Fine cinnabar seal paste available in Small or Medium decoratively boxed sets or as a simple refill pack.
Brand
Jiang SiXu Tang 姜思序堂Jiang SiXu Workshop is the most prestigious natural mineral colour workshop in China, and a China “Time-Honoured Brand” providing the highest grade Chinese natural mineral colours for professionals for over 350 years.
Materials
Cinnabar Cinnabar or Vermillion is the naturally occurring mineral mercury sulphide (HgS). Inorganic mercury such as the mercury found in cinnabar is the least toxic form of mercury and has a long history in traditional Chinese medicine, ancient Roman makeup, Hindu Bindi forehead marking and Sindoor hair marking but should still be considered toxic and handled with care, especially in powder form. The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention states:
Inorganic Mercury: When eaten in large amounts, some inorganic mercury compounds can be very irritating and corrosive to the digestive system. If repeatedly eaten or applied to the skin over long period of time, some inorganic mercury compounds can cause effects similar to what is seen with long term mercury vapor exposure, including neurological disturbances, memory problems, skin rash, and kidney abnormalities.
There is uncertainty about how poisonous cinnabar is and about the amount required to produce dangerous effects. Scientists generally recommend that we limit our exposure to all mercury compounds, however, including inorganic mercury.
People using cinnabar are warned not to inhale cinnabar dust and to be very careful when breaking the mineral in case dust is created. The mineral mustn’t be ingested or licked. In addition, it mustn’t be heated, which might trigger mercury vapor release. Opinions are divided about whether cinnabar is safe to touch. Mercury (ll) sulfide can be absorbed through the skin, but how much is actually absorbed from a lump of cinnabar mineral is unknown. Since there are unanswered questions about the mineral’s safety, it’s best to wear gloves when handling it.
So I’m new to Chinese brush painting, and I can’t get this seal paste to work for me. But I’m also willing to consider it could be user error. When I go to tap the seal into the seal paste, it sticks to the seal so much that it doesn’t come away cleanly. It pulls away and leaves a long string, like taffy. I have mixed it with the stick it came with, and I have not added anything to the paste. I’m not sure if it’s the paste, or if it’s me. I’m considering ordering a different shade of red, and just trying again.
I was so happy to find black and white seal paste somewhere, and the service INKSTONE offered was extraordinary!
I had a mistake in my address and so the package was delivered to a wrong country. The mistake was totally my fault, but INKSTON was extremely helpful from the beginning and tried everything to get the package to the right address.
Extremly friendly and helpful! I wish every Shopowner would be like that! Thanks a lot!!
An unassuming yet elegant little box that will house a small package of seal paste all right. Great for the low price. Personally, I would prefer it a little bigger so it would be more comfortable to handle the paste, but even this size works.
I tried mixing the red and blue paste to make purple, but it was far too dark without the addition of white paste as well. Minor fail on my part. It seems to me that non-traditional users like me might want more colors than are traditionally available. Just a thought.
I am now using the green seal paste and will for prints in which it offers a good contrasting color. I have a very small chop (平) I use to mark my prints and this green is nice at times, when more red would be too much.
So I’m new to Chinese brush painting, and I can’t get this seal paste to work for me. But I’m also willing to consider it could be user error. When I go to tap the seal into the seal paste, it sticks to the seal so much that it doesn’t come away cleanly. It pulls away and leaves a long string, like taffy. I have mixed it with the stick it came with, and I have not added anything to the paste. I’m not sure if it’s the paste, or if it’s me. I’m considering ordering a different shade of red, and just trying again.
Felice( verified owner)
The size could be a bit bigger to handle the paste and fit my seal but I love the color ! And it comes in a nice box , very elegant 🙂
Chance( verified owner)
So I’m new to Chinese brush painting, and I can’t get this seal paste to work for me. But I’m also willing to consider it could be user error. When I go to tap the seal into the seal paste, it sticks to the seal so much that it doesn’t come away cleanly. It pulls away and leaves a long string, like taffy. I have mixed it with the stick it came with, and I have not added anything to the paste. I’m not sure if it’s the paste, or if it’s me. I’m considering ordering a different shade of red, and just trying again.