I have always thought that making molds and pouring molten metal was a activity that only males did until I discovered this video.
I got interested in casting model steam engine parts in 2011, but did not have any idea about it was done, and was not aware that there was an online casting community. I did know there was a local metal museum in town, so I visited the place one afternoon in 2011. They have both a smith shop and a foundry, as well as a museum building, and are located right on the banks of the Mississippi River, high on the bluff, which gives a very picturesque view. Jeannie was working that day in the foundry, and so I started asking here questions about how metal was molded and cast. I did not have a good concept of how a foundry worked, although I had visited one on a school trip many years ago, and remembered the sand molds. We talked for well over an hour, and I learned aboutPetrobond (oil based sand), resin-bound sand (the museum uses this for their art scratch blocks), and sodium-silicate bound sand. They use OK85 commercial foundry sand, old broken up radiators (the ones that use to be in homes), and melt the iron in their cupolas. She and others teach classes in smithing and foundry work. She has been working at the museum for many years and is a permanent worker there. The directors of the foundry serve on a rotating (visiting director) basis for one or more years. I would guess she has poured several tons of iron. You can see her directing young art students on how to charge the cupola here. https://www.bitchute.com/video/JoEX3xYA1UYi/ Jeannie is in the blue jacket. Jeannie is also the one who taps the cupola, and you can also see her doing that several times in the video. She is one of the most knowledgeable and helpful people I have ever run across for foundry information, and is totally involved in every aspect of running a foundry. The museum teaches young students the art of metal working, and the students are selected from the local art schools, and have to apply and get accepted to the program. They have several iron pours every year. If I had more time I would volunteer and help out with their art pours. I am aware of other women in school art programs that are also heavily involved in iron pours; Jeannie is not the only one, but perhaps one of the few that is so heavily involved in this region. Jeannie sets up the cupola, gets it running, charges it with coke and iron, mixes all the resin-bound sand and makes the scratch block molds, etc. She has a great deal of depth in all things foundry, and impressively has no problem with the heavy lifting required to run a foundry.
Here are some photos taken at the Metal Museum. Its a great local source, and has some really nice people working there too.
Just looked at the whole website. That place is amazing! And a beautiful setting. I may visit. Robert
Pat you should hire Jeannie as a foundry consultant so you will have less difficulties in melting iron.
LOL, yes, god knows I need some help. I got porositymaster in my corner though, so its a shoe in with the iron thing. He did seven back-to-back iron pours the other night. He said you sort of blazed a trail for him, and so he is now blazing a trail for me. Melterskelter (Denis) really has it going on with the iron too. I am most impressed with how he sort of came out of nowhere last fall and is pouring iron like a pro. I am on the 10 year plan. My day will come; I have not doubts at this point. . Edit: You know how it is when somebody can't get something figured out, they wax poetic and say "Well its all about the journey", so all I have to say is "Well its all about the journey" . But seriously, I got it, I got this.
