How fluid is cast iron?

[Charles Lamont]

They also had a deep pit at one end for casting lamp posts….

   Graham.

Good one.

[Jasonb]

Bollards came to mind when I read about the lamp post pit

[Alyn Foundry]

They also had a deep pit at one end for casting lamp posts….

   Graham.

Good one.

Charles Lamont.

I try to post with both accuracy and sincerity, I fail to see any humour in my remark. Perhaps you should enlighten the membership regarding the use of deep pits in the older foundries?

I am done here.

[Jasonb]

It is down to what people think when a pit is mentioned.

Graham as per my message yesterday I think both Charles and I thought of the "pit" as being used to cast lamp posts vertically with all the difficulties of removing a pattern that it would entail was pulling our legs. As a pit is generally a lot deeper than it is long.

[vtsteam]

I was lucky enough to witness the restoration of a very large cast Iron window frame at the Rhuddlan foundry. Colin first made up a matrix of squares in the foundry floor. This matrix must have been about 20 feet square. The open topped mould was then run directly from the Cupola. After a few days of cooling the moulding commenced. The pattern ( a recovered and fettled window ) was then laid out on the floor. The sand rammed and levelled between each opening. The next operation was to set the cast Iron matrix over the  top sitting a few inches above. Fresh sand was then rammed down onto the topside of the window frame. The  Iron matrix allowed the sand to be lifted off the pattern without the whole thing falling apart. The pattern was then removed and the top half properly registered to the floor pins. Oh, all this was done Greensand by the way, not a single chemical was used.

The matrix was never used again and was left leaning against the wall for several years. It ended up being smashed up and recycled.

They also had a deep pit at one end for casting lamp posts….

   Graham.

Really interesting! The iron matrix forming a giant cope is something I had no idea about. Makes perfect sense. Thank you for posting this. 

[bent]

That is interesting, Alyn, I've seen iron poured but only in a large facility with a Disamatic automatic molding line.

 https://www.romac.com/foundry