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Christopher Cochran

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Bone Black

/ bone blak /(Paleolithic era)#141d1a

The Deepest Black

Made by the charring of animal bones in an airtight container, reducing the bones to charcoal, and grinding to a fine powered, bone black is deep black, still produced today. One the earliest uses of charred bones as a pigment can be found in wall paintings in ancient Egyptian tombs; most notably in the tomb of Perneb.

Charred bones itself has also found its use in many applications outside of just pigments. One interesting example, is its use in decolorizing sugar, as well as wine and vinegar. Charred bones, used to make the deepest of blacks, is also the reason for the pure white sugar bought from store shelves.

Origin: Charring of animal bones or ivory.

During the western expansion and building of The Transcontinental Railroad many buffalo bones, that scattered the western prairies, left by hunters, were collected and used for creating the dye.

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