Greensand casting

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Step-by-Step Sand Casting Instructions

Foundry Sand/Greensand
In commercial foundries the sand is used over and over thousands of times. Between uses, the
sand is rejuvenated by adding water and mulling (mixing and smashing). If you do not let the
sand dry out all the way, you do not have to mull, just add water. Sand grit is determined just
like sandpaper. 150 is very fine and 50 grit is coarse. Fine sand will give good detail, coarse
sand will give a pebbly or rough texture. I

Helpful Hints:

1.Start casting with aluminum (low-melting), then try brass or

bronze. Practice with easy metals.
2.Finish molding before you start your furnace.
If you look at the sand through a microscope there are gaps and spaces like a DO NOT light the furnace then start molding.
sponge. Any moisture that turns to gas during pouring can escape out the
3.Greensand is about 6% moisture. DO NOT let your sand dry
pores (gaps).
out! Keep it covered or in a sealed container when not in use.
Other materials like plaster do not have gaps for the gas to escape. The sand used in
4.DO NOT melt aluminum cans. Can metal is covered in vinyl to
greensand is silica, common/ordinary sand. You can use beach sand, desert sand......it's all
good as long as it is clean and fine. The sand is held together with bentonite, a powdered clay. protect the can from the contents. All other aluminum is good to
Bentonite is also used for wine-making, well drilling, patching dry lake beds, cosmetics,
melt.
farm-feed additive and milkshake thickener. Bentonite is also sold in health food stores for
abdominal problems. You can purchase bentonite locally at well-drillers or well-drilling
5. DO NOT stir molten metal, this adds gas.
suppliers.
Do skim dross off the top right before pouring!
Mold on a clean surface.
Keep your sand in a
sealed container to
retain moisture when
not in use.

Molding tools needed:

Riddle (Sieve/screen), large hole cutter (1/2" copper pipe),
dowels (1/4" and 1/8"), rammer/striker (wood 10"x1.5"x1"),
runner bar pattern, spoon, trowel and parting dust (in the
black sock).

Civil War Plaque

1. Place iron pattern in flask with enough room for gating. In this
mold we use a wood pattern for "runner" and "gate".
Pattern can be made of wood, metal, plastic, plaster or even soft
materials like wax.
Note: Soft materials and wood need to be coated with shellac or other
coating.

2. Dust pattern with parting dust to keep it from sticking.

Parting dust is a hydrophobic material, it repels moisture.
Most powders (baby, talcum) absorb moisture.

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4. Use paddle side of rammer to tuck edges first.

Hold the flask with your other hand.

3. Use a fine riddle to cover just the pattern, then fill up the flask
with sand, level (flush) with the top. There is no need to riddle all
the sand, just make sure there is no lumps. The riddle fluffs the sand
up so it can be packed properly, the same way a flour sifter works.

5. Use the butt side of rammer east to west (lightly to protect pattern), then
north and south (harder to pack mold tight). Ramming strokes should be 1
inch apart, like you are planting corn. Do not ram twice in the same spot, do
not ram close together.

You can ram too soft, you can't ram too hard.

6. Fill it up with sand to about 2 inches above flask.

Ram really hard the second pass!

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8. Strike off drag section with rammer, then spread small amount of sand
(handful) out to cushion bottom board.
7. Use rammer again North to South, then East to West pattern. Planting
corn. Hard, to pack the sand very tight. Hold the flask with your hand.

10. Holding bottom board and flask together, flip it over.

9. Place bottom board on top of your mold.

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12. Use your spoon and smooth the edges of the pattern and any
rough areas.

11.Remove the cope and pattern board.

Repeat steps 3-8.

Ramming the cope full of sand, the same way we
did the drag (bottom).
13. Replace cope and apply parting dust. WAIT! Make sure hinges
and latches are on the SAME side! This cope needs to be flipped
the other way.

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14. Strike off cope level with the rammer/striker. Use your trowel to smooth. 15. Take cope off and set it aside.

