Comments

• 

  Roland Cardin August 13, 2009 at 4:51pm

  It is amazing how few of us there are here. ML A school graduated abour 3 classes a year. My class was only 7 guys but I think there were on the average at least 10. When was the last class? I would guess at least 10 years ago. In the last 50 years they had maybe 120 classes. Ten guys per class comes to 1200 Molders. Where are all these guys?
• 

  Craig Lami August 13, 2009 at 4:29pm

  Some of the older guys I knew were Chief McGuire, Paul Little. Richard Denbow, Dutch Holland, Larry Watford, an ML2 called Pappy that worked with Dutch, ML1 Gray, ML1 Anderson (Andy), Glen Howard, there were more, but I forget the names off hand. Good men every one of them.
• 

  Craig Lami August 13, 2009 at 4:22pm

  Roland, I did know a diver chief everyone called Dorito like the chip. Could have been the same guy. He seemed to know his way around the foundry when he wanted comshaw. This was in the early 70s. As far as the Ajax goes, it was still being used when Dave and I were in school. They also had a small gas fired furnace they would fire up just to show how it worked. All the ships I was on used Inductotherms.
• 

  Roland Cardin August 13, 2009 at 3:25pm

  Dave, you didn't touch the electrodes did you? If so you were lucky. I thought that would kill you, hence I was real careful not to touch it. I used that same furnace in A school. It was on the right side of the foundry. Did they still have the Ajax induction furnace when you were there. That was almost as old as the arc furnace. It had 8 or ten separate water valves and push button capacitors that had to be subtracted as well as added to get the correct charge. I operated an Inductotherm furnace at a civilian foundry. What a difference, like automatic over a noncyncro stick.
• 

  Joe Rhea August 13, 2009 at 2:42pm

  Ronald, I remember seeing a rocking arc furnace in the foundry in GITMO, I had always heard about them and seen pictures but it was great to actually see one. It seems like most of the people here started as Molders in the mid 70,s or 80's however we could not have done it had it not been for guys like you. Much respect. Thank you!
• 

  Roland Cardin August 13, 2009 at 2:18pm

  I still plan to keep reading the posts as what you guys experienced in the foundry, I did too. Back in the 60's we didn't have any induction furnaces on the Frontier. We poured our Aluminum and copper alloys from an oil fired furnace that tilted to pour into ladles. The iron and steel were melted with a Detroit Rocking arc furnace. When you tapped the Rocker, the melt usually gave off a shower of sparks and you filled your ladle. Now that action usually made any visiting officer's eyes pop out of his head and they usually didn't return. I have a picture of that somewhere. If I ever get a scanner I will post it.
• 

  Glenn Kamppi August 13, 2009 at 1:02pm

  I know what you mean about some of the candy-ass Div-O's and Dept Heads when it came to pouring steel or cast iron.
  
  I always made sure they didn't doubt we could pour ferrous and told them to challenge us. Whenever we got a new Div-O or Dept Head, we would invite them down to the foundry when we were getting ready to pour a heat of steel. We made them put on faceshields at a minimum, but some thought they were invincible and didn't want to don them.
  
  Anyway, after tapping the furnace (using a lift coil and number 70 crucible), we would ALWAYS, accidently on purpose spill some molten steel as near to them as possible. Their eyes would light up and they would bolt out of the shop, many never to return. I swear we did this so many times it wasn't even funny! Most of them would not come back down to the foundry unless they called first to ensure we weren't getting ready to pour! Damn I miss those days!!!!!!
• 

