INK, BLACK.
flock, ..... DA. Mashi, . . . MALEAL. Ink ; Inkt, . . . Der. Tinta, . . . Pont, Sr. - Fa Tschernilo, . . Rus.
Dinte, . . . . GER. Masi, . . . . SANSK. Seahi, GUJ., HIND., Pecs. flak, Schrif black, . Sw. Inchiostro, . . . Ir. r Mye, T tn.
.tramentum, . . . LAT. Sira, TEL. Mangsi, Dawat, . MALAY.
Printing ink, writing ink, marking ink, India ink, etc., are composed of different ingredients, gall-nuts, copperas, gum, and logwood,—accord ing to the purposes to which it is to be applied. That which is used by the Tamil writers in the Cutcherrios is thus prepared. Half a seer of rice, burnt black, is well boiled in a seer and a half of water, till but one seer remains, then strain off the dregs. To this seer of burnt rice water is to be added two pollams of lac ; boil them well together, and strain off the dregs. Half a seer of carpoo varnam or lamp-black, and half a poll= of vullam pisin or gum-arable, are then to be well rubbed into a fine powder, and gradually added to the mixture of lac and burnt rice water, when the whole is rubbed together and well shaken at different intervals for the space of three days.
Muhammadans take of lamp-black and gum arable equal quantities, and pound them together into a very fine powder. This powder is then moistened with the juice of the pulp of the kuttalay or small aloe, and well rubbed at intervals for two days together, after which it is formed into little cakes, and dried on plantain leaves in the sun for use.
For a good writing ink, take of nut-galls 2 lbs., sulphate of iron 13 oz., gum-arabic 13 oz.; pound the galls, and take 14 bottles of water, Of which take three-quarters and boil the galls in it for three hours in a large pot ; cool and pour off the clear liquid, and strain the remainder (careful and repeated straining is the great secret of successful ink-making) ; take the remaining fourth of water, and dissolve the iron and gum, boil cloves in it 0; prevent fungi ; make all to 15 bottles of fluid.
Strain everything well. Black ink for printers is made of lamp-black, linseed oil, rosin, brown soap, and a small quantity of indigo. Blue ink is made with indigo. Red ink, Segapoo mye, Tam., is prepared by adding a little water to Shem pungie (red cotton), Luttooka doodi, TEL, also by steeping and afterwards boiling chips of red dye-woods in vinegar.
Indian ink or China ink is a solid ink from China. That used in England by artists is made in Canton and Ngan-liwui ; the best is made at Hwui-chau-fu, in the latter province. Pine branches arc burned under a moveable roof of thatch, and the soot is carefully mixed with isin glass or boiling glue. Oil and rock-oil have also been burned to form a finer soot. It is always scented with musk. Corean ink is good. Good Indian (China) ink is put up in plain patterns ; the best kinds are gilt all over. It should be bright when broken, free from grittiness when rubbed on the ink-stone, emit a strong scent, and render the writing glazed when dry. Chinese written documents may be soaked in water for some weeks without being washed, and linen marked with Indian ink will bear several wash ings.—Ainslie. Mat. Med. p. 175; Smith; M. .3.1". C.