2020 Essays

Toulouse Sand

Julien, Pascal; Smith, Pamela H.

Ms. Fr. 640 contains numerous references to Languedoc and Toulouse. The most numerous entries referring to Toulouse by name are about an excellent sand which can be gathered from the Toulouse environs and used to make molds for metal casting. These entries are particularly interesting for their account of firsthand experience and their observations about the properties of natural and artificial sands. They are detailed enough that they can be followed to locate and gather Toulouse sand suitable for making molds for metal casting. This essay recounts the search for Toulouse sand and the reconstructions made with it in the Making and Knowing Lab.