Jenny Boulboulle
26 May 2015
NOTES ON Reconstructions with Sand of Toulouse
ToC
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Field notes 26 May
Chandler Lab, hot early summer day
4.00-4:40pm
Jenny Boulboullé, Jef Palframan and Pamela Smith
We did today a reconstruction with Sand of Toulouse as specified by our author-practitioner in the manuscript. The author-practitioner mentions the quality of sand from the area of Toulouse. There are (at least) 4 recipe’s on sand molding with a geographical indication of Toulouse: 81r, 87r and 87v and 69r. Some specify sand from the area of Toulouse (87v and 69r) and some more specifically from places nearby: Pech David (81r, 87r,) and Touch, close by St. Michel (87r)
On 81r and 87r he specifies two nearby locations for good sand: Pech David and Touch, close to St. Michel.
We compared the two samples that we received from Pascal, the sand from Touch, St. Michel felt indeed much more ‘clay like’. The sand from Pech David was drier, but when squeezed it clinged together therefore (cf. ‘squeeze test’) appearing to have the right amount of moisture to mold without adding any binders.
We used today sand that we received from the area of Pech David and followed the instruction on fol. 81r. (I had to repack my box mold, because in my first attempt I did not use the right half of the frame and then I turned it upside down by accident). We did not heat or bake the sand before filling the box mold as the recipe as the author-practitioner warns not to dry this sand out: “It should not be reheated much because drying out suddenly, it will lose its binding [properties] and retract [?] at the first inflow of metal, which makes the work become rough and unclean.”.
We put the medal on the working area and ‘pounced’ (wrongly translated here as ‘polish’?) finely grounded brick powder through a “very thin cloth” (for the technique of pouncing cf. fol. 117v). Then we ground some sand from Pech David in the mortar and started packing our box mold. The recipe specifies: “then the wet sand that you will put over it, which has more body, will grip it.a onto its surface”. This is precisely how the process of adding the wetter sand onto the sprinkled surface of the medal felt. We used ground and unground Pech David sand, as the grounding did not seem to make a big difference. (Afterwards I realized we should rather have sieved the sand, as Pascal recommended in his mail, than ground it in a mortar). The sand felt very grainy with also some bigger chunks, of which most could be broken down when crushed with our fingertips, and as they were not supposed to come in direct contact with the impression of the medal to be cast, this did not feel problematic.
When we lifted the box mold from the surface, the medal ‘fell out’ or rather remained on the surface. Therefore we decided to cast this mold as a one-sided cast in an open box mold.
We left the box mold to dry over night in the fume hood.
Some observations:
This recipe on fol. 81r appeared to me on first sight not very intriguing. It calls for combining Pech David sand with ‘fine sand’ and I thought we would only repeat the moldmaking with finley ground brick sand that we already had done several times in the lab. So I did not expect to gain much insights from this procedure. However when actually following the instructions and doing the recipe, it was much more intriguing than expected. First of all, it seems to be a great example of the way our author works by trial and error, reiterating processes and proceeding with materials at hand. This recipe actually seems to show how he ‘discovered’ a sort of short cut for sand box molding as the ‘fine sand’ does not need to be moistened with a ‘magistry’ as he tries ‘pouncing’ it dry onto the medal and then packing it with sand that is so to speak naturally wet and therefore easy to handle without long preparation times. We just packed it onto the sprinkled medal and the whole procedure (if executed correctly on first trial) would not take longer than 5-10 minutes. This seems to be sort of the Mac Donald’s version of sand moldmaking! It also shows how the accumulation of materials in our workshop - where we have by now many different sands at hand - enables improvisational work, experimenting with different combinations of sand and being able to compare different results in a way that seems to become increasingly similar to the workshop environment of our author-practitioner. This means we are not only studying his processes, but it also seems to show that the process in which our study of the MS unfolds is crucial to a deeper understanding of the MS. Now we still have to see the results, but our first impression of the medal impression was quite positive and did not seem to be less detailed than the finely ground brick sand molds we cast last semester.
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EMAIL CORRESPONDENCE PASCAL
Le 15/04/2015 18:37, Pamela H. Smith a écrit :
> I'm completely thrilled by this news. Thank you!
