Clear shellac(Shell) is a resin secreted by the female lac bug on trees in the forests of India and Thailand. It is processed and sold as dry flakes and dissolved in alcohol to make liquid shellac，which is used as a brush-on colorant.

Shellac is a natural bioadhesive polymer and is chemically similar to synthetic polymers，and thus can be considered a natural form of plastic.

The earliest written evidence of shellac goes back 3000 years，but shellac is known to have been used even earlier.

Ethanol(Eth) is ethyl alcohol，the same type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages.

The molecular formula is C₂H₅OH.

Bic blue pen ink(Bic) is normally used to refill ink pens.

It is manufactured by the company Bic. Opposed to pigments，dyes are colored substances that chemically bond to the substrate to which it is being applied.

This is a commonly available product in stores.

Distilled water(H₂O) is useful whenever water must be added to any mixture，it is much cleaner and makes for a smoother mixture than tap water or drinking water.

Madder(Mad) is a herbaceous perennial plant species belonging to the bedstraw and coffee family Rubiaceae.

The botanical name is rubia tinctorum.

The roots can yeild a strong，permanent deep red color used in dyes and lakes. In order to draw out the red color，alum is often used.

Aluminium salt(Alum) is an aluminum based salt crystal readily available in drug stores.

Alum is a type of chemical compound，usually a hydrated double sulfate salt of aluminium with the general formula XAl(SO₄)₂·12 H₂O.

Alum was the most common mordant used in the dye industry in the middle ages.

Aleppo gall nuts(Alep) are hard nutlike galls that form on the Aleppo oak (Quercus infectoria) in response to the developing larva of a gall wasp. They are used as a source of gallic acid and tannin.

Tannic acids are organic compounds that contain a 3，4，5-trihydroxybenzoic acid moiety. Gallic acid exists as a solid，slightly soluble (in water)，and a weakly acidic compound (based on its pKa).

Have been harvested for thousands of years as a concentrated source of tannins for use in high-quality inks，in medicine，etc.

Green vitriol(Gvit) is often used as a moss killer in gardening.

The molecular formula is FeSO₄.

It can be used in combination with tannic acid from gall nuts to create a black ink. This form of ink was widely used in Europe in the middle ages.

Marble dust(Marb) is powder from metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals，most commonly calcite or dolomite

The molecular formula is CaCO₃.

Champaign chalk(Cham) is a soft，white，porous，sedimentary carbonate rock，a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite. It has a slightly yellowish tint，hence the name.

The molecular formula is CaCO₃.

Bone glue(Bone) is a dry，pearl shaped substance made from bones. The glue is very strong.



It was used by carpenters mainly for glueing wood.

Hide glue(Size) is an organic colloid of protein derivation used as an adhesive.

Size is derived primarily from collagenous material present in animal hide.

The first known written procedures of making animal glue were written about 2000 BC.