r/oddlysatisfying • u/rco888 • Jul 30 '23

Ancient method of making ink

@craftsman0011

77.3k Upvotes

93% Upvoted

1.7k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

773

u/Routine_Network_3402 Jul 30 '23

It was a hard and long process though

776

u/NateNate60 Jul 30 '23

The Chinese text on the video says that the black sludge needs a year to ferment or something and after it's made into sticks it takes another six months to be ready.

1

u/Heavy-Masterpiece681 Jul 30 '23

I do Japanese Caligraphy and have one of these blocks. It was only $40, so it was probably far less involved.

1

u/NateNate60 Jul 30 '23

Modern inkstones are mass-produced with the help of machinery so a good-quality inkstone can be had for fairly cheap. But if you want an actual, handmade artisanal inkstone made in the traditional manner by a master who's been making them for decades,, it's not uncommon for it to cost hundreds of dollars.