| Catalog Description |
Name: Long oval, brass betel nut box and two small brass boxes kept inside. For betel nuts, lime and "buyo" leaves. | These boxes, which are carried by the users of betel nut, are the work of native artisans. The box is first modeled in a clay made of damp rice straw. This is allowed to dry and is then covered with a coating of liquid bee's wax; over this is placed a thick coat of ashes with only a single thin core of wax protruding to the surface. After the ashes have thoroughly dried, liquid brass is poured into the funnel which surrounds the wax-core; the liquid metal immediately melts the wax and takes its place inside the mold. After cooling the mold is broken away, leaving the box. Raised or incised designs are produced by cutting or modeling them in wax before the final coating of clay is applied. |
