2018-03-22 Wax Tablets (IMG) Image 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. (IMG) Image 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. (IMG) Image (IMG) Image (IMG) Image (IMG) Image 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. (IMG) Image