Pine Soot Ink (松煙墨）

Pine Soot Ink (松煙墨）

Chinese Calligraphy

Writing Tools

Calligraphy Tools

Ink

Solid Ink

Inksticks

Song Dynasty (宋朝)

Pine soot ink is made from the soot of pine wood, which is produced by the anoxic burning of pine wood. It has less glue (animal glue, e.g. Egg white, fish skin, or ox hide glues) and so spreads more than oil soot ink. Pine soot ink is a lot less lustrous or glossy compared to oil soot ink. It is often used to write calligraphy on stone carvings, or paintings (e.g. things like a man's hair).

Before pine soot ink was widely used, ink was usually made out of natural compositions like graphite (石墨). However, producing pine soot inks requires chopping down thicker and stronger pine trees, creating damage for the natural environment

Song Dynasty (宋朝)

To make ink, the inkstick is ground against an inkstone with a small quantity of water to produce a dark liquid which is then applied with an ink brush.

Oil Soot Ink (油煙墨）

Liquid Ink (墨汁)

Solid

Rectangular

Often have inscriptions and images

Pine soot

Physical Object

pinesootink

Hold the inkstick straight while grinding it against the inkstone.

Grind the inkstick with moderate speed and strength, and add an appropriate amount of water to ensure the concentration of the ink is maintained.

Only grind as much ink as you need, because when ink is left unused for more than a day, the soot and glue starts to separate, and the ink becomes unusable.

Once the process of ink grinding is finished, remove the inkstick from the inkstone immediately to prevent them from sticking to each other. Store the inkstick in a container or box of some sort to prevent the sun's direct contact as well as humidity.

If you accidentally stain your clothing with ink, wash it with water immediately. If water is unable to complete remove the stain, try to use cooked rice. This is because the starch in rice can stick to the small soot particles in the ink, making it easier to wash off.