Appreciation post: The old timer who swore by wetting the sand for core boxes

I always thought adding water to the molding sand for our core boxes at the Milwaukee plant was a messy, unnecessary step until a veteran showed me his method last week. The cores came out with perfect definition and zero crumbling, saving us a full re-pour on a complex gear housing. Has anyone else found a simple trick that seemed silly but actually works great?

3 comments

3 Comments

ward.jamie5d ago

Read an article years back about old school foundry workers doing that. They called it tempering, and it was standard practice before modern binders came along. The water helps the sand grains stick together just enough without getting sloppy. Makes total sense that it would give you a sharper print. Sometimes the old ways are still the best.

hayes.joel5d ago

Yeah @ward.jamie, heard the same thing from a retired patternmaker.

grace6071d ago

Remember my buddy telling me about his grandpa's shop. They'd sprinkle water on the molding sand before a pour, said it made the castings come out crisp. Always stuck with me how simple fixes work so well.