The Danqing chapter of Tiangong Kaiwu says:
"All inks are made from the condensed smoke of burning. Tung oil, vegetable oil, and lard smoke account for only one tenth..."
"When burning oil to obtain smoke, for every jin of oil, you can get more than 1 liang of smoke. A person with nimble hands can provide 200 sets of lamps..."
Simply put, ink is made from a combination of soot and glue. It can be made from soot produced by burning tung oil, vegetable oil, or lard, or from pine soot. Using oil to produce soot yields over one ounce of high-quality soot for every pound of oil. A skilled individual could manage over two hundred lamps dedicated to collecting soot.
In that case, you can actually use local materials to make ink!
There is no tung oil, but the tribe has lard, which can also be used.
Pine smoke is produced by burning pine wood.
In the past, there was no paper in the tribe, so it might not be possible to make ink. But now that paper is made in the tribe, then ink can definitely be made.
Moreover, "The Exploitation of the Works of Nature" also records in detail how to make smoke from burning pine wood:
"To burn pine smoke, cut the pine trees to size and then use the bamboo strips to make a circular shed, like a canopy on a boat, stretching over ten feet. The inside and outside, as well as the joints, are all sealed with paper and mats. Every few sections, small holes are left to let the smoke out. Underneath, earth is covered and bricks are laid to create a path for the smoke. After burning the firewood for several days, let it cool down and go in to sweep the inside."
The idea is to burn pinewood to produce smoke. First, the pinewood is cut into specific sizes and then a domed canopy is constructed on the ground using bamboo strips, much like a awning on a small boat. Sections are connected together to create a canopy over ten feet long. The inside and outside of the canopy, as well as the joints, are sealed tightly with paper and straw matting. Every few sections, a small hole is left for smoke to escape. The area where the bamboo canopy meets the ground is covered with mud, and a pre-designed path for the smoke is created by brickwork inside the canopy. The pinewood is then burned inside for several days. Once the canopy cools, people can enter and scrape the smoke.
In that case, if you want to make ink, you still have a lot of work to do!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
