milessmith•28d agoProlific Poster

Switched from ceramic to sand filters in my green sand system and it was a game changer

I was dead set on ceramic filters for months, but a old timer at the shop convinced me to try sand after I complained about ceramic clogging on my iron pours. After 2 weeks with sand, my casting defects dropped by half and I don't have to babysit the filter every 30 minutes. Anyone else find sand works better for heavier metals?

3 comments

3 Comments

jake_torres6828d ago

That bit about not babysitting the filter every 30 minutes hits home. What kinda iron were you pouring that was clogging the ceramic that bad?

ward.jamie28d ago

Pouring some cheap recycled gold I got in a lot and it had this weird sludge that kept building up in the crucible lip before even hitting the ceramic, @jake_torres68. Like a sticky black tar that would clog the whole filter in under 15 minutes if I wasn't scraping it off every second pour. Switched to a known supplier's shot and haven't had that problem since, total night and day difference.

bennett.nora24d ago

Ceramic's really not that bad once you figure out the right pore size and pour temperature for your specific metal. Sand filters have their own issues like channeling and uneven flow distribution that can actually introduce more defects if you're not careful with the media depth and backwashing schedule. Plus that old timer probably had sand in his system for thirty years, doesn't mean it's optimal for everyone trying different alloys and pour speeds. Sometimes the babysitting aspect of ceramic forces you to pay attention to the little things in your process, you know?