The "A Friend named Calvin ….. or is it Jerry: Part II" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Picking up where I left off yesterday when I reported on my trip to Flury Foundry in Lancaster, PA.  My tour guide was a high school classmate of mine named Calvin.  That was until today when I found out that everyone calls him Jerry.  Boy, it must be ages since I last saw Calvin because I had no idea that his nickname was Jerry.  He told me the nickname goes way back to his childhood.  He is a junior and since his day is called Calvin, he got the nickname of Jerry.  Anyway,  yesterday I gave you a brief history of the foundry that Jerry owns with a start as to how they cast their foundry pieces.  Today I would like to give you some insight into how they prepare their sand for casting as well as how the Roberts Sinto machine prepares flasks for pouring.  I will give you the information by way of photographs, since it is easier for me to do and probably easier for you to understand.  

Sand is needed for every casting procedure.  The preliminary batch gets mixed in a speed mullor which is controlled by this computer.  The image on the screen is the mullor and you can see exactly what is taking place and how much time has elapsed and how much time is remaining in the mixing procedure.  The sand is mixed with pre-mix during this procedure and will eventually be mixed with either clay, a binder, release agent or oil depending on which machine is using the sand or which casting procedure is being completed. 

This bag of additives is added in the machine pictured next. 

The Speedmullor which mixes the ingredients and is controlled by the computerized panel.

Inside the mullor the ingredients are being mixed. 

Jerry and his employee Rob are examining the operation of the computer on the Speedmullor.

The Roberts Sinto unit is a computerized molding unit.  The flasks (metal devices that hold the sand for casting) are placed in position and the machine pulls them into position.  The pattern of the item that is being cast is pulled between them and sand is injected into both the bottom and top of the flask.  After all compression of the sand is finished, the flask is placed on a conveyor which will take it to the pouring area for casting.

This shows the bottom half of the flask after it has been packed with sand.  The pattern has been removed and you can now see what the casting will look like after it has been cast in metal.

This is the area where the metal is heated until it is liquefied.   

These are bronze ingots that will melt at 1750 degrees.  Bronze is composed of copper and zinc.  The ingots are placed in the crucible that is usually silicon carbide. 

Here foundry pourer Ed is removing the dross from the molten metal.

Ed is preparing to load the crucible into the pouring bail that will carry the hot molten metal to the conveyor that holds the flasks.

He uses an overhead transportation system for moving the crucible.  Notice the ventilation mask and gloves that are needed. 

Sitting on the conveyor are the molds that have been molded on the Robert Sinto machine.  Ed is preparing to pour the molten metal into the spue opening on the top of the sand.  The metal will flow through a series of gates into the area that was created by the pattern.  

Pouring the metal!  Remember it is at least 1750 degrees at this point.

The molds on the right will be taken apart and the sand and casting will be placed next to it to proceed to the next step.

Here are the casting along with the sand that was used to make it.  It travels on this conveyer that shakes the items so the sand will break apart to be used again and the casting can go to it's next phase.

Here Luis, under heavy protection, cuts the casting off the gating system.

This worker is grinding any imperfections off of the casting.  The buyer of the product will take it from this stage and machine it to the specific dimensions that they need.

Photo of Jason on the left and Jerry as then stand in front of the Roberts Sinto machine.  Jerry is the owner of Flury Foundry and will eventually pass it on to his his nephew Jason.