2020 Essays

Sand Molds of Ox Bone, Wine, and Elm Root

Marris, Caroline Foster; Pope, Stephanie

BnF Ms. Fr. 640 features several recipes for making “sand” molds. They usually involve the combination of a dry element with a wet binding agent, often referred to as “magistra.” This essay examines the sand casting technique described on fol. 84v that involves the use of a mixture of calcined and pulverized ox foot bone with elm root boiled in wine. While ox foot bone is referenced in the manuscript as an ideal medium for sand casting, the particular properties of elm root boiled in wine as a binder are less clear. In our reconstruction of the recipe entitled “Sand,” we sought not only to shed light on the ingredients and procedures involved in the preparation of the elm root and wine binder but also to consider the nature and processes by which knowledge is produced in the Making and Knowing laboratory.