The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1908-07-29

HeSClnS IN a way, 10 Cne general HIS
torian, scientific and literary man
than the certain knowledge of the
fact that his writings and printed
records on all subjects, inclusive of
even Photographic reproductions in
the form of ''half-tones." may be
handed down to those who will come
after US thousands of years hence.
In the course of a study of various
materials suitable for the permanent
preservation of valuable literary
works, T investigated, among other
fabrics, the linen ~wrappings used
by the ancient Egyptians to incase
the bodies of their dead. A specimen
of such linen was obtained from the
Metropolitan Museum of Arts, New
York City, by the writer, and the
age of the fabric is certified by the
curator of Egyptian antiquities of the
museum. Of interest possibly to the
historian and Bible reader as we'll as
those who reverence and love the
work Of the ancients, is the fact that
the wrappings in question were taken
from the body of King Merenptah,
whom the Bible mentions as being
the Pharaoh who ordered the exodus
of the Jews from Egypt. The age
belongs to the Nineteenth Dynasty,
which would approximate the age of
S40O years, a tremendous space OF
time when one stops to consider the
matter.
The writer, while obtaining the
fabrics and looking over the various
specimens submitted to him, was very
fortunate to obtain by mere accident
a piece containing pitch or bitumen
spots, with which latter agent the
Egyptians affixed the body to the
inner coffin and which procedure is
described by Pliny and Herodotus.
The spots appealed rather strongly to
the writer from the fact that they
would seem to constitute conclusive
proof Of the lasting and non-fading
properties Of printing ink as manu-
featured and used to-day the world
over.
The basis Of all black printing ink
Is lampblack or carbon (soot) to
which Is added and blended boiled
linseed oil, to serve as a vehicle, the
oil being thoroughly mixed with the
lampblack, or "milled," as it is known
technically to the printing ink indus
try. Varnish, glycerine and a vola-
tile dryer are sometimes added to
meet the various requirements Of
the printing trade, but the basis is, or
should be, always carbon O~ampblack)
and boiled linseed oil for black print
ing ink. The lampblack is obtained
from a resinous material similar to
the bitumen of the ancients that left
the spots or impression on the linen.
The manner of receiving the ink
impression as obtained on paper or
even linen fabric is made up of both
a mechanical and a chemical union.
By a chemical union I the fact
that the linseed oil carries a certain
proportion of the carbon or lamp
black into the agent printed upon,
thus staining the parenchyma of the
-~cellulose cell. BY a mechanical
union, I mean the excess ink that
may lodge on the surface of the
agent printed upon by virtue of it's
adhesiveness.
In the Egyptian mummy wrappings
to which I have already referred the
bitumen stain or chemic union has
,ar,oinnl unto thic dow &c would tho
stain or impression of printing ink
so received, beyond all doubt. AS a
further proof of this statement and
the unchanging color of carbon
(lampblack) note should be taken Of
the color of coal, almost pure car
bon, which for ages has retained it's
color.
Lehner has called attention to the
lasting properties Of linen fabrics as
used by the ancients, and urges a
better quality Of printing paper con-
tanning a larger proportion of linen
fibre. The objection to paper, wheth-
.er it is composed Of cotton, linen or
wood fbres, as concerns printed re-
cords for a long period of time might
be thus summarized:
The fact that all paper Is COM
posed of very short fibres held to-
gether by a glue or size and the
initial pressure given by the heated
cylinders OF the paper-making ma
chine may be urged. Certain kinds
of plotting paper may be mentioned
as an unsized or glueless paper, the
'ibres being held together by press
ure only. The best grade of book
paper may be cited as an engine
sized or glued paper. Long periods
Of time or exposure to dampness may
disintegrate the size or glue that
holds or binds the fibres together.
If you are sufficiently interested, wet
a piece of paper and note how easily
the printed sheet drops to pieces.
The bleaching process to which the
paper stock is subjected would seem
10 form a very important feature in
connection with the lasting proper
ties of paper also. Chlorine and
bleaching powders are used extern
sively for this purpose, and the diff
Guilty seems to be that when the ele-
ments are removed which go to make
up the various colorings, both natu-
raj and artificial, of the paper stock
before being bleached, the chlorine
probably combines chemically in the
form of a chloride or a hypochlorous
oxide indirectly, from the fact that
fhe chlorine will Unite with nearly all