24 



AMERICAS MUSEUM GUIDE LEAFLETS 



midrib is attached to a heavier wire and wrapped throughout its length 

 with waxed gauze until the proper size is attained. The welding of the 

 waxed gauze must be done with care, the agate tool supplementing the 

 use of the fingers. Finally the leaf is ready for the colorist. 



Cactus may he cast in piece molds and the 

 Cactus, original spines inserted in the wax. 

 Cat-tail, Bladelike leaves of cat-tails may he 

 Grass made from molds. A thin layer of hot 



wax is flowed into the mold and into this a strip of 

 waxed gauze is pressed. A midrib of fine steel 

 wire wrapped with waxed gauze, is carefully 

 adjusted and over this a second flow of hot wax 

 is poured, and over the wax again a second piece 

 of waxed gauze is welded by passing a hot tool 

 over the surface. Blades of grass arc cut from 

 heavily waxed gauze and are modeled by folding 

 them laterally over the edge of a knifelike strip 

 of tin fixed in a wooden base. Very little manip- 

 ulation is required. No rib is usvd, hut each blade 

 from a short distance above the base is rolled about 

 a wire and several blad es are then attached to a 

 heavier wire stem. 



FLOWER MAKING 



Flowers are more difficult to reproduce in wax 

 Flowers than are leaves because more complex 

 Made with and may be made 1 by various inetli- 

 a Die ods. More often they arc cut out from 



waxed gauze with a die, or perhaps with scissors 

 according to a pattern. A die is usually made for 

 simple monopetalous flowers such as pickerel weed, 

 the tube being cut lengthwise and the corolla 



PLASTER MOLD FOR MAKING THE BLADES OF THE CAT-TAIL 



The tbree indentations in this mold were made by pouring soft plaster over the fresh 

 green plant. 1 1 < > t w;i\ is poured Into the mold in a thin layer and a sheet of waxed gauze 

 welde I into it. Pine steel wires, one extending beyond the other for the tip of the leal', are 



wrapped with a strip of waxed gauze and adjusted along the middle line. Over the wire 

 there is a second (low of wax anil 0V6T the wax a second strip of waxed gauze which again is 



covered with a flow of wax. A hot tool is then run over the surface and a perfect welding 



made 



