Inner Mould Mixture, Pouring Gates and Timing Notes
A scale model of the mould, wax casting-gates, casting the horse's hatch, and logging alloying time and fuel
A dense series of short casting memoranda for the Sforza horse. Leonardo gives a mixture for the inner face of the mould (earth with river sand, ash, pounded brick, egg white and vinegar), proposes building a scale model of the mould with a little room and small furnaces to work out how the mould pieces are placed, and specifies wax or rod pouring-gates laid on the horse before the mould is begun. Further notes cover simple quick casts in a box of moist river sand, casting the horse's upper hatch together with the horse, the bronze thickness, and reminders to record the hours and wood consumed per unit weight in alloying.
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Mixture for the inner face of the mould
Mix with your earth river sand, ash, pounded brick, egg white and vinegar. Make a test first.
A scale model for handling the mould
For this stage make a model of the small mould, and for it a little room with its little furnaces, so that one can see the way of placing the pieces of the mould.
Wax pouring-gates on the horse
The casting mouths (gates) shall be made of wax or of rods upon the horse before you begin the mould. Simple quick casts, by contrast, are made in a box of river sand moistened with vinegar.
The horse's hatch and the bronze thickness
The upper hatch of the horse is to be cast at the same time as the horse. The thickness of the bronze is made of potter's clay, except the legs, which are of rough earth.
Logging alloying time and fuel
In alloying, note how many hours it takes per hundredweight, and how much wood is consumed per thousand.