Thibodaux minerva. [volume] (Thibodaux, La.) 18??-1858, 1855-12-22
From Godeys Lady's Cook, for Janusry.]
The Art of making Wax Fruit and Flowers

There are no limitations of natural objects more
exact and pleasing than those made OF wax, more
especially the representations of Fruits and Flowers.
So exact indeed are they, if well made, that the
most practiced eve cannot sometimes detect the
real from the artificial.
The very beauty of waxen fruit and flowers in.
duces the belief that make them must be difficult.
Sc can never make any beautiful as these" is a
very oft.repeated expression upon witnessing even
a single group. Yes, in truth, no art is of more
easy attainment; little patience and little taste
are the whole mental requisites; these, superadded
to ordinary care in the manipulation, cannot fail
very shortly to render proficient the most mex
perienced. Yet it is not to be denied that slight
knowledge of the harmony of colors and of botany
will greatly assist in the perfection Of the more diff
ficut of these works of elegance. The chief thing
is to know hom to select the proper materials, and
hoac to set about tie enork IN a proper manner ;;
and it may be added, to commence with what is
most easy. Should it be fruit, let it be one of
single color, as an orange or lemon; or if flower
We might recommend a snowdrop, violet, or a
narcissus, in which there is no completely, and
little pencillng.
In large towns, the requisite materials can al
ways readily be procured, and it is not worth while
that any of them should be home made; vet, as
pCiscHS WIZ " l'C Adi
in the country where it is difficult to obtain
the simpler requisites, and circumstances often
arise in which it is absolutely impossible to pro-
cure what may be wanted for particular purpose,
as in the case of mould being required for a GER
tain specimen of fruit, Or the extra thick wax
desirable for particular flowers &c, We intend to
include i'll this every available information; that
the learner, however remotely situated may be his
residence, or unique his model, may have as much
as possible his difficulties removed, his mind stimuli
ated, and his fingers directed to attain excellence
Beginning with the easiest department, it is ne
cessary to divide the subject into the making of
Fruit, and the making of flowers. These are quite
distinct in themselves. The former includes the
imitation of all solid objects, with melted wax
poured into moulds. The latter includes those
more delicate ones which are made without moulds,
of wax previously cut into thin sheets.
WAxEN FRUIT.
The art of making Waxen Fruit includes every
small object made in mould; thus the same in
structions that direct to make an orange are equal
ly applicable to form an egg, pea, a cucumber,
the stem of cactus a doll a bust, or any similar
article observing that the principle upon which all
are formed is, that mould is requisite. This is
first to be made or procured, then wax is to be
cast in it, sometimes solid sometimes hollow. In
many cases the objects will now be completely
finished, with the exception of just trimming around
where the mould joined; in other cases, the wax
castings to be painted with dry colors for some
and wet coors for others; and in different manners
according to the effect desired to be produced.
Thus, the imitation of solid objects in wax neces-
sary resolves itself into three distinct portions,
each Of which we must consider in detail; and first,
to Making Moulds of Two Parts"
The materials and implements requisite for
making the proper moulds are plaster of Paris;
some slips of stiff paper or ribbons of tin cut from
thin tin plates of their full length, and about three
inches wide; some damp sand in bowl; pint
basin; large spoon; small dinner knife; jug Of
water. The plaster of Paris should be quite fresh,
and Of good quality, superine if it be procured,
if not the common plaster of bishops; the super
fine is very much to be preferred, as it is whittier,
finer, harder, and more durable. Thus provided,
procure regularly formed fruit, and one which is
neither hard like walnut, nor yet rough like a
peach, nor irregular like pineapple; an orange is
very good one for this purpose; then proceed as
follows -
Mould for an Orange.-Sink nearly one-half of
the orange into the sand which has be previously
damped; and it will be better, for reason after
wards explained, to sink that part of the orange to
which the stalk was attached, 80 that the widest
part of the orange shall be just about the sand.
Make the sand smooth around it, Then take one
of the longest pieces of TIN, bend it round into
hoop a little more than an inch wider than the
orange, and keep it of this form and size, by bit
of string tied round it; stick this hoop in the sand
so as to iclose the orange, and be at equal dis
lance from it on every side the upper edge Of the
tin standing up above the fruit, which is now pre-
pared for casting from. If you have no tin, a
piece of stiff and smooth brown paper, folded
double, and one end fastened to the other by
wafer or wax, and the slip then made to surround
the fruit, will do as well as the tin, though it is
more troublesome to insert into the sand
Now prepare the plaster of Paris, which is to be
poured on the fruit. First pour water into the
basin tit may be half or three-quarters fu sprinkle
the plaster into the water quickly till comes up to
the top of the water, Or till you think you
have enough to cover the exposed half of the fruit
to half an inch in depth, pour off the superauous
water, and stir the whole together quickly, till
well Mixed to about the conscience of thick cream
or honey; then pour the mixed plaster upon the
fruit to cover it all over equally, or as nearly
as possible; the plaster WILL of course, be stopped
from running away by the tin edging lift should
be too thin, and therefore run too much off the
fruit so as to leave the top BARE or nearly 50, you
must after pouring it on the fruit, watch till it
begins to harden, and then with knife plaster it
on the deficient parts, Or else quickly mix up a
little more to pour on; the whole of this must not
take up above minute or two or the plaster will
begin to set, asi is called, that is it will commence
soldiyng for it is the property of calcned plaster
of Paris to unite itself with water with strong
chemical affinity that from an impalpable powder
it becomes hard and solid substance.
While the half mould, now roughly formed, is
becoming hard enough to handle, the basin and
spoon must be carefully washed ready for use again
presently, for a second quantity Of plaster must
never be mixed up in any vessel, till all former
quantities be carefully washed away; and be it
marked also, that if plaster gets hard and dry in
basin, spoon, or othe0tessel, the best way to re-
move it is to pour in little water, when it will
readily separate in one piece.
We will now suppose the plaster, which has been
poured on the fruit, to have gotten about as hard
as the flesh Of soft pear, or just hard enough to
handle; when this is the case, take the whole up
from the sand, take away with the point of the
knife all sand which will drop from it, carefully
remove the tin rim, and hold the mould by the
fruit; now cut away any superhuous parts around
the outside with knife, as quickly as convenient,
for it is now momentarily getting harder; turn it
up and holding the mould itself in the hand fruit
uppermost, remove the orange, if it can be done
readily without hurting the mould. Lay the fruit
aside, cut away the lower edge Of the mould where
it has touched the sand, till the mould is exactly
that of half the fruit which is easily seen by the