Ancient Ola leaf manuscript (Puskola) preservation: Dummala oil and lampblack inking?

Restoring historic Buddhist palm-leaf manuscripts (Puskola Poth) requires specialized traditional re-inking (Kalu Medeema). The folios—crafted from boiled and cured Talipot palm leaves (Corypha umbraculifera)—are inscribed using a sharp steel stylus (Panhinda) that cuts microscopic grooves into the leaf epidermis. Over centuries, carbon pigment flakes away. Conservators prepare a mixture of natural lampblack (soot gathered from burning coconut shells) suspended in volatile Dorana oil (Dipterocarpus) or Dummala resin oil. The paste is rubbed over the leaf surface, filling incised scratches with dense black pigment. The excess paste is immediately buffed off with warm rice-bran powder, leaving clear script while natural plant oils rehydrate brittle palm fibers against fungal mold.