152r - - - - - Molding a rat
The hairs of his whiskers are difficult to come out of the mold, you can therefore shave them with fire, as did the tyrant of Syracuse, which you can always replace with life—like silver ones. The tail comes out beautifully because it is made of little scale—like circles, almost like the ones of a lizard. And to make sure that the hair does not keep you from molding well, burn them away with a little candle. The rest of the body must be oiled with wheat oil, which will keep the hair rigid and flat, so that it will not be removed when it mixes with the sand, which will keep you cast from releasing cleanly. Wheat oil, being dry, will dry quickly, you will therefore be able to comb the hair with a very fine comb, so that the hair will be visible when cast. On a small mouse you can use common oil to flatten the hair. Rather than molding these animals immediately (except for snakes and lizards), keep them dead for a day a two so that they become easier to handle. Because they are very stiff after they die and cannot be shaped into a life—like looking position unless they are softened. However, if you mold it straight after it dies, and give it its shape before it becomes stiff, that will be good. And because the eyes die unless you mold them immediately, you can replace them with half a round pea taken out of its shell. Some cast their rats without any added preparations; others oil them with olive oil which suits the purpose, because wheat oil is thick and has too much body. This is why we only use it wheat oil in light strokes on fly’s feet or beneath a wing, to keep them stiff. Others flatten the hair with an egg yolk, which dries quickly and does the job. Arrange it the rat on its clay base before oiling it. Raise its head with an iron needle, and also secure its feet with needles, and it tail. Rub it with spirits after the oil has dried. Then throw in your sand. Uncover it as you would other animals, then do your second casting. You must not open the mold until it is completely reheated and the rat has burned away.
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+If it is a big rat, it is better to cast it hollow, because it is thick. A mouse is easier to mold because it has shorter hair. It is impossible to mold an animal with big bones well, such as a bird or rat, without opening the mold to clean it well, because bones do not burn well.
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All kinds of feathers and hairs are difficult to mold realistically.
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It is better to use butter to grease hairy animals than wheat oil, because it is better suited to the purpose.
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If the rat is big, it is better to remove its entrails, or having molded it, let it dry in an oven, because the large amount of moisture it contains would boil inside the mold, which would ruin it and make it lumpy.
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Only put your mold in the oven after it has cooled, drying slowly, otherwise it will absorb the moisture and break.