Indian Mode Of Casting Delicate Objects In Metal

Manj of the ornaments brought from India, are cast in a very delicate and reh'nod maiinor. Those curious to know liow tlioy aro made will gnin some inforniation trom the following extract, communioated to the JSngliai Machine ovor the signature " Eos : "' The goldsmiths and silver workers always prefor tlxe curious clay compound '[hpiid b.y tíie white ants, and takon out of their hug': honeyoomb abodes, for forming the tiny, crucibles Uaèd ih their arts ; it burns boautifully without cracking, when takon from a proper locality, but is more frequently found as hero - in JubbulpOOI f'ull of grit, and too friable after ropeated washinga, to hold together. The stomachs of these " white ants," aro ovidently suppiicd with a powerful chemical secretion, and this, doubtless combining with certain clays and earths, constitutes the useful cruciblc product I now speak of. It burns to a hard white vessel, on whicb tle hrrax of the artisan gives a brilliant internal glaze ; but I havo nevor seen this earth used for any but the diminutivo melting pots alluded to. White ants, if they " swarm " or " lodge " for a short time on sheet glass, corrode the same iii zigzag pattems, as if etched by flurie acid ; occasionally these marks resemble l'ersian characters or Egyptian hieroglyphics. Honce some potent chemical acid enters into the building composition, of whicli the tenacity in aome countries, when it has bööil well lmoaded; pounded, and Bun dried, renders it a fino cheap flooring for scttlers' houses. It is very generally used in South África, where I umploycd it for the upper portion of a roiiíjh stone floor to my verandah. Büt I must return to my artistic Indians and their primitivo " dodges." In casting small articles in brass and the cheaper metáis, they fíx the mold with iron wire to the mouth of the melting pot, well luting the connections repeatedly with a mixture of stiff clay aild cow dühg !'v -;i'l(d together till quito strong and safe, gradually wanning the luting at the mouth of the furnace, and repairing all cracks and iissures as they may appear ; when thoroughly dry, the wliole mass is put in the rude native furnace of common clay ; and on the öölltontg of the melting pot boing fused, itisturnedgently " topsy turvy " and the metal runs from its inverted mouth into the attached mold. For articles of ornament and elabórate design, of any size, even to a field piece, the native workman makes a composition of two parts " dammar " resin, and one part beeswax (common resin will replaco the first in England) ; these are vei-y slowly and carefully melted over charcoal, and stirred together (in the open air, and not under a roof), and when almost hard are molded by the hands, the lathe, or in nletalic shapes. These models in their turn are then encassd in suitable mold clay, and vcry carefully and slowly dried in a shady spot until pcrfectly hard and scasoncd. The workman then, over eharcoal, gently heats the mold and pours out the composition from the hole he left as a future " ingate ; " when eveiy particlc of the mixture has flowed out into a vcssel held to catch ït for future nse, ho Lnore ises bis firo till sraoke rises from the brought t'ó'ii conditiort' ter receivc the molten metal. From au earring to tin idol tliis is the favorite modus operandt of casting, and I can most thoroughly recomniend it to the ingenious amateur, if he bo in India that I never employ " fusible metal ;" the present mode, besides boing cheaper, gives sharper casting, especially for small jewelry, and tiny silver ornaments, to say nothing of avoidthe contamination of precious metáis by tho lead of the alloy. Tliore Í6 great roaspn for supposing that in the days of " human sacrifices." models of the entire figure were obtained by casts of the victims who were immolated, in substantial clay coverings, which, frhen red hot, wero filled with molten pricstliood. The delicate Germán castings of tlowers and insects are nowadftys cast in the same fashion - " burning out." Fish and reptiles, such as snakus and lizards, rilaV be so cast very life like in tin, and afterward bronzed. I lately amused myself by getting the perfect nature model of a water snake about two feet long, in the above mannor. I got a split bamboo equally divided ; I placed good fire elay in each half of this bamboo ; I then put the snake carefully between the two pieces, secured the halves of bamboo firmly by binding wire at in tervals of a few inches ; I dned the whole slowly before a fiio ; I then slowly in a long charcoal stove of clay gradually burat out the snakc, and pourod in powterer'sKoldur- tbat is two parts tin, oimpart led. i.