110v - - - - - [continued]
When it has eaten something, by tormenting it, it will render it. And if, after having eaten something, it is thusly pressed underfoot, this pains it a lot & hurts it. If it is wounded, it will not eat willingly.
Molds
There is nothing better for opening them up than to smear them with olive oil, & nothing else. And afterwards, when you want to disjoin them, soak them in cold water, which is the secret. LE And you will see that the oil although it seems to be imbued, will detach itself, like grease. Molds become stronger in cold water. And hot water would dissolve them uneasily, although once reheated, they are more handleable & easier to dissolve in the water.
Wheat oil
Is made on a blade of iron reddened in the fire. And the oil drips off, which is appropriate for smearing the hair of a butterfly or similar thing, for this oil is instantly dry & makes the remainder dry out. It is necessary that the hair or down of any animal that you want to mold be flat, for it were upright it would elevate the sand & become porous.
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If you want to mold something delicate, like a pansy, some, to give it a little thickness, more than what is natural, rub it with butter. But it is best to smear it with wheat oil for it has no body & does not obstruct the small lineaments as much, and makes the flower firm.
Cast of lead and tin
Because tin wants to be cast very thinly, if your medal, plant or other thing for molding is espe thin & fine, do it so that there is more tin, much more than lead, namely less than the fourth part lead for three parts tin. And still, one puts lead only to form an alloy. On the contrary, if you want to mold something strong & thick, put a lot more lead in than tin. And in one & the other you can put a little looking—glass tin, but only a little, with a little resin, when you want to cast. Since then, when molding with fine and new lead, I put into one lb two ounces of fine tin. And when molding with fine tin, I put in two ounces of fine lead for one pound. I made plants & snakes just like nature.
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S
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I cast tin almost red, and lead the same, which however had not remained in the fire for too long, for it becomes brittle and calcines.