  Roland Cardin August 13, 2009 at 11:47am

  I have been watching this board since joining and sad to say I haven't seen mention of anyone I served with or knew. I went to A school in 65 and had a Chief Pelletier and ML1 Saylor as instructors. They were great guys by the way. After school I went aboard the Frontier. The LPO was a first class named Dirito. He wanted to go to diving school and got his way after a few months. We got a new Ml1 by the name of Bohannon. I was MLFN at the time and had a major blow up with him over his wanting to pour metal while we were at sea. I asked to see the division officer. The division officer sided with me. The next day I was scrubbing the corners with a toothbrush when the division officer came by. He said he would make me a compartment cleaner and he did. That was OK till the news came that I made Third Class. At that point he made Bohannon a mess deck MAA and put me in charge of the foundry. I had 3 non rated strikers assigned to the shop till one was replaced with a rated fireman soon to be third, named Jim Culver. The Frontier was decomissioned in June of 1968 and I was reassigned to the Isle Royal after a temporary month on the Bryce Canyon. Anyone know any of these guys that I mentioned?
• 

  Craig Lami August 13, 2009 at 9:43am

  I remember 2 of us molders checking in on one sub-tender I won't name. I was told there was only one molder on board and he had requested to be taken out of the foundry because he didn't want to work for the guy I was replacing. Also, there were no tools in the shop and no metal. We were pulling out of port the next day.
  I went down into the shop and there was sand from the door to the rear bulkhead. I have to blame the division officer for the place being able to get that bad.
  The 2 of us started digging and found all the hand tools wwe needed buried in the sand, a brick pouring deck which had been put in after the last guy poured magnesium through the steel deck. We cleaned off the vent hood and found it covered with babbitt. Some one had wanted to see what would happen if he poured a can of water in a #70 cruciple of molten babbitt.
  The metal bins in the shop were full of this strange looking moon rock. It was fist sized chunks of unidentifiable metal that was full of holes like swiss cheese. You could stick your finger in the holes, they were so big. We started chucking the stuff over the side, with permission. When the BMs saw usand found we weren't getting in trouble, they started helping just for fun. Soon we had 6 people working to carry this stuff up and chuck it over. It still took a good hour.
  There turned out to be a store room one deck down that no one knew about full of metal, and about 1000 pounds of nickel shot.
  Our first couple days in the next port, the 2 of us poured 5 plaques and a half a dozen hatch dogs and we were heros.
• 

  Joe Rhea August 13, 2009 at 8:57am

  All of the foundries (and all shops for that matter) took on the personality of the person in charge.
  I'm not trying to slam or disrespect anyone just going to call it like I saw it. I think that there were some ML's out there who did not aggressivly try to sell our trade and capabilities to the powers to be. It may have been through fustration, lack of knowledge, or just plain laziness.
  I checked onboard a Destroyer Tender as ML1, there were 2 other ML1's onboard (I was junior and no Chief), during my check in the ARO he did not have a lot of good things to say about the foundry and told me that they only did non-ferrous and did not have the capibilities to pour ferrous metals on the ship. I told the ARO that was BS and that I could make anything out of any metal.
  I went back to the shop and told the LPO of my conversation with the ARO and his response was "why did you tell him that! we can't pour steel" I was blown away! A few weeks later we were tasked with making a ferrous part, the LPO was pissed and basically said you opened your mouth you do it.
  The PM's made a pattern and we went to SIMA and got the raw materials needed (green sand bin was empty and used as storage), put a heavy mag wash on a #70 clay graphite crucible and poured a steel casting. During the pour we had a dog and pony show of 10 people (mostly officers) looking on in disbelief ( I think they thought we were going to burn the ship down), the crucible came out white hot, sparks flying, it was awsome.
  From that point on we had more work than we could shake a stick at and for a 4 person shop ( 3 ML1's and one undesignated fireman) we were humping.
  If the patternmakers could not make a pattern in time I would super glue the origional part back together, build up the machine surfaces with garlock or wax and produce a casting.
  I guess I took away the good life of coming in making a few plaques or deck drains and going on liberty after lunch. Early liberty became a treat rather than the norm.
  There was never a part I could not make, granted I did not always get them on the first try, but I always got em.
  I think attitude always goes a long way. You can not fail if you never try.
  
  As I said in the begining this was not meant to slam or disrespect anyone, just my observation. It was a shame that we constantly had to fight for work and prove that we could do things and be more than a gift shop. I think some just fought more than others.