Question about the old sand mix at the old Johnson Foundry in Toledo

Three years back at the Johnson plant, we mixed our own green sand by hand in a big pit. It was a full day's work for two guys, shoveling and feeling the moisture by hand. Last month I visited a new shop in Detroit, and they have this automated mixer that does the whole batch in 20 minutes with a computer checking the specs. It's cleaner and way more exact, but I miss knowing the mix was right because you could squeeze a ball of it and it held its shape perfectly. The new stuff works fine, but that old way felt like you were part of the process, not just pushing a button. Has anyone else worked with both systems and have a take on which makes a better mold?

3 comments

3 Comments

tessa_clark741mo ago

Honestly, the old way taught you to read the metal's mood before you even poured, something a screen can't show you.

rowan_roberts4919d ago

Oh boy, and here I thought the "mood of the metal" was just my shop being too humid again. I guess I need to start taking my steel out for coffee before I weld it.

reesemoore1mo ago

Tbh you're so right. My grandpa used to say you could tell if a weld would hold just by the sound of the arc and the color of the puddle. Watching a digital readout just doesn't give you that same gut feeling.