Posablly seeing about starting up a navy molders museum?
I know they dismissed our rate back in 1997. I would hope there are enough of us left to possably get together and see about creating a museum somewhere here in the states to preserve our long history and heritage that we all have shared as Molders. Any of you out there please give me a response if you read this Discussion. Thanks.
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Oops-I should remember to proof-read more often before sending!! Earlier reference to "old craft" casting should read, "Cup,Spoon, and Saucer", of which I am sure everyone out there knows of and most USN Molders have cast at one time or another for one reason or another.
I very much appreciate your comments, and you are right, "TN Velvet" is a trade-name known to (and I hate to use the word) "older" molders in US, those like many of us USN Molders who have had to for one reason or another prove their knowledge in a new foundry by first making a "cup and spoon" casting using only natural-bonded sand to show their knowledge of the "old art"! This particular sand was known in the bay area close to where I was raised, (area foundries operating in and around Oakland, CA area) up until many of us then switched to Petro-bond molding sand in approximately 1964, mainly due to increased green strength, and then ease of adding additions of oil and replensing increased size of grain fineness by just adding "new" sand when mulling. With my little shop here in East TN however, I have always used my little Portable Royer airator to cool and fluff sand, as well as a Simpson Lab Muller to upgrade working strength of my existing sand, but increased fines is a detriment I realise. Only use a variety of portable hand screens when I riddle on molds to control fines. (Natural-bonded is also SO MUCH cleaner to be around, although probably not a good way, I imagine). One thing that has helped though is that in using cooler melting temps, after many years my sand is somewhat yellowish or light brown in color as opposed to others I have known that have "burned out' their sand by high-volumn casting demand in either elevated temp non-ferrous alloys, or pouring white or grey iron-alloys (class 10-40), and the sand is quickly burned to black in color. My sand is round-grain,(so as a USN Molder you know the many associated dis-advantages), and was "bank" mined in one west TN county when I purchased it many,many moons ago. Your information gives me "food for thought" though, so thank you for sending! Great to hear from you, one of the elite US Navy Molders, and Thank You too for your service to our country!
There is no reason that your "old" sand cannot be amended and made to be like new. The original sand is still there, but the formula has changed with use. What you'll need to do is to find an affordable method of removing the fine particles under your 120 GFS minimum and then add back the appropriate binder at the appropriate level. That sounds pretty easy. Famous last words, you know...
Anyway, not knowing any more specifics than the fineness and the fact that it is naturally bonded my .02 ends here. I'm attaching a url to a website that is probably pretty elementary to a guy with as much experience as you, but I thought it was an interesting read. Good luck!
http://www.theworkshop.ca/casting/course/MTB72/MTB721.htm
No brothers named Pat.
The bad part about doing dumb shit when your young is as I advanced through the ranks and made Chief i had to chew the guys ass for doing the same dumb shit I did as a young sailor.
Actually it's the same as being a Dad... Yelling on the outside while laughing on the inside.
We had a bright idea one time when I was on the Shenandoah. After too many days at sea we decided to modify the our air guns into air rifles, we took some pipe, threaded the ends and removed the end of the air gun and replaced it with the 2 foot piece of pipe. Then we grabbed some nickel shot and commenced firing. We dinged up the vents, put holes in the lagging ect….. Well as all good idea’s we took it a little further and made a few more and decided it would be “fun” to shoot each other, so dress in out PPE we went to “war”. Even with our aluminized suits they hurt like a son of a bitch. We decided play time was over when one of the guys took a shot to the face, the nickel shot went through his faceshield and got him just above the eye. The guy was lucky and of course we were young and dumb.
After that only use for the air rifles was to stick them into the perto bond bin and shoot sand onto the Officers cars in the parking lot from the flight deck.