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Stucco for molding

Take tragacanth gum and put it to soak until, having drunk
its water, it is swollen & rendered like jelly. Then
crush it quite hard on the marble & next take
rye flour, which is better than wheat
because it is more humid and does not make the paste as brittle, and
sprinkle your tragacanth gum with it, & continue to grind
and mix in thus, little by little, le et mesler
legi the very finely sieved flour. And knead it as if
you wanted to make bread, until you you perceive that
it has enough body & is as firm as bread dough that one is
ready to put in the oven. This is perceivable when it can
stretch enough without breaking. And if it was not strong enough, it
would not sti release well. Thus once prepared, rub
the cavity au u with oil, with a
brush, so that the oil penetrates everywhere to make it
release better, and press the paste inside quite hard. And if it does
not release well, mix in more flour until it has enough body.
With this you will mold whatever work you like, masks or garlands, which
will be dry within one day. Next, you will apply them with
strong glue or paste glue, as you like, and you will be
able to paint and decorate them with gold & all colors. One
makes ceiling ornaments with it in Rome. One can make bed
ornaments with it. If you want that the work stays white, it
is better to mold with plaster instead of flour. It is
true that it is more brittle and firm as well, but one needs to prepare
it like this: temper it, when it is powdered strong, in a
good amount of water so that it is clear, & grind
it several times a day for fifteen days. Then pour off the
water by tilting, and gather the plaster & grind it
finely on the marble, & place it in some kind of
clean lead vessel, so that no dust & dirt falls into
it, & leave it in the open air & au
serain for fifteen days with its water, and
it will become matte, strong, white and light, very suitable for making
a groundlayer for burnished gold. And this, in powder form, you
can mix, instead of flour, with tragacanth gum, and your
work will be very beautiful. Lacking plaster, you can mix in well
ground chalk or ceruse, & try bole &
similar things. This stucco with the tragacanth gum has
the quality, being malleable before being dry, of fitting on either
round or flat things, as you like. It is to make an ornament at little
expense.



Flour is not good in this, but chalk or ceruse is.



