carbon black ink, lamp black, soot inks

Ingredients

soot, charcoal, wood, oil, debris, coal, petroleum products

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

Carbon black ink combines soot or charcoal with a binder dissolved in a water-soluble solution. It is produced from elemental carbon and is obtained from the incomplete combustion of coal or petroleum products. Alternatively, burning organic and inorganic components such as wood, oil, and debris provided the carbon for the ink. Lamp black was used specifically to make the highest grade carbon ink, resulting in colors ranging from dark brown to deep blue-black (p. 78, 79).

Evidence

"Carbon black ink was often employed to write manuscripts. It was recurrently used for manuscript writing owing to its endurance and consistency... Binders such as gum Arabic (ancient Egypt) or animal glue (China) are the main components of soot inks, together with soot."

Remarks

Carbon black is described as a very stable pigment. Unlike red ink, carbon ink does not smudge once dry, though freshly written red ink is washable while carbon ink is more permanent (p. 78, 80).