147r - - - - - [continued]
Be warned to make an edge of wax melted with a warm wire all around the edge of the top shell which is close to the tail in order to make a better cast. And make it so that two small strings of the same wax goes from the end of the shell of the belly to the aforesaid wax edge, which is around the backbone of the shell, and the turtle’s tail should stay in between those two strings. This to make a better cast. This done, oil your mold and what you can see of the shell. Put the circle around this, and cast with hot water as before, and doing what you have done in the same manner to mold the third part which is the tail. And having taken hold, take away the clay contours, clean your mold, bring it together, and flatten it on all sides with a knife as you have done with other molds. Lightly dip it in water, then try to release it. Usually, one starts by the shell of the back, which is to say the top mold that is made of two halves. And this one is easier to release. The other follows directly after, but because it is next to the turtle’s shoulders which are deeply entrenched, it is sometimes troublesome to do this when lightly shaking and pulling the mold. Be advised to pull the easiest one first, because you will need to release them one after the other. The hardest one of all is the one molding the throat, the underside of the legs, and the cavities of the shoulders, which are so difficult to release, that if you do not plan accordingly by filling it with wax rather than molding what cannot been released, it will be difficult to take the pieces without breaking something. But if it happens to you again, there is a solution, provided that you keep the broken pieces, because you can reassemble them with stong iron needles, and fill whatever crack or flaw you have with some melted wax and hot iron as you have with others so that the noyau to mold hollow is easier to do. After
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See the second page
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To prevent breaking while releasing, be advised to uncover up to the point where it can still hold.