Pounce (powder)

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A pounce pot (or sprinkler) at the London Science Museum PounceSprinkler.JPG
A pounce pot (or sprinkler) at the London Science Museum

Pounce [lower-alpha 1] or sand [lower-alpha 2] is a fine powder, most often made from powdered cuttlefish bone or sandarac resin, that was used both to dry ink and to sprinkle on a rough writing surface to make it smooth enough for writing. This was especially needed if the paper came "unsized", that is, lacking the thin gelatinous material used to fill the surface of the paper and make it smooth enough for writing with a quill or a steel nib. It was also used to prepare the surface when drafting with Rapidograph pens on mylar, a common drafting medium in the late twentieth century.

Contents

History

In the 19th century the pounce pots or sanders often had a shallow dish round the top so that pounce or sand could be returned to the pot and reused. The process is very effective for quickly drying ink, and although blotting paper has been available since the Tudor period, pounce or sand continued to be used throughout the nineteenth century because it was often cheaper.

Application

Handwriting and calligraphy

Pounce is gently sprinkled all over the writing on the paper. When using a quill or a steel nib, and with inks that are made up to match those typically in use during the 18th and 19th centuries, and provided the pen has been used with the fine strokes typical of handwriting of that period, the handwriting will be sufficiently dry within 10 seconds to allow the paper to be folded without blotting. Gently vibrating the paper whilst the pounce or sand is on it ensures that little or no pounce or sand sticks to the handwriting and excess sand or pounce is shaken off before folding the paper.

Art and embroidery

"Pricking and pouncing" is a transfer technique that uses a stencil with fine holes, often made by pricking a template using a pounce wheel, to which a fine powder that contrasts with the fabric, the pounce, is dusted over, giving a temporary pattern through use of the stencil. [2] Chambray would use charcoal on the light side, and chalk on the dark side of the fabric.

See also

Notes

  1. From French "ponce", from Latin "pūmex", doublet of "pumice".
  2. From "sandarac" resin ( Tetraclinis articulata ). [1]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quill</span> Writing instrument made from a feather

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Printmaking</span> Process of creating artworks by printing, normally on paper

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fountain pen</span> Writing implement with nib and internal ink reservoir

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pen</span> Writing and drawing implement using liquid or paste ink

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dip pen</span> Writing instrument

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Maki-e is a Japanese lacquer decoration technique in which pictures, patterns, and letters are drawn with lacquer on the surface of lacquerware, and then metal powder such as gold or silver is sprinkled and fixed on the surface of the lacquerware. The origin of the term maki-e is a compound word of maki meaning "sprinkling" and e meaning "picture" or "design". The term can also be used to refer to lacquerware made with this decorative technique. The term maki-e first appeared in the Heian period.

A writing implement or writing instrument is an object used to produce writing. Writing consists of different figures, lines, and or forms. Most of these items can be also used for other functions such as painting, drawing and technical drawing, but writing instruments generally have the ordinary requirement to create a smooth, controllable line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">French polish</span> Wood finishing technique

French polishing is a wood finishing technique that results in a very high gloss surface, with a deep colour and chatoyancy. French polishing consists of applying many thin coats of shellac dissolved in denatured alcohol using a rubbing pad lubricated with one of a variety of oils. The rubbing pad is made of absorbent cotton or wool cloth wadding inside of a piece of fabric and is commonly referred to as a fad, also called a rubber, tampon, or muñeca.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Technical pen</span> Writing implement designed to make lines of constant width

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blotting paper</span> Absorbent paper

Blotting paper is a highly absorbent type of paper used to absorb ink or oil from writing material, particularly when quills or fountain pens were popular. It could also be used in testing how much oil is present in products. Blotting paper referred to as bibulous paper is mainly used in microscopy to remove excess liquids from the slide before viewing. Blotting paper has also been sold as a cosmetic to aid in the removal of skin oils and makeup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nonwoven fabric</span> Sheet of fibers

Nonwoven fabric or non-woven fabric is a fabric-like material made from staple fibre (short) and long fibres, bonded together by chemical, mechanical, heat or solvent treatment. The term is used in the textile manufacturing industry to denote fabrics, such as felt, which are neither woven nor knitted. Some non-woven materials lack sufficient strength unless densified or reinforced by a backing. In recent years, non-wovens have become an alternative to polyurethane foam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nib (pen)</span> Writing point of a pen

A nib is the part of a quill, dip pen, fountain pen, ball point or stylus which comes into contact with the writing surface in order to deposit ink. Different types of nibs vary in their purpose, shape and size, as well as the material from which they are made.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">India ink</span> Simple black or colored ink

India ink is a simple black or coloured ink once widely used for writing and printing and now more commonly used for drawing and outlining, especially when inking comic books and comic strips. India ink is also used in medical applications.

Pouncing is an art technique used for transferring an image from one surface to another using a fine powder called pounce. It is similar to tracing, and is useful for creating copies of a sketch outline to produce finished works.

References

  1. Azémard, Clara; Ménager, Matthieu; Vieillescazes, Cathy (2017). "On the tracks of sandarac, review and chemical analysis". Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 24 (36): 27746–27754. Bibcode:2017ESPR...2427746A. doi:10.1007/s11356-017-0522-0. ISSN   0944-1344. PMID   29098586. S2CID   22193671.
  2. Searls-Punter, Natasha (7 May 2019). "Pro Tips: Pounce Rubbing". London Embroidery School.