Making Medieval Ink // Sappanwood/Brazilwood Red Ink

[@AlexDiaz2030]

Wow. Fantastic. Once again, the on-point historical background, the time travel, the video production details, the flow and humor, the final product (ink), the way it looks when you write. ¡Todo! Te felicito. Brutal.

[@SolisScriptorivm]

Gracias! ❤️

[@belcantobrasil]

The ink reacts to the metal nib and becomes darker, try to compare the nib one with a drop taken with your finger. Another thing, if you mix it with drops of iron gall it becomes almost black maybe the cherry sap was intended to be used cause of the tannins. Some say that if the ink is acid enough, it wil dry and acquire a red tone, i've never tried it. For the consistency, a little bit of honey makes it better, sugar can be used too, but it makes the ink sits for soo long before it dries completely, and sometimes it does not dry at all. Some drops of honey is guaranteed success.

[@SolisScriptorivm]

Thank you for this!

[@frankadiaz3629]

You're an amazing calligrapher, researcher, historian, inkmaker, artiste, and filmmaker! 😃 Muy orgulloso tío, gracias y bendiciones 🇵🇷

[@SolisScriptorivm]

Gracias, tío! ❤️

[@LisaJedi]

Thanks for such an informative & interesting video! I appreciate the ecological background on Brazilwood!! I have dyed wool and silk with Brazilwood for many years, and one of the charms for me is that you will get different colours by changing the pH after dyeing, so a dipping the skein in vinegar gives more orange-rust tones, and dipping into ammonia will give magenta-pink tones. I think this explains the difference in colour between your snow & vinegar versions. Have you considered cochineal for a source of red for ink? I know that you can buy cochineal ink & it may not be endangered, as it's cultivated (from insects, actually). It's also food-grade, so safe in the kitchen.

[@SolisScriptorivm]

Thank you for the cochineal suggestion! I haven't heard of it, but am looking into it right now. And yes! The experimenting process was so much fun!

[@zombiasnow1565]

Thank you for your info..I will try this!

[@neabezshen3197]

It appears much like the cochineal to be ph sensitive the more alkaline the more purplish tones. I know with cochineal you can get really rich violets. I have ordered some Sappan wood to play with. I wonder how different the colors will be to the cochineal. I make a small amount of the ink and use the rest for laking a pigment out of it and making paints. So much fun.

[@smutnaryba4937]

This looks beautiful! I actually always struggle with finding the right shade of red for my ink paintings, so I will definitely give it a try.

[@phyllisjeanfulton]

Very cool project- I’m impressed to try. And you’re hilariously talented 😂❤

[@maleahlock]

Beautifully done! My son says you are the most fun smart person, 😄 I enjoyed this so much and I loved the amount of information and humour, not to mention the lovely camera work. Thank you!

[@SolisScriptorivm]

Thank you so much to you and your son! ❤️

[@HerrRussoTragik]

"An adventurous (cough cough)murderer...errr, man" hahahahaha awesome! That's interesting that our country name came from the tree, and nowadays, we don't have those trees anymore...so, thank you portuguese explorers from the past, right now I could be an indigenous brazilian, in the jungle spending my time taking care of my life, but thanks to you, now I have to work 40 hours weekly to pay taxes for the corruption chain that rule our country.

[@zombiasnow1565]

I really like the red made from the vinegar mixture. Thank you so much for your experience passed down to us! Have a great day!🤗

[@luisilva7533]

As a Brazilian I loved this video

[@michaelaschmid]

Adding alum is the funnest part of making ink. The color change is so pretty every time :)

[@SolisScriptorivm]

Yes it is! Always so mesmerizing ❤️

[@bujodogabs]

As a Brazilian i loved the colonization part xD As a Chemist, its very interesting to see how things were made in the past without the chemical knowledge we have now.

[@SolisScriptorivm]

Haha thank you! That colonization part was so much fun to make! And yes, it is fascinating to think and read about how processes used to be developed, especially for day-to-day used things like ink.

[@giacomobianchi5412]

I must admit that it's an amazing recipe and colour as well. Thank you for sharing and have a good writing!

[@SolisScriptorivm]

Thank you!

[@carlosdiaz6056]

Thanks for this! It felt thoroughly explained (loved the colonization bit.) It makes me want to experiment and make my own. Maybe the lack of measurements is a good thing cause it makes each try unique and the final result much more exciting. Congrats 👏 👏

[@SolisScriptorivm]

Thank you! :) Haha the colonization bit was one of my favorite parts to work on!

[@Mystborne]

Nicely done. Thank you for linking to my blog entry.

[@Mystborne]

My experience with this ink is that a metal pen tends to push the ink toward purple. When I use a clean feather quill pen, I don't get the color changes at all. Again, lovely video and well done.

[@christineg8151]

This is absolutely fascinating! I'm a dyer by hobby and I'm currently working on my Masters degree in Chemistry, and somehow it never occurred to me to try making ink with dyestuff.

