The allure of fine pens, dipped or filled with ink, is still strong.
The US Declaration of Independence is famously written in Oak Gall ink
Wondrous realms of inspiration led ink explorers to discover the now famous Oak Gall ink. Take this condensed description,
The ink was traditionally prepared by adding some iron(II) sulfate (FeSO4) to a solution of tannic acid, but any iron ion donor can be used. The gallotannic acid was usually extracted from oak galls or galls of other trees, hence the name. Fermentation or hydrolysis of the extract releases glucose and gallic acid, which yields a darker purple-black ink, due to the formation of iron gallate. The fermented extract was combined with the iron(II) sulfate. After filtering, the resulting pale-grey solution had a binder added to it (most commonly gum arabic)
In plain text: we can combine the egg casings of wasps with Iron to produce an ink that will last hundreds of years. Uh…yeah, that would take me a while to figure out.
Of course the need for long-lasting ink has been pressing for many thousands of years. I read a few “new science” articles on Egyptian writing practices
I will not even link the articles, as they start with bombastic headlines, “Modern Science Revealing Techniques of Egyptian Inks”, and “Modern Science Finally Uncovers the Mysteries of Egyptian Papyrus Techniques”. OMG. The reports were not what the headline advertised. The reports were actually modest, describing the ICP-MS analysis of inks… yipee! we can confirm that the carbon to lead ratio was 100:1. Can you imagine ANYTHING you are now writing, typing, saving, building that will be around 4,000 years later? I cannot. The Egyptian inks are, in simple terms, immortal, and we have no clue how they made their inks.
My Pens & Inks
I am a consumer in all this - I buy pens and I buy inks. The variation is infinite. Many human endeavors are infinite, and by this I mean something that might take a few sentences to describe.
You might appreciate blues music, or Italian cooking, or hand-made wood furniture, and if you devote yourself to them, you will happily admit that you will never know everything about the craft. In academics the level of PhD, or Philosophy Doctorate, signifies that you have undergone a rigorous training to understand the underpinnings of your subject, so much so that you are qualified to meaningfully comment on the basics of the subject. In my case, earning a PhD in Physics, I am, hopefully, qualified to discuss the very basics such as Newton’s Laws, the Copenhagen interpretation of Quantum Mechanics, etc. Because all human intellectual endeavors are finite and flawed, and the men & women who set up the University systems in the 12th century understood this, pupils needed to be trained in understanding the foundations of their subject, otherwise future students would dogmatically adhere to whatever they were taught, and this was presciently guarded against.
This is worth repeating again. The foundation of the system that gave us “PhD” knew that the demise of their plan would come from future students deferring to authority, and from future students sticking to what they were taught. If the next generation follows authority and follows what they were taught, then we are no different that the decaying, perverted churches that were moving on fumes and destroying all meaning.
What about my inks? I love my inks. I love the beautiful pens that write. This post originated from my visceral love of filling a pen, and writing in my notebook, and feeling a connection to men & women who have come before me.
I dare say that none of us can fathom how it is that we write. Take your Darwinian evolution and throw it out the window. The origin of writing is a mystery. Or, perhaps the mystery was explained thousands of years ago when EVERY CULTURE ON THE PLANET recorded that writing was given to us from a higher level. I use the term “higher level” partly in desperation because every way found to describe it has been torn down. Torn down is the Greek description that Prometheus or Apollo brought writing to humanity. Torn down is the Egyptian description that Thoth gave writing to humanity. Torn down. Torn down. Why torn down? What do I gain by tearing this down?
When I write with a modern ball point pen my hand gets tired and I feel like I am fulfilling some task.
When I write with a fine fountain pen filled with a favorite ink, I actually think twice about what I am writing, because it matters.
Fun article on how inks are sought to last and none know how the Egyptians ink was made.
Divinely inspired , torn down from the infinite regardless of it’s felt reverence!
Can understand the meaning.
How young we are!
Even though I have a lack of control of my hands these days, I still recall the fountain pens from my grammar school days, and even the cartridge pens that still had that split quill, which governed your hand a bit. Ball point pens just suck.