>
> On 4/15/2015 11:42 AM, JULIEN Pascal wrote:
>> Chère Pamela
>> J'ai posté ce matin 7 kg de sable, moitié de Pech David, moitié de
>> Saint Michel du Touch.
>> Les lieux sont les bons, mais je n'ai pu creuser assez profond pour
>> éviter des petits éléments organiques. il faudra filtrer.
>> Ils sont très différents, celui du Touch est beaucoup plus argileux.
>> J'espère que ça va passer.
>> Amitiés
>> Pascal
-------- Forwarded Message --------
Subject: Re: MoldsMetalMeeting
Date: Mon, 09 Feb 2015 17:43:50 +0100
From: JULIEN Pascal <pasc.julien@gmail.com>
To: Pamela H. Smith <ps2270@columbia.edu>
Chère Pamela
Vieille-Toulouse est un village au sud-ouest de Toulouse, situé sur le plateau ou coteau de Pech-David, entre 130 et 200m au-dessus de la Garonne (Pech est un toponyme occitan qui signifie un sommet, une colline).
J'ai écrit au consulat américain de Toulouse pour savoir comment je peux voyager avec du sable sans avoir de problèmes à la douane...
Je te donnerai des nouvelles dès que possible. Si ils ne répondent pas, j'écrirai au consulat de Marseille puis à l'ambassade à Paris.
Pour mes billets de voyage, je dois faire quelque chose ?
Amitiés
Pascal.
Le 08/02/2015 23:57, Pamela H. Smith a écrit :
Dear Pascal,
Thanks so much for this. Some answers below:
On 2/8/2015 11:54 AM, JULIEN Pascal wrote:
Chère Pamela
Merci pour tout !
Pour le sable de Vieille-Toulouse, j'ai prévu de faire des recherches dès que les beaux jours reviendront (nous avons de la neige en ce moment).
Vieille-Toulouse est un petit village au sud-est de Toulouse. Il est sur un plateau proche de la Garonne, le fleuve qui passe à Toulouse, mais très au-dessus de ce fleuve (200m environ).
Le sable de fonte n'est certainement pas un simple sable de fleuve, que l'on trouve partout dans le cours d'eau ou sur les berges.
YOU ARE CORRECT. NOT SIMPLE RIVER SAND. WHEN THE AUTHOR-PRACTITIONER WRITES "SABLE," HE CAN MEAN ANYTHING FROM PLASTER/BRICK MIXTURE FOR PLASTER MOLDING TO CALCINATED OX BONES MIXED WITH ROCK SALT. GENERALLY IN MS. FR. 640 IT MEANS THE DRY MIXTURE USED FOR BOX MOLDING THAT MUST BE MIXED WITH A WET DECOCTION OF SOME SORT--ELM ROOT BOILED IN RED WINE, OR EAU MAGISTRA--VARIOUS LIQUID MIXTURES .
Il vient certainement des hauteurs, sur le plateau à côté de Vieille-Toulouse.
INTERESTING; WHAT ABOUT THE PUY DAVID, WHICH I UNDERSTAND IS NOW PART OF TOULOUSE? THE MS. MENTIONS SOME PLACES
Là, il s'agit d'un mélange de limons et de molasses érodées, un mélange de sable argileux et de cailloutis qui provient de l'érosion de terrasses anciennes.
Il me faut chercher un site d'utilisation de ce sable, je le ferai dès que possible.
THAT WOULD BE VERY INTERESTING.
Si je trouve avant le mois de mai, voulez-vous que je vous envoie des échantillons ?
I WOULD REALLY LOVE IF YOU COULD SEND SOME BEFORE MAY, BUT I THINK YOU COULD NOT ACTUALLY SEND SOIL INTO THE U.S. IN FACT, IF YOU BRING IT WITH YOU IN MAY, YOU WILL HAVE TO DECLARE IT AT CUSTOMS, BUT I THINK IT WILL BE FINE IF YOU SAY IT IS SAND FOR USE IN CASTING EXPERIMENTS.
