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Ink
The
word ink comes
from the Greek
word kauterion (meaning
branding iron),
which was used
to fix fast the
wax colors in paintings.
In Latin this process
was called encaustum and
enque in French.
The English changed
the word to enke or inke.
More than four thousand years ago
both the Egyptians and the Chinese
learned to make lasting black ink.
They mixed lampblack or charcoal
with various gums and added water
to this when using ink. This ink
could be wiped off with a sponge;
in fact, if an Egyptian writer
made a mistake, he would lick off
the ink with his tongue. For many
centuries carbon in some form was
the basis of all black inks. Today
China or India ink is made on the
same principle. Other early inks
contained colored juices or extracts
of plants or animals.
Centuries later, the Romans were
still using this same kind of ink.
In addition Romans perfected the
method of getting ink from the
squid. When a squid is disturbed
it sends out a dark brown liquid
to make a kind of smoke screen
or camouflage itself. The Romans
found that they could write with
this brown fluid, which we call
sepia.
About 1,000 years ago a new kind
of ink was discovered. This ink
was made from the galls found on
oak trees. Insects would lay their
eggs in twigs near the oak tree
and wood lumps, known as galls,
grew around these eggs. The galls
contained tannin which when mixed
with certain chemicals, form excellent
ink. During the Middle Ages every
writer had his own recipe for ink.
Examinations of documents written
with these inks are as clear today
as when they were first written.
Modern India ink contains carbon
black dispersed in water. Other
materials are usually added to
keep the carbon from settling out
and to help the ink stay more firmly
on the paper.
The letter above is from an American
supplier of Pelican ink, circa
1949.
Tattoo Archive © 1989
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