Thank you lots for opening this part. I'll just start off with a question that some of you may be able to anser. I've just bought some lampblack and gum arabic and want to make ink. can anyonme tell me the exact relations between gum, water and pigment to make reasonably black, wear-resistant ink?
If not I'll just play around.
Try with ashes, or with calamary ink.
Quote:Try with ashes, or with calamary ink.
I know about squink, but it is hard to get here. Most of our 'fresh' seafood is processed on shipboard and frozen, so the ink gets dumped before the squids every reach the shop.
What do you mean by 'ashes'? I'm working with pigment-quality soot, but it still needs a medium to hold it.
in roman times they used ashes as a pigment for making ink, I dunno the process but they might have done it deluding them in some liquid, maybe alcohol or water.
Romans use a word: atramentum. I think ink was made of arabic gum and a colourant. To get black colour, try with the options proposed. To get the red, you can try with ferrous oxid.
What kind of suport you'll use? Ceramic, papirus, wood?
Quote:Romans use a word: atramentum. I think ink was made of arabic gum and a colourant. To get black colour, try with the options proposed. To get the red, you can try with ferrous oxid.
What kind of suport you'll use? Ceramic, papirus, wood?
I'll try all if I can. Right now I'm trying to get the ink to work (part of my paintmaking project) and learning to use a reed pen right. For practice, I'll use paper and plywood scraps. There is a source for papyrus near where I live, but it's pricy and of fairly low quality (today, it must look 'handmade' if it is to sell). A friend may also be able to find me 2mm limewood veneer for tablets. Then I'll ask my potter for 'failed' vessels to use for ostraka. But that's still distant plans. I've only just finished the gum arabic solution and won't have the time to get the soot or iron oxide in this weekend.
Volker