Changed my mind about using ceramic blankets for small pours

I talked to this older guy named Frank at the supply shop in Toledo. He said he's been using nothing but green sand for everything under 50 lbs for 30 years and never had a failure. He showed me a cell phone pic of a 40 lb bronze bell he did last week, no blanket, and the finish was way better than my stuff. Made me rethink all those times I spent wrapping up small jobs.

2 comments

2 Comments

emery8791mo ago

Funny you mention Frank. I got a buddy who does railroad spikes into knives, won't touch anything but a firebrick stack he made in his garage 15 years ago. He says the blanket fibers get in his lungs and he'd rather have a rough finish than breathe that stuff. His knives look like they came out of a factory though, so maybe there's something to it.

umam951mo ago

HOLD ON, your buddy has been using the SAME firebrick stack for FIFTEEN years? That is WILD to me. I have to replace my ceramic blanket like every other year because it gets so beat up and saggy, I can't imagine a brick forge lasting that long without any maintenance. Does he ever have to rebuild it, or is he just that good at keeping it together? The lung thing is a real concern though, I get why people switch to bricks, but FIFTEEN YEARS is some legendary dedication.