Serious question, has anyone else had a core box just SHATTER on them?

Three years ago at the old Mid-State Foundry, I was ramming up a big gear pattern and the wooden core box literally came apart in my hands. The foreman just shrugged and said 'it happens', but I realized then that checking for dry rot and loose joints BEFORE you start is non-negotiable. What's your pre-pour checklist look like for stuff like that?

4 comments

4 Comments

sean_green442mo ago

Man, I feel that. Did you get covered in a cloud of old wood dust and regret? My checklist is basically just me staring at the thing for five minutes, poking all the corners with a screwdriver, and hoping I don't hear that scary cracking sound. I mean, I should probably be more official about it, but that's the real process.

wade2502mo ago

Seriously? That's a good way to wreck a whole pour. Staring and poking isn't a checklist, it's a guess. You need a real system. Mine is written down and I follow it every single time. Check for splits, check for loose pieces, check the seal surfaces. If you skip steps because you're in a hurry, that's when the box fails.

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nguyen.angela2mo ago

Ugh, the screwdriver poke test is so real, @sean_green44. I've totally been there, just holding my breath and pressing on a corner, praying it's solid. Then you hear that little tick and your stomach drops because you know it's a hairline crack full of old glue. Wade's totally right about a system, but man, in the moment it's all panic and hope. My last fail was a box that looked perfect, but the bottom seam was just... dust. Poured anyway and it wept concrete all over the floor. Never again.

bennett.harper5d ago

Oh come on, it's not THAT serious. I mean yeah, you gotta be careful, but a written checklist for checking a pour box? That's a bit much. @nguyen.angela is right, half the time you're just winging it and hoping for the best. I've done the screwdriver poke and the stare-down plenty of times and my pours turn out fine.