TIL my old mentor was right about preheating molds

Used to think he was just wasting time when he'd make us heat every green sand mold to 150 degrees before pouring. After I had a cold mold blow a casting apart at Anderson Foundry in 2019, I finally listened. Now I use a cheap infrared gun on every mold and haven't had a gas defect since. Anyone else have a boss or teacher whose weird rule ended up saving your butt?

3 comments

3 Comments

zarag1714d ago

You ever try using a propane torch to warm up the mold instead? Saves time and still works like a charm for me.

karenc2014d ago

Oh yeah, propane torch is the way to go, I started doing that last year after I messed up a batch with the oven method. It just gets the mold hot way faster and you don't have to wait around forever for it to cool down to the right temp. I actually keep a little torch right by my workstation now, just a quick pass over the mold and it's good to go, no more worrying about cold spots or uneven heating. Plus you can really focus on the tricky areas where material tends to thicken up, like corners and details. Honestly, once you switch to a torch you'll never go back to waiting for an oven or heat gun.

andrew_baker98d ago

You sure that torch isn't overheating the resin in those tight spots though?