Get Out Your Inkstone!

[Mickey]

This may seem like an odd place for a discussion of inkstones, but, as ink stones don't really figure much in FP writing, this seems like a better choice than the ink forum. Besides, one possible benefit of their use applies directly to penmanship.

 

This morning I took out of mothballs my long vagrant ink stone and stick ink. Has anyone ever noticed that the circular motion for grinding ink is a good way to loosen up the muscles and to ingrain that circular motion I described in the 'controlled speed' thread. Well it does. I practiced my direct ovals and my reversed ovals (a hundred or so of each), paying attention to my tempo, adding water as needed. Lo and behold, at the end of the exercise, there was a nice little puddle of ink waiting for me.

 

As for the ink itself, though from an undistinguished stick (read: ancient el cheapo), it proved at least as good as the commercial IG and carbon based inks I had on hand. It was smooth on the nib and the hairlines it produced were excellent, at least as good as I typically get from IG.

 

So do yourself a little Mr Miyagi favor, and grind your own. "Ink on, ink off."

Edited November 18, 2014 by Mickey

[linearM]

The fragrance of the ink is a plus as well.

[proton007]

How do you get the ink onto the nib? Grindstones seem to be designed for brushes, aren't they?

[Mickey]

How do you get the ink onto the nib? Grindstones seem to be designed for brushes, aren't they?

 

My stone has a little well in one end. After grinding, I prop up the other end. (Turning the pen upside down to dip helps, too.) Alternatively, you can use a brush (or eyedropper) to load the pen, which I believe is the usual method. At the end of my writing session, I dump the leftover ink into my sumie inkwell.

[Paddler]

A very useful thing, stick ink. You can custom grind an ink, thick or thin, to suit the needs of an individual nib.

 

The ink I have is water resistant and light fast. The borneol in it smells good too. What's not to like? I used to take a stick and suzuri on wilderness canoe trips, but lighting the camp fire with flint and steel and journaling with hand made ink began to seem a tad too twee.

Edited November 19, 2014 by Paddler

[Daisy25]

My something new for the day. I had never even heard of an inkstone!

[proton007]

 

My stone has a little well in one end. After grinding, I prop up the other end. (Turning the pen upside down to dip helps, too.) Alternatively, you can use a brush (or eyedropper) to load the pen, which I believe is the usual method. At the end of my writing session, I dump the leftover ink into my sumie inkwell.

 

That's a good idea.

 

I don't own an inkstone, but looking at pictures on the web, they're certainly interesting, combining art and utility into one object. Another addition to my list of things to get.

Edited November 20, 2014 by proton007

[Paddler]

 

That's a good idea.

 

I don't own an inkstone, but looking at pictures on the web, they're certainly interesting, combining art and utility into one object. Another addition to my list of things to get.

 

You can make one if you are so inclined. You can lightly etch the bottom of a saucer or piece of glass with some fine sand or corundum.

[Renzhe]

Just buy one. I have a $hundredsomething 坑仔巖 (sorry if you can't read Chinese) inkstone and also one I got for maybe $14 on eBay. The eBay one only took slightly longer to grind (and doesn't look as cool; boohoo). Otherwise, they perform the same way. When shopping for inkstones, I recommend getting one at least 4 inches in diameter for easy grinding, with a lowered area for excess water/ink to collect.

Edited November 25, 2014 by Renzhe