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Serious question, my foreman in Toledo said my ladle pour was too fast
He pulled me aside after a pour last month and said I was rushing the 200-pound crucible, which could trap gas in the mold. I slowed it down to a steady stream, like he showed me, and the next batch of gray iron castings came out with way fewer voids. Anyone else had to adjust their pour speed after getting called out?
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karenb973mo ago
Yeah, that tracks with what my old instructor used to say. He'd talk about keeping a "full gate" but not a "fast gate," especially for heavier pours. Said rushing it creates turbulence that pulls air right into the metal, like stirring bubbles into pancake batter. Slowing it down lets the mold vent properly.
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cole_flores443mo ago
That pancake batter comparison from @karenb97 is spot on, and it makes me wonder if the mold's temperature plays a bigger role than we talk about.
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drew_jones313mo ago
Ever see a kid pour a soda too fast and it foams over? Same idea with metal. Your foreman is right, a fast pour churns air into the mix. I've seen guys wreck a whole mold by rushing, ending up with a casting full of holes you could poke a pencil through. Slow and steady wins the race, lets the air escape out the vents like it's supposed to.
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