Amitiés
Pascal
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Search results Toulouse BnF Ms. Fr. 640
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b10500001g/f167.image
Four recipes
fol. 81r
fol. 87v
fol. 87r
(fol. 69r)
Fol. 81r
TRANSCRIPTION
<title id=“p081r_a1”>Sable</title>
<ab id=“p081r_b1”>Il sen trouve dexcellent au costau depuy david aupres de th{ou}l{ous}e<lb/>pour plomb estaim & cuivre Il ne veult pas estre trop recuit<lb/>
pourceque se deseichant ainsy a coup il perd sa liaison & sescive [?]<lb/>
a la premiere entree du metal ce qui faict venir louvraige<lb/>
grumeleus & mal net Il vault mieulx recuire de loing quavecq<lb/>
la flamme de paille qui engendre des de la crasse Plustost que<lb/>
remplir le chassis tu peulx mectre du plus subtil sable que tu auras<lb/>
dans un linge fort subtil & en poncer a sec la medaille Et puys<lb/>
le sable mouille que tu y mects dessus qui ha plus de corps le<lb/>
grippe</ab>
<note id=“p081r_c1a”>Le suif faict soufler</note>
<note id=“p081r_c1b”>Le mercure<lb/>
arreste melle co{mm}e<lb/>
on veult gecter<lb/>
faict courre le<lb/>
metal plomb<lb/>
Mays sil est<lb/>
pur il le fault
gecter bien chault<lb/>
affin quil coure
Et souspirails</note>
Fol. 81r
TRANSLATION
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b10500001g/f167.image
<title id=“p081r_a1”>Sand</title>
<ab id=“p081r_b1”>You can find some excellent [sand] for use with lead, tin and copper close to the hill of Pech-David, close to Toulouse. It should not be reheated much because drying out suddenly, it will lose its binding [properties] and retract [?] at the first inflow of metal, which makes the work become rough and unclean. It is much better to reheat it from a distance, instead of with a straw flame, which generates grime. Instead of filling the frame, you can use finer sand which you will have in a very thin cloth, and pounce your medal and then the wet sand that you will put over it, which has more body, will grip it.</ab>
<note id=“p081r_c1a”>Tallow makes things fill with bubbles</note>
<note id=“p081r_c1b”>Mercury stops the burning when one wants to cast. Allow the lead to flow, but if it is pure, you have to cast it quite hot so it flows and vents.</note>
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Fol. 87v
TRANSCRIPTION
<title id=”p087v_a3”>Sable de mine de Th{ou}l{ous}e</title>
<ab id=”p087v_b3a”>Le sable de gect venant de mine estant passe par un double<lb/>
tamis apres mis dans de la gemme fondue se brusle & senflamme<lb/>
& vient tout rouge & enflamme co{mm}e du fer Estant froit il est<lb/>
tout noir Et se subtilie fort bien sur le porphire layant<lb/>
ainsy præpare & rendu sans asperite sur longle je lhumectay avecq<lb/>
glaire dœuf battue & le battis fort jusques a ce quil nestoit point<lb/>
pasteux ains en pouldre Je le trouvay de fort bonne despouille<lb/>
& en moulay en plomb & estaim fort net Mays il veult estre<lb/>
bien recuit & a laise</ab>
<ab id=”p087v_b3b”>Aultres le battent fort dans un mortier en petite quantite a<lb/>
chasque fois & ainsy il sacache et rend fort subtil puys le recuisent<lb/>
mediocrement seulement pour le secher apres ils le broyent a sec<lb/>
sur le porphire Et ainsy il se rend co{mm}e impalpable Et nest pas trop<lb/>
deseiche Il et retient corps & liaison de la terre dont il participe<lb/>
Et est mieulx que quand il est tant brusle Estant humecte avecq<lb/>
glaire doeuf passe par lesponge il despouille fort net M fort<lb/>
net en bas relief Mays non pas figures fort relevees Parta{n}t<lb/>
despuys jexperimentay de [lexper] lhumecter seulem{ent} avecq du<lb/>
vinaigre bien fort Il despoilla dune figure quauparavant<lb/>
je navoys peu faire despoiller Et croy que moillant le plus<lb/>
subtil dune fasson co{mm}e de glaire & le grossier pour remplir de<lb/>
chasses deau sel ou vin quilz ne sallient pas si bien Mays<lb/>
co{mm}e ils sont dune nature & humectes de mesme Ils sembrassent<lb/>
& tient lun avecq laultre</ab>
<ab id=”p087v_b3c”>Pour bien mouler apres avoyr tes sables præpares<lb/>
