Table 1 Glue to soot ratios of different methods of making ink sticks in ancient China
From: Study of Ink stick unearthed from the tomb of Fan Xiaochong in Shaanxi Province
Monograph | Author | Method | Dosage | Glue/Soot | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
“Mo-Jing” (墨经)37 | Jiyi Chao (晁季一) | Sixie Jia’s Method (贾思勰墨法) | “One catty of soot, five taels of glue” (煤一斤, 用胶五两) | 5/16 | 0.31 |
“Wen-Fang-Si-Pu” (文房四谱)51 | Yijian Su (苏易简) | Zhongjiang Wei’s Method (韦仲将墨法) | “One catty of fine soot, five taels of good glue” (烟一斤以上, 好胶五两) | 5/16 | 0.31 |
“Mo-Pu-Fa-Shi” (墨谱法式)41 | Xiaomei Li (李孝美) | Ancient Method (古墨墨法) | “Six taels of glue, one catty of soot” (胶六两, 煤一斤) | 6/16 | 0.38 |
“Five taels of antler gelatin, one catty of coal” (鹿角胶五两, 煤一斤) | 5/16 | 0.31 | |||
Oil-soot ink Method (油烟墨墨法) | “Four taels of glue, one catty of soot” (胶四两, 煤一斤) | 4/16 | 0.25 | ||
“Five taels of rubber, one catty of coal” (胶五两, 煤一斤) | 5/16 | 0.31 |
