Enquire Within Upon Everything Part 180

The materials used in modelling are plaster of Paris, wax, whiting, putty, clay, pipeclay; common and factory cinders; sand of various colours; powdered fluor-spar, oyster-sh.e.l.ls, bricks, and slate; gums, acacia and tragacanth; starch; paper, white and brown, cardboard and millboard; cork sheets, cork raspings, and old bottle-corks; gutta percha; leather and leather chips; wood; paints, oil, water, and varnish; moss, lichen, ferns, and gra.s.s; talc, window and looking-gla.s.s; muslin and net; chenille; carded wool; tow; wire; hay and straw; various varnishes, glue, and cements.

2349. Tools.

The tools consist of brushes for paints, varnishes, and cements; two or three bradawls; a sharp penknife; a chisel, hammer, and punches; scissors and pencil.

2350. Caves.

Caves may be modelled readily in cork, wood, starch-paste, or cinders covered with brown paper soaked in thin glue.

2351. To Construct Caves of Cinders.

Arrange the cinders, whether common or factory, in such a manner as to resemble the intended design; then cover in such parts as require it with brown paper soaked in thin glue until quite pulpy. When nearly dry, dust over with sand, powdered brick, slate, and chopped lichen or moss, from a pepper-box; touch up the various parts with either oil, water, or varnish colours; and if necessary, form your trees of wire, covered with brown paper and moss, glued on.

[BETTER GO ROUND THAN FALL INTO THE DITCH.]

2352. Cave Effect.

When a Cave is constructed in the above manner, on a large scale, and the interior sprinkled with powdered fluor-spar or gla.s.s, the effect is very good by candle-light.

2353. Stalact.i.tes.

Stalact.i.tes may be represented by rough pieces of wood, which must be smeared with glue, and sprinkled with powdered fluor-spar, or gla.s.s.

2354. To Model Caves in Cork.

Construct the framework of wood, and fill up the outline with old bottle-corks. The various projections, recesses, and other minutiae, must be affixed afterwards with glue, after being formed of cork, or hollowed out in the necessary parts, either by burning with a hot wire and sc.r.a.ping it afterwards, or by means of a sharp-pointed bradawl.

2355. Small Trees.

If small cork models are constructed, the trees should be formed by transfixing short pieces of shaded chenille with a fine wire (.), and sticking them into the cork.

2356. Decoration.

Various parts of the model must be touched up with oil, water, or varnish colours; and powdered brick, slate, and chopped lichen, or moss, dusted on as usual.

2357. Wooden Models.

Wooden models are constructed roughly in deal, according to the proper design, and the various fine parts afterwards affixed with glue or brads.

2358. Finer Work in Wood.

In forming the finer parts of the wooden model, a vast amount of unnecessary labour may be saved, and a better effect obtained, by burning much of the outline, instead of carving it. By this plan, deeper tones of colouring, facility of operating, and saving of time and labour, are the result.

2359. Decorating Wooden Models.

In common with other models, those constructed of wood require the aid of lichen, moss, powdered slate, &c., and colours, to complete the effect.

2360. Water.

When water issues from the original cave, and it is desirable to copy it in the model, a piece of looking gla.s.s should be glued on the stand, and the edges surrounded by glue, and paper covered with sand.

Sometimes it is requisite to cut away the wood of the stand, so as to let in the looking gla.s.s; this, however, is only when the water is supposed to be much lower than the surface of the land.

2361. Starch-Paste Models.

Starch-paste models are formed in the usual way, of the following composition:--Soak gum tragacanth in water, and when soft, mix it with powdered starch till of a proper consistence. It is much improved by adding some double-refined sugar finely powdered. When the model is finished, it must be coloured correctly, and varnished with white varnish, or left plain. This is the composition used by confectioners for modelling the various ornaments on cakes.

2362. Ancient Cities.

Ancient cities may be constructed of cork or starch-paste, in the same manner as directed above; bearing in mind the necessity for always working models according to a scale, which should be afterwards affixed to the stand of the model.

2363. Modern Cities.

Modern cities are better made of cardboard, starch-paste, or pipe-clay; the houses, public buildings, and other parts being constructed according to scale.

2364. Houses.

Houses should be cut out of a long thin strip of cardboard, partially divided by three strokes of a penknife, and glued together; this must afterwards be marked with a pencil, or pen and ink, to represent the windows, doors, stones, &c.; and the roof--cut out of a piece of square cardboard, equally and partially divided--is then to be glued on, and the chimney--formed of a piece of lucifer match, or wood notched at one end and flat at the other--is to be glued on, A square piece of cardboard must be glued on the top of the chimney; a hole made with a pin in the card and wood; and a piece of grey worsted, thinned at the end, fixed into the hole for smoke.

[EXAMPLES DO NOT AUTHORIZE SINS.]

2365. Public Buildings.

Cathedrals, churches, and other public buildings are made in the same way; but require the addition of small chips of wood, ends of lucifer matches, cork raspings, or small pieces of cardboard, for the various ornaments, if on a large scale, but only a pencil-mark if small.

2366. Starch-Paste or Pipeclay.

When constructed of starch-paste, or pipeclay, the material is rolled flat on a table or marble slab, and the various sides cut out with a sharp penknife; they are then gummed together, and coloured properly.