CARBON INK (MORAKKAB-E DŪDEH / MEDĀD)        

Carbon ink is the oldest ink created and was used in Egypt as early as the 4th millennium BCE. Ingredients consist of soot collected from burning different material, a binder (plant or protein based) and water. In Persia, the ingredients used were lampblack (soot collected by burning linseed oil) and gum Arabic (extract of the Acacia Senegal tree). Carbon ink is extremely stable; however, it stays on the surface of the paper and can be removed physically.

The method of preparing lampblack is given in this poem by Majnūn Rafīqī Hiravī (16th C):

خواهی که در آن بود سیاهی    از دوده بگیر آنچه خواهی

کاغذ طلب و خریطه ای ساز    وان دوده در آن خریطه انداز

آن را به خمیر گیر چون نان     در گرم تنور پخته گردان

If you want to create ink, get as much soot as you desire

Get some paper and make a container, pour the soot in to the container

Secure it in dough and bake it in a heated furnace as you would with bread

An example of a recipe for creating Carbon Ink is given below

Recipe from the Treatise Majmu‘ al-Ṣanāye‘  by Anon (16th C):

بگیرند روغن کتان و در چراغدان کنند و فتیله سطبر کنند، و بگیرند خمره بزرگ، روی وی گشاده، چراغدان در آن خمره نهند چنانکه بر سر چراغدان باژ گونه نهاده باشند و کون خمره سوراخ بود، و خمره دیگر بر سر آن سوراخ گرداند و شیر در خمره بالایی بمالند و یک شبانروز بگذارند تا دوده از آن سوراخ از خمره بالایی بگیرد، پس آن به پر مرغ فرو گیرند و دوده که حاصل شده باشد در طاس برنجی کنند قطره قطره آب صمغ عربی در وی ریزند و به دست مالند، بنهند تا خشک شود چنانچه بترقد، پس فرود کند هر گاه که حاجت افتد در گوش ماهی به آب صمغ بسرشند و به کار برند هرجا که خواهند.

‘Purchase some linseed oil, place it in a lamp and make a thick wick. Use a big earthen container, turn it over and place it on top of the lamp; there must be a hole at the bottom of the container. Rub some milk at the bottom of another container, turn it over and place it above the first container and wait for one day and one night so that the lamp black is stuck to the top container. With the help of a feather, scrape off the soot and place it in a brass mortar. Add gum water to the soot in drops and rub and mix well with your hands until it takes the form of a paste and repeat. Afterwards let the paste dry and break into pieces. When needed, you may mix this dried ink with some gum Arabic water in a seashell and use as desired’.  

Making Carbon Ink:

  1. Lampblack is placed in a mortar

  2. Gum Arabic is dissolved in water until a honey-like consistency is reached.

  3. The gum Arabic liquid is added to the mortar slowly while being ground, mixed and brayed with a pestle.

  4. The braying process takes a minimum of 5 hours.

Gum Arabic liquid is added to lamp black in a mortar

Gum Arabic liquid is added to lamp black

Carbon ink applied on paper

The mixture is brayed and mixed in a mortar for 5 hours.

The mixture is brayed and mixed in a mortar for 5 hours.

Lampblack

Gum Arabic