moule en un jour recuits lentem{ent} le lendemain puys jectes laultre</ab>
<note id=”p087v_c3a”>Il le fault choisir<lb/>
qui soict co{mm}e en<lb/>
glebes & mottes<lb/>
bien bas en terre car<lb/>
co{mmun}ement celuy qui se<lb/>
trouve en hault participe trop de<lb/>
la terre Et le bas<lb/>
tient du rocher</note>
<note id=”p087v_c3b”>Jen ay moule de<lb/>
plomb pur gecte fort<lb/>
net chault & en ay<lb/>
eu lexemple co{mm}e le<lb/>
principal tresnet<lb/>
mays le vinaigre<lb/>
ne luy donne gueres<lb/>
de liaison & ainsy<lb/>
il nha soustenu<lb/>
quun gect</note>
Fol. 87v
TRANSLATION
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b10500001g/f180.image
<title id=”p087v_a3”>Sand from sand pit from Toulouse</title>
<ab id=”p087v_b3a”>[In order to use] sand from a sandpit for casting, filter it through a double sieve, then having mixed it with molten resin it burns and heats, and becomes all red and hot as iron. Once it has cooled down it is completely black and can be pulverised on porphyry very well. Having prepared it like this and checked the smoothness of the surface with my nail, I moistened it with egg white and beat it vigorously, until it was not a paste anymore but a powder. I found [this sand] to release the cast very well, and molded very clean in lead and tin [with it], however it needs to be baked long enough and slowly.</ab>
<ab id=”p087v_b3b”>Others beat it strongly in a mortar, in small amounts at a time, thus it sacache and comes out very fine; then they bake it moderately, just enough to dry it, and then they crush it dry on porphyry. Thus it is made almost impalpable, and yet not too dry, and it retains the consistency and the binding quality of the earth to which it is related, and is better than when it is burnt. When you moisten it with egg white and pass it through a sponge it releases very clean for a low relief, but not a figure in high relief. Considering this, since then I experimented with moistening it only with strong vinegar. [That way] it releases a figure I previously had not been able to release [from the mold]. I think that even when you wet the finest sort with egg white, or in a similar fashion, or the thick sort pour remplir de chasses with water, salt, or vinegar, they do not mix so well. However, given that they are of one and the same nature, and are similarly moistened, they espouse each other, and hold together.</ab>
<note id=”p087v_b3c”> To mold well, when your sands are prepared, mold in one day. Bake slowly the next day, then cast the other.</ab>
<note id=”p087v_c3a”>Choose [sand] that comes in clods and lumps, and deep down in the earth, because commonly the one near the surface is too much akin to earth, whereas the deep one is similar to rock.</note>
<note id=”p087v_c3b”>I have sometimes molded with pure lead cast very hot, and the example as well as the principal were very clean, but since the vinegar gives it little binding, it held only for one cast.</note>
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Fol. 87r
TRANSCRIPTION
<title id=”p087r_a1”>Sable de Th{ou}l{ous}e </title>
<ab id=”p087r_b1”>Le bo communem{ent} bon est celuy qui se trouve en une vigne de puy<lb/>
david Mays celuy qui est le plus excellent est celuy du touch pres<lb/>
de S{ainc}t Michel & vers blagnac En une vigne qui est bien haulte<lb/>
Cestuy est plus delie & un peu plus gras que laultre & meilleur pour<lb/>
petits ouvrages Il ne veult pas estre trop recuit</ab>
Fol. 87r
TRANSLATION
<title id=”p087r_a1”>Sand of Toulouse</title>
<ab id=”p087r_b1”>The [sand] generally considered good is the one found in a vineyard near Pech-David. But the best is the one is from the Touch, a river close to Saint-Michel and Blagnac, in a vineyard at a high altitude. This [sand] is thinner, and a bit greasier than the other, and better for small works. It should not be overheated.</ab>
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Fol. 69R
TRANSCRIPTION
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b10500001g/f143.image
