[split] Jorge's Retracer Thread: darker ink, retracing of text and drawings

[Jorge_Stolfi]

The McCrone report writes

Yes, the McCrone techncian wrote that.  

But I have explained elsewhere on this forum that their instruments cannot positively identify iron-gall ink.  They can only tell that the ink contains iron.  So that statement was just what they thought was the most likely possibility.  Which would be a safe bet for any ordinary manuscript on vellum.

But we know that the VMS is not an ordinary manuscript...

And I have also pointed out that the multispectral images clearly show that it is not iron-gall ink.   Based on data from experts in distinguishing iron-gall ink from ochre ink by multspectral image analysis.

Has expertise really lost all meaning?

One of the great things I learned while hacking at the VMS was Charles Forte's Law of Expert Action and Reaction: "For every expert there is an equal but opposite expert."

Just consider how long it took for the Vinland Map to be recognized as a forgery after McCrone's initial report. There were good experts on both sides of that debate...

All the best, --stolfi