In October, I was able to help out again with the OWU Iron Pour; even after I graduated, I tried to assist as often as I could. I am normally the timekeeper; ever since Jon Quick built a new cupola, the iron charges are a bit heavier than I can handle!
Anyway, the weather was perfect this year, and I was able to get 4 molds of my own poured.....I used foam vaporization in green sand. Here are views of the cupola and my molds, smoldering! As soon as I get them cleaned up, I'll be posting pics of the finished products.
I like helping out, it's an exciting process, visceral and elemental. I keep track of the time and charges: when we load a bag of coke (coal) and when we throw in 40lbs of scrap iron, when we tap out, when we've loaded enough TO tap out! I give the heads-up to the ladle team, because if you don't tap out in time, the iron will flow regardless!!
You can see the bright orange flow of the molten metal as it is tapped from the cupola into the ladel....very exciting!
