MMM Cast Iron Invitational Sept. 17-20th, 2025 @ CAFAC in Minneapolis, MN

https://www.cafac.org/events/mmm-iron-invitation

I am hoping to be there for the pour and some of the studio time.

Details on the website.

 

wish someone would do an event like that closer to me

 

It would be great to have something 'down south' event to attend during the North American winters.
This one and some others happen 'on site' where there is a studio for making molds.
The other one that I have been to get hosted by a studio but is held in a public place so everything is brought to the site and carted away afterwards.

 

Sloss furnace used to have an event in Birmingham Al. You could sign up to help with a pour of pretty decent size, maybe 100 pounds or more. There is also a presentation at Tannahill Furnace about once a month in the summer. It's just for viewing and you can't join in even if you bring your own PPE.

 

SLOSS has alot of events, and its only 7 hours away... I suppose at some point

 

Metals Studio | Metal Museum | Memphis, TN
This is another place. I'm not too familiar with this but, I've watched a few videos of pours they have done.

 

It looks like I will not be involved in the studio portion of the event, of my own choosing to balance other priorities, but still hoping to be there for the pour.

 

The event was awesome.
1100#(500kg) iron melted and many familiar faces from the Midwest iron casting crew.



Most of the molds were silicate-bound sand, open backed and closed. Professor Wayne Potratz (ironwain.com) had some clay molds that he poured from a one person ladle. The other molds were poured with a two person shank with someone directing and another running a shovel to protect adjacent molds and throw sand if needed.

My daughter pushed me to make a mold so I would not feel 'left out' at the pour, she was so right, it felt good to come home with something.
I had time* to make a small 3D printed match plate of a fish I found on GrabCAD and molded it in K-Bond. These are similar size/weight to the original 'lucky iron fish' used as a dietary iron supplement. Since the source metal for the pour was mostly old radiators of unknown pedigree, we decided not to try them for foodstuff.





*The epoxy-coated fish on the match plate were still soft I as drove to the event but hard enough for molding a few hours later. I did not have time for gates on the match plate so I consulted with Wayne on how to cut them in.



I hope I can get it together next time to attend the workshop leading up to this. The people who attended enjoyed the experience.
After the bottom was dropped from the furnace, there was a cookout and lounge session and initial clean-up. Most of the molds were broke out the next day along with the bigger clean-up.