134r - - - - - [continued]
avoid putting pins that should not be put, only on the top of the head, the thickest parts of the body, and on the delicate parts like the middle of the lizard’s feet, the nails of which you will drive into the clay, thus they won’t move. Once your first mold is casted, peel away the belly of the animal, but do not forget to put some tenuous little pieces of wax at the tip of the lizard’s feet. But if it is from a wall lizard, lightly cover all the sole of its feet with wax, which will be removed with the second cast. A cavity is left which will be fill these little fingers with metal. then rework it. Make sure that wax is fixed well on the parts of the animal which are one on top of the other, so that the soaked sand which comes in does not make them move. If that happened your jacket of clay would be spoiled and your mold wouldn’t get the right thickness, would have holes, and would be spoiled. To obviate that you can make a thicker mold. If this occurs you could rework it in this fashion.
To repair a pierced mold
If the molded animal pulls of in certain places, moves from the place you had fixed it, or has not completely died, or if you didn’t fix it well with the iron pins or with the melted wax, or if the animal hasn’t the right thickness on the outside at the relief, or if it is pierced, instead of removing the animal from the mold, peel away the weak parts, or the pierced part, and make holes all around these parts, then dip the back side of the mold, quickly cast onto this place with the same soaked sand which will go into the holes, the cast will adhere to the first cast. But you will have to lute this spot afterwards.
Sand made of crocum ferri
You can use the mixture made of crocum ferri to cast silver or gold, this mixture will make these casts firm, and prevent these from cracking and making burrs. And I believe that for flat things, it would withstand severa casts. Which however is not commonly done for gold and silver.
at left bottom margin
Try crocum ferri for lead and tin.