141r - - - - - Casting a crayfish
Thecrayfish is one of the most fantastical to cast, but also provides an example for casting other difficult things. You can distinguish males and female by the eggs that the females carry, and by the four little white back legs that males have in their tails after behind main eight legs. It is good to dry them out a bit so that the bumps come out more hard and beautiful, because none of what is made of shell shrinks. It is true that should you dry the little inside legs for too long, they become diminished and have no body. If they are too dry, the flesh separates from the scales. Be sure then to maintain the mean. They have certain hairs between the legs and at the end of the tail. And because all hair is difficult to cast, because it gets mixed up in the sand and does not release, you can burn it by putting a hot iron on the crayfish so that it the hair cannot be seen. As for animals that have hair or feathers, you must grease the hair with wheat oil, which is very dry and which will make the hair lay flat and straight. In this way, you will have form of your animal and you will have the hair. Should it the hair be wavy, it can be repaired. If your crayfish has eggs, which are delicate, and which will be difficult to take out of the mold without breaking, you would do better to make the first cast with the crayfish on its belly and eggs. In this way, you will open the mold with it the crayfish on its back, which will be hard and easy to manipulate. And the belly and the eggs will remain in the mold. And rather than opening your mold for the second time, you will have to burn it with them in it. This way, it will open easily, and what has been burned will come away cleanly. In this way, the second casting, which is done on the first one that has successfully taken hold, separates easily from the first, after having been refired. This is a singular secret for similar moldings.
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The casting is made by the very thin tail.
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If some little thing is missing, you can reattach it or else fill it with goldsmith’s cement.
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Do not forget to rub with spirits before you mold.
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Stag beetles, crayfish and crabs are molded in the same way.
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If your crayfish has no eggs, mold the back on top and the belly on the bottom. You can give it some.
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It the crayfish can be molded hollow for the body, but not for the legs. And for a good result, take note that the crayfish is rather fantastical to mold hollow, this ought to be reserved for turtles.
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When you open your mold, you will find the crayfish has white bones, but they will not be powder. And without opening it, the mercury will not have affected the process.
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Apply very light oil colors.
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To paint it, boil it with wine and a bit of salt so that they become very red and use this as a model. Paint the back with vermillion mixed with laquer, and the sides and the underside of the belly and the legs with vermillion and yellow ochre and white.
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