Shake to dry.
From quills and nibs to clean erasing ink, pens have changed significantly over the years. This week’s what’s new Wednesday celebrates a forgotten piece of the writing process, the pounce box. The pounce box, or sand shaker, was used when writing with a quill or nib. After writing, fine sand called pounce from the pounce box sprinkled over the ink would absorb any excess liquid. The excess pounce would be brushed off, which prevented the ink from smearing. Pounce is a powdery substance typically made of cuttlefish bone. This artifact was donated by Nellie Kendall, an educator at SDSU from 1914 to 1958. Made of wood, it stands 2.375 inches tall and 3.125 inches at its widest. The small holes allowed fine pounce to pour out onto the wet ink.