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That shift last Wednesday was one of the worst I've had in 12 years
We were pouring ductile iron for a municipal job and the sand kept clumping in the wrong spots. By the time we got the cope and drag settled, the pour temp had dropped 50 degrees below spec. Three molds ended up with cold shuts and we had to scrap them. On top of that, the overhead crane started grinding halfway through the second lift, which shut us down for an hour. Has anyone else dealt with sand moisture issues when it rains heavy for a few days straight?
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susan1304mo ago
I mean I remember reading somewhere that moisture in the sand can mess with the clay binder, especially if you're not preheating the sand before the mix. That humidity from a couple days of rain probably didn't help your pour temp either.
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brooke7674mo ago
Holy crap, wait. Preheating the sand before the mix? I've been doing this for years and I never even thought about that. That sounds like a total game changer, honestly. I just assumed if the sand looked dry on top it was good to go, never considered the moisture deeper down or from a few days of rain. How hot do you even get the sand? Like oven temp or just a little warm? I bet that humidity thing is why my last few batches came out all crumbly and weird.
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