The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1919-05-24
Molding

Molding
Molding is the backbone of indus
try. No manufacturing plant is COM
plete without a foundry. A few fac
tories send away for their castings
but this is expensive and often i'm
portant jobs are held up because of
delays. No matter what concern
manufactures there is sure to be
more or less foundry work needed.
Most factories have well equipped
foundries with latest .molding ma
chimes and high grade tools. This
helps production because men with
good equipment can do better work in
less time. Poor castings hinder pro-
duction and cost the company large
sums of money.
Molding is simple process but a
man must have practice to become
an efficient workman. To understand
molding one must have good idea of
the material and equipment used. l
entered the brass foundry from the
pattern shop where my experience
helped me greatly as it gave me a
steady hand and clear eye. Molding
sand is peculiar kind of sand found
in New Jersey. 1t contains the right
materials to resist intense heat. A
molder has to add new sand to his
sand pile occasionally, for the old
sand burns and does not hold up as it
does when it is new.
The TASKS Ga flask is box from
which the top and bottom have been
taken and has two parts, the top sec
ton or cope, and the bottom section
or drag) which are used are different
sizes and shapes. With each flask is
a bottom board little larger than
the flask itself. The flask is set on
this board and placed where the
molder can pour the metal into it
easily. The molder's most important
tool is his shovel. He also has a rid
die, bellows, draw bar, slicker and
sponge.
When he gets a pattern, some cast
ings of which are needed, he selects
a flask suited to the size of the pat
tern. He lays the pattern on the mold
boarl, which is the same as the bot
tom board except that it is finished
on one side so that the pattern will
lay fiat on it. Over this he places the
drag or bottom section Of the flask,
fills the riddle with facing sand, and
Sits thin layer over the pattern
Then he fills the flask with sand, rams
it down hard, smooths it off level
with the top of the flask, lays on the
bottom board, then turns the whole
thing over so as to bring the mold
board on top.
He next removes the mold board
and sets the cope on the drag. He
sprinkles some coarse dry sand over
the surface of the mold to prevent the
sand in the cope and that in the drag
from sticking. Then he fills the cope
with sand, rams it down hard, and
smooths off the top. He takes a
sprew-cutter Ga piece Of brass pipe
made of very thin materially and
pushes it down through to the center
of the mold. AS the sprew-cutter is
tapered, the sand sticks inside when
the cutter is pulled out, leaving hole
in the center of the mold.
The molder then lifts off the top
section of the flask and sets it down
at one side. Driving the draw bar
into the pattern and loosening it, he
carefully draws out the pattern. Be-
ing an expert workman, he does not
break down the sand in the process.
After he has drawn out the pattern
he cuts trough in the sand from the
pattern to the sprew hole, thus Civ
ing the metal place to run to the
mold. The molder sets the cope back
on, and puts the finished mold where
the metal can be poured in easily.
The molten metal is taken from the
cupola in large ladies each holding
several pounds. The ladies' can be
taken all over the foundry on over
head tracks. Each molder has small
ladle holding about fifty pounds.
IneSo SHldll lluIeS are liiieu IIOiii Vic
larger ones, and the molder pours the
hot metal into the mold. When the
metal cools, the sand is knocked out
of the flask, leaving the casting loose.
Each molder piles up his castings
which are later picked up and
cleaned.
/ learned to mold in the brass foun-
dry. There 1 found out many useful
things by observation, but was not
there long enough to get much prac-
tee. A man requires months to learn
molding thoroughly and years of ex-
perience to become first class work
man.
REGINALD RUSSELL