Loading…
3
My old foreman told me to never use a cold ladle for a small bronze pour
This was back at the small shop in Erie, maybe 15 years ago. We were doing a run of about 50 decorative door handles, and I was in a hurry to get the last few done before lunch. I grabbed a ladle that had been sitting on the floor for an hour. My foreman, Frank, saw me and said, 'You'll get a cold shut and ruin the mold. Heat it up first.' I thought he was just being picky, but I did it anyway. Sure enough, the pour went smooth and the castings came out clean. A few weeks later, another guy didn't listen, and we had to scrap six molds because the metal froze up before it filled the cavity. It seems like a small thing, but it stuck with me. Has anyone else had a simple piece of advice like that save a job?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
nathanh446mo ago
Eh, sometimes you gotta risk it.
1
riley584mo ago
Got a similar mindset recently after one of mine paid off in a big way. You ever had a risk surprise you like that?
6
alicebarnes6mo ago
Risk what exactly? Most things people call risks are just minor choices blown out of proportion. Is the potential fallout even that bad, or are we just making a big deal out of nothing?
4