16. Form sprue hole with copper pipe, place hand against
opposite side to prevent excess breakage.

Make sprue hole at one end and the pop-up in the

middle somewhere. Do not make the pop-up at the
end.

17. Form pop-up with 1/4" dowel, place hand against

opposite side.

18.When molten flows into the mold, erosion eats away at

sharp edges. Round sharp or rough areas with your finger.
Do not rub with your finger, push gently.
The mold is delicate and fragile, be very careful.

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19. For areas you can't reach with finger, use the dowel to
smooth inside holes. Clean pop-up hole also!

21. Clean rough areas around sprue and pop-up with your
finger and dowel.

23. Remove wood gate pattern.

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20. Carve pouring cup into the sprue hole on the top of the
mold. Like a small cup. Slick what you can with the spoon.

22. Tap runner pattern to loosen, then remove.

24. Tap pattern lightly to loosen.

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26. Smooth any rough or sharp edges where molten metal

will flow. Where the runner meets the gate and where the
gate meets the pattern.

Your finger is the most useful molding tool.

25. Put a screw partially into the pattern for a handle.

Remove pattern.

Lightly touch rough areas to smooth with your finger, do

not rub with your finger, just touch.

The sand mold is very delicate and fragile,

touch as little as possible with surgical skill.

28. Replace cope (top section).

27. Is your sand too wet? Torch the casting area

for about a minute, this will dry out excess moisture.
This small mold was torched less than a minute, sand
will blacken.

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Most molds have the flask remain on the mold. If this mold
were to be poured with brass or bronze, we would leave the
flask on the mold. And clamp it!

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29. A "snap flask" has hinges and clasps, allowing it to be

removed after molding. This mold is going to be poured
with aluminum.

30. Fill crucible with metal, place the crucible in the furnace
and light.
Light furnace by releasing gas and dropping a wooden
match into the furnace in front of burner (blue area), AT THE
SAME TIME! There should be no flame inside the metal burner
31.
tube, only in the refractory area.

Is the furnace running properly?

Look.......inside the burner for flame.
Listen.....to the sound. A high pitched gurgling or a

Replace lid. Turn gas all the way

up. Feed metal into the exhaust hole.

misfiring engine sound indicates flame in the burner tube.

A steady roaring sound indicates proper burning, like a
jet! If your furnace is not operating correctly, relight and
release the propane faster with more pressure. Releasing the
gas too slowly will allow it to go in the burner tube.

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32. Feed metal into the exhaust hole as fast as it will take it
until the crucible is full.
Do not operate furnace with lid plug in.

33. After the last piece of aluminum has turned molten

(liquid), let the furnace run 3 more minutes to reach
pouring temperature. With brass, 5 minutes.
DO NOT overheat aluminum. DO NOT overheat steel
crucibles.
Aluminum pouring temp is 1325 to 1400F.

35.Pour in the winter or summer.

Place a brick or two on each mold to prevent leaking!

34. Turn off furnace, remove lid, scoop off dross (slag) that is
floating on top. Remove dross with a slotted steel spoon, a
cheap kitchen one will do.

Remove crucible.

Pronounced: crew-sybil

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36. Pour extra metal into a steel muffin pan to make ingots.
When using a brand new pan, pre-heat in the furnace exhaust
before using. Pre-heating will burn off any teflon coating and 37. Allow mold to cool for at least 5 minutes.
keep the ingots from sticking.

38. Shake-out mold into sand container.

39. Cut off gating system. Grind flashing. Buff flat

surfaces with compound and cloth wheel.

Sprinkle about 2 cups of water on the crunchy parts of

sand. Cover your sand, do not let it dry out.

For more molding tips read through

our project pages and foundry facts.

Home

Beautiful mask made using a ceramic pattern.

Visit a ceramic store for inexpensive patterns to use for
casting.
Copyright 2011-Lost & Foundry of Spokane!

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