2018-03-22
Wax Tablets
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From antiquity up to the 19th century wax_tablets were the way to
take notes quick. Infinitely reusable and easier to use than ink on
papyrus or parchment. Here are two versions I made.
The first version has hinges, which is probably pretty
anachronistic and not much of an improvement over just holes and
thread. Both versions are about 10×7 cm, or 10×14 cm opened. You'd
probably want a tablet twice as large to make any use of it.
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The black wax is beeswax, wood charcoal, and a bit of oil to make
it more malleable. The layer of wax is pretty thick and isn't very
easy to read.
The second version tried to be a tad fancier. I sawed slots for
strips of lighter wood and lacquered the whole thing. I tried first
to paint the table black and use plain, yellow beeswax, but that
didn't turn out very good.
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White background and a thin layer of black wax works far better.
Modern reproductions of wax tablets are usually the thick layer
type, but this is such an obvious improvement that I suspect it was
also used in the olden times.
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