2020 Essays

Molding with Cuttlefish Bone

Boyd, Emily; Palframan, Jef; Smith, Pamela H.

Several entries mention cuttlefish bone in Ms. Fr. 640: some use the powder of cuttlefish bones as a method of erasing (fol. 15v), others employ calcined cuttlefish powder as a sand for making molds (fol. 49r), but most of these entries make use of the bone as a rapidly-produced mold into which metals are cast, including fols. 91r–v and 145r–v. These entries provide a wealth of information on preparing the bones for molding, impressing models into them, and, finally, casting metals into them. They also contain descriptions of techniques by which an artisan could test the temperature of molten metal before casting. These entries particularly highlight the sensory and bodily knowledge needed by an artisan. We learned through experience the value of this knowledge in the course of our reconstructions.