<title id=”p069r_a2”>Sable</title>
<title id=”p069r_b2a”>Il ne te fault pas choisir pour gect celuy qui est du tout si<lb/>
maigre & aride quil naye poinct de liaison co{mm}e celuy de la mer<lb/>
desei ou des chemins sablonneulx deseiches par le soleil Mays<lb/>
choisis les ou en t en premier lieu parmy les pierreriesrieres ou cavernes<lb/>
de rocher pourceque cestuy la est le meilleur pourveu quil soit fort <lb/>
subtil Tu en cognoistras la veine Si parmy les rochers ou<lb/>
pierrieres qu grisastres qui semblent estre composes darene tu<lb/>
vois apres un temps pluvieulx certains petits moncelets comme de<lb/>
poulciere attaches aulx dicts rochers Ou sil sen escaille par<lb/>
lhumidite quelque piece aisee a froisser entre les mains Tu en<lb/>
trouveras aussy aulx terres maigres Qui senleve lop a grands<lb/>
lopins co{mm}e pierres de tuf et ne ou parmy les terres bolvenes qui<lb/>
sont beaucoup meilleurs que ceulx qui se trouvent aulx terres grasses<lb/>
& fortes Et ne le fault pas prendre a la superficie de peur quil<lb/>
ne soit mesle de la commune terre Mays trois ou 4 pieds en bas<lb/>
& le plus pres du tuf ou de la pierre Comme il senleve ainsy en<lb/>
grands lopins on diroit quil commance a se former en pierre Mays<lb/>
co{mm}e il est mouille il se deffaict aysem{ent} Il fault considerer quen<lb/>
le rompant il soict bien grene & quen le froissant entre les doigts<lb/>
il se rende en une subtilite co{mm}e impalpable fort grande retenant<lb/>
neantmoings son asperite areneuse sans embouer les doigts co{mm}e<lb/>
lardille Il se deseiche legerem{ent} au foeu puys se pile & passe<lb/>
subtillem{ent} par un double tamis ou une manche de linge puys<lb/>
humecte avecq du vin ou magistra &{c} / Verte </ab>
<note id=”p069r_c2a”> Le mouleur de th{ou}l{ous}e le faict recuire fort<lb/>
puys le subtilie sur le mabre et le passe<lb/>
par un linge et le passe humecte avecq du vin<lb/>
Il faict le gect<lb/>
fort large et ne plat<lb/>
et gueres profond<lb/>
il gecte letton pur<lb/>
[d]e trebuschets<lb/>
[&] semblables<lb/>
choses tanvres<lb/>
il gecte fort chault</note>
<note id=”p069r_c2b”>Essaye le<lb/>
vitriol calcine</note>
Fol. 69r
TRANSLATION
<title id=”p069r_a2”>Sand</title>
<ab id=”p069r_b2a”>For a cast, do not choose that [sand] that is in any way lean & arid, such that it does not bind at all, like that from the sea or from sandy roads dried out by the sun. But choose preferably that from quarries or rock caves, since that one is best, as long as it is very fine. You will know the vein if, in the greyish rocks or quarries that seem to be made of sand, after rainy weather, you see certain little heaps like dust attached to the said rocks, or if the humidity causes them to shed stones that crumble easily between your hands. You will also find sand in lean soils, which comes off in large lumps like tuf stones, or in boulbène soils, which sands are much better than those from fat and strong soils. And do not take it from the surface, lest it be mixed with common soil, but three or 4 feet below and closest to the tuf or stone. When it comes off in large lumps it appears to have started to form itself into stone, but once wet it comes apart easily. When breaking it up, make sure that it is quite granular and that in crushing it between the fingers, it becomes really very fine, keeping nevertheless its sandy asperity, without muddying the fingers like clay. One dries it slowly on the fire, then pounds it and passes it finely through a double sieve or a linen sleeve, then wets it with wine or magistra etc. / Green</ab>
<note id=“p069r_c2a”>The Toulouse molder reheats it strongly then grinds it finely on a marble slab and passes it through linen and wets it with wine. He makes the cast very large and flat and hardly deep. He casts pure brass for scales and similarly thin objects. He casts very hot.</note>
<note id=“p069r_c2b”>Try calcinated vitriol.</note>
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