[@hydrophobicbathtowel6816]

Great video! I loved the intro as well. Thank you!

[@sonic60710]

I'm a fan of your dedication to find old ink recipes ! I'm hoping to get some red someday from your shop, and maybe other colors you'll find in your future searches !

[@SolisScriptorivm]

Thank you so much! I will restock the red ink very shortly :) Looking forward to making more colors!

[@Oracle_]

I just love your energy when you were telling us the story of brazilwood, lol

[@SolisScriptorivm]

Haha thank you! I loved filming that part 😁

[@dhyva_a2382]

It would be nice to have the subtitles in several different languages, I'm from Brazil and although I know a little English, when I went to see the subtitles to facilitate the learning process... the subtitles were in Korean. It would be nice if it was in English or in automatic translation subtitles, so you can choose which language you want to see it in. I love a red ink, and black and blue inks.

[@tinahan3816]

Great video! I really enjoyed watching. Is the purpose of chalk to neutralize pH? Maybe that’s why it didn’t have an effect or was detrimental to the performance of the rainwater version? Have you tried to measure the pH of the two inks?

[@SolisScriptorivm]

I actually don't know, but it makes sense! The recipe doesn't explain, it simply mentions the option of adding chalk to darken the color. I haven't measured the pH of the inks, but I'll look into adding this to the next ink making video.

[@maleahlock]

Your angles are so precise! I get lazy about 2 lines in and have to forcibly wander off for a few minutes or face ruining it.

[@SolisScriptorivm]

Better to take breaks than be unhappy with your work! It's a marathon, not a sprint. We all get to do whatever works best for us :)

[@Bluebuthappy182]

They worked out really well

[@SolisScriptorivm]

Thank you!

[@hypatia4754]

Great intro! haha Off to look at your shop...

[@SolisScriptorivm]

Thank you so much!

[@romulusbuta9318]

I JUST LOVE the crazyness of this video ! It's something that I would do !😊❤️❤️❣️🩸🩸

[@SolisScriptorivm]

Haha thank you! It was certainly a lot of fun to work on.

[@adamw2785]

Chalk is mostly calcium carbonate, and so it would react with any vinegar (acetic acid), and turn into water and CO2, with a bit of calcium left over.

[@shemward8126]

In terms of edible chalk, I wasn't aware people ate it plain! I'm more familiar with chalk being used as a filler/additive in certain foods. I will say though, that if you've ever taken Tums or a similar antacid, you've eaten chalk! The active ingredient in these antacids is calcium carbonate which, you guessed it, is literally just pharmaceutical-grade chalk. It works by reducing the acidity of stomach acid to help with indigestion and heartburn. It's also often used in toothpaste, or as a calcium supplement. The more you know!

[@zenazure]

this is great i know it's a long shot, but have you considered making folium ink? I can't seem to find any videos on it :/ Chrozophora tinctoria or dyers croton. it's a blue purple color.

[@em4me-Dan]

On the sediment issue, not sure if you have tried a coffee filter as it should do a good job for you. Great content. Kudos from NYC.

[@cesaraugustocavazzolajunio7438]

"Pau Brasil" é o nome original. A madeira foi muito explorada pelos portugueses. Ainda é possível encontrar, mas não há mais florestas com essa madeira em abundância.

[@cesspresso]

This is absolutely fascinating. I’ve only bought ink but now I’m seriously considering making it. Can the ink be safely used in a fountain pen, or only flex/calligraphy, or glass dip pen? Also I generally only use Tomoe River paper 52 gsm. How have you found this ink to work on that paper?

[@labaccident2010]

Definitely not for fountain pens, but dip pens would be fine

[@judyjacobs5827]

Chalk was eaten in parts of the world where calcium deficiency is common. In the American south, pregnant women often developed a craving for chalk or for clay, which was sold in grocery stores and pharmacies. Dietary deficiencies were common, both because of diet and due to intestinal worms endemic in many areas, especially among poor children who did not wear shoes.

[@jmoneyjoshkinion4576]

It is still sold in grocery stores and pharmacies today, though most people call it "Tums" nowadays.

[@seasidepaper]

What a great start - it made me laugh

[@miguelangelsimonfernandez5498]

Use common tap water, boil it for a few minutes to remove the chlorine, cover the saucepan while it cools and use as "rain water".

[@tokaiju]

to easily get rid of all sediment just put it through a coffee filter.

[@laraq07]

Cheesecloth is pretty porous as cheese curds are pretty big compared to the granules in this. You might want to filter through linen to cut back on the numbers of filtrations or even stack up several more layers.

[@threadwork]

Great video, I love your enthusiasm, thank you!

[@SolisScriptorivm]

Thank you!

[@jmoneyjoshkinion4576]

Edible chalk, I know what else is called that. A lot of people use it for heartburn, and its name brand is called "Tums" but that definitely isn't what you used because of all the other stuff in it.

