Using Your Chinese Chop
The ink paste used for the imprinting of seals is called yinni in Chinese, which means literally "seal clay". High quality paste, called the "paste of eight treasures", usually red - is made of eight ingredients, some very precious: cinnabar, pearl, musk, coral, ruby, moxa, castor oil and a red pigment. It produces brilliantly red prints.
To make a seal imprint, let the cut face of the seal touch lightly the inking pad several times, take a look and see that it is evenly coloured, place the paper to be stamped on a desk, cushioned beneath with some felt or magazine (too soft undersurface can wrinkle the paper, while too hard an undersurface could result in a poor contact), and then use the seal lightly on it, holding it for a little while and increasing the pressure of the hand toward the end then quickly lift the hanko straight up.. An impression made this way, whether of characters or patterns, will be clear, well-defined and nice-looking. Note that applying ink is considered a skill unto itself, so you will want to practice. Be sure and let the ink dry before you put your artwork or document away.
Always completely wipe off your seal before putting it away. Wipe the chop with a tissue after using it to get the remaining red ink out of the engraved areas. Next take a toothbrush and run it across the chop several times to get between the characters. A tissue moistened with nail polish remover works well on stubborn stains.
Store your chop for safe keeping. Remember that chopsare made from a very soft stone and will break easily. But with proper use and care they will last a lifetime.
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