MOULD, among gold-beaters, a certain number of leaves of vellum or pieces of gut, cut square of a certain size, and laid over one another, between which they put the leaves of gold and silver which they beat on the marble with the hammer. See GOLD LEAF.
They have four kinds of moulds; two whereof are of vellum and two of gut; the smallest of those of vellum consists of 40 or 50 leaves; the largest contains 100: for the others, each contains 500 leaves. The moulds have all their several cases, consisting of two pieces of parchment, serving to keep the leaves of the mould in their place, and prevent their being disordered in beating.