[@sirdoenny]

Hi there, and what about cinabar? With combination with sulfur. That was mostly used as red ink in medieval times, unfortunately toxic.

[@m1dl1fecr1s1s]

Did you ever consider using vinegar rather than water with the blackberry ink ingredients? My kitchen has become an ink lab😁😁 Keep up the excellent work

[@frankadiaz3629]

Dear S.S. -- which writing instrument do you recommend for ideal writing of musical notes on sheet paper? 🎼 Thanks! 🎵😁

[@SolisScriptorivm]

I love how unique music nibs are!

[@frankadiaz3629]

Music nibs... ? Unclear, will reach you later. 💟

[@seionthreat2644]

You would make a great tattoo artist

[@volcanowb]

So cool!

[@SolisScriptorivm]

Thanks!

[@treelore7266]

To be honest, Cabral's little adventure in Brazil really wasn't that bad.

[@midnightblue3707]

How do I get English subtitles?

[@kyokor6307]

I wonder if diatomaceous earth could be a substitute for the chalk 🤔 Also curious to know about different vinegars. Apple cider, red/balsamic, etc.

[@christineg8151]

Diatomaceous earth DOES have a bit of calcium carbonate in it (basically, chalk) but the majority is silica, which is pretty chemically inert, so I wouldn't expect it to have a huge effect. Where it WOULD be useful is in her filtration process. A cotton ball in the end of a funnel and an inch or so of diatomaceous earth would make filtering out the wood particles way easier!

[@eugenejamerlan5283]

Sappanwood ink is more compatible with protein fibers like medieval parchment made from animal akin. That will probably give you the rich color you're looking for

[@SolisScriptorivm]

This. Explains. So much.

[@kyokor6307]

Honest question, could you somehow infuse animal fat to a linen based paper in place of animal skin parchment?

[@davidkay4174]

Nice to see you again , I think I'm craz y about you

[@Welther47]

What about water resistance?

[@romulusbuta9318]

No carbon black ink, no sook or smut black ink ....how it's made .... on this chanel ?

[@TheeTonyB]

Thank you for teaching me but can I just buy it from you? lol

[@SolisScriptorivm]

Absolutely! Check out my Etsy shop, linked in the description of this video :)

[@TheeTonyB]

@@SolisScriptorivm I realized when I got to the end of the video I had commented too soon. That will teach me to assume the entirety of a videos contents based on the first couple minutes.

[@SolisScriptorivm]

@@TheeTonyB Haha no worries!

[@davidkay4174]

I'm sorry for that comment Sunday , I won't leave any comments like that again .

[@mrdovie47]

Poke weed ink fades too.

[@ulrikschackmeyer848]

You might make a byline in filming horror movies. Just saying.

[@Ericavolio]

Hahahahahah ❤

[@romulusbuta9318]

..........8:10-8:12 chicken claw ? 😊😊😊😊😁

[@theanthropiceyedolatry]

I like to eat chalk . . . late.

[@paulojlourenco]

I could not find any source to sustain the claim that Pedro Álvares Cabral was a murderous bastard by reaching what is now brazilian territory. A land where he was for just few days to never return without ever engaging in any violence. The only record of any military action by him was in present day India in response to an attack that killed 30 of his crew. So... what gives???

[@SolisScriptorivm]

I wasn't trying to imply that he was murderous in Brazil. Yes, he was only there for 10 days. But that attack on his crew didn't end in him attacking back against the merchant ships. He proceeded to bombard the entire city of Calicut, which resulted in around 600 casualties.

[@paulojlourenco]

@@SolisScriptorivm Hello Sunday Scriptorium. Thank you for your reply. :) Yes, that is right. He did bombard the ships, port and city of Calicut causing hundreds of deaths. He was sent in a diplomatic mission to Calicut, actually. The whole situation was a mess from the start with trade agreements from the city authorities not being met, alliances with Portuguese enemies that started a initial military attack against its trading post (the intent was the total destruction and slaughter of the post), military movements to block the Portuguese ships... Messy! I still don't agree that a soldier driven out of his diplomatic mission to military context performing his duty and what is expected of him should be described as a murderous bastard. What would one call the ones who begun the military offensive? Even today, if your men and women are killed without justification, retaliation is considered part of the rules of engagement. I think war and the ones who prefer it are the murderous bastards. Anyway, I I'd like to thank you for engaging in a very nice conversation. :) By the way, your videos are great stuff.

[@SolisScriptorivm]

@@paulojlourenco It was messy indeed! And no, he's not the only one who I would use the word "murderer" on. The way I see it, war activity between the parties involved doesn't make you a murderer, but purposefully taking civilian lives in the process does. Of course! That's part of the beauty of this platform. The ability to talk to people who I otherwise would never have encountered! Thank you :)