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The old guy who taught me to let the sandgate settle before closing it
I was working at a shop outside Pittsburgh and this 60 year old pourer told me to always wait 10 seconds before hitting the close button on the sandgate. He said it saved him from three mold blowouts a shift. Has anyone else had an old timer give them a weird trick like that?
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jason5245mo ago
Wait the 10 seconds before closing. I had an old timer tell me to count Mississippi's when pouring aluminum. He said the mold needs that extra second to settle out the turbulence. Never had a blowout after I started doing that.
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the_sean5mo ago
Doesn't the turbulence settle in like the first few seconds though?
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nina1473mo ago
Huh, did you find that the turbulence really settles that fast? In my experience, it depends a lot on the alloy. I've poured a lot of aluminum and some of them seem to foam up like crazy for a good 5-7 seconds before they calm down. I tried the fast pour method a few times but ended up with tiny air pockets in the casting every single time. Your mileage may vary of course, but for me waiting a full count to ten before closing the gate made a huge difference. I'd say it's worth trying on a few smaller test pours to see if it helps your blowout issues.
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