaolinite is like finding a needle or two in a haystack ...
    (sci.archaeology)
  • Re: The Vinland Maps Ink
    ... the ferrous iron begins to oxidize to ferric iron and hematite ... talks about a "leaching process" - quite the opposite from calcining. ... In modern practice, when anatase is ... the association of anatase with a medieval ink ...
    (sci.archaeology)
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