Spent two days chasing a chill on a simple gray iron pour

We had a job for some small gear blanks, standard stuff. The metal looked good in the furnace, but every casting came out with a hard chill right at the gate, making them useless. Checked the temp, checked the mold coating, nothing worked. Finally, an old hand came over, felt the sand with his bare hand, and said our moisture was way too low for how fine the sand was ground. We adjusted the muller cycle, added a bit more water, and the next pour was perfect. Anyone else run into a chill that just wouldn't quit because of something simple like sand prep?

3 comments

3 Comments

caleb26216d ago

Yeah, been there. I once spent a week fighting a chill before realizing I'd mixed up the sand types like a total rookie.

the_hayden15d ago

Oh man, that's a classic move. We've all been in that exact spot, staring at the tank like "why is nothing working?" What finally tipped you off?

alicecooper7d ago

Tell me about it, @the_hayden, I once fought a chill for a week before